How the Washington Football Team roster stacks up at every position
There are major question marks at several spots, including quarterback, linebacker and wide receiver. With that in mind, here is a position-by-position look at Washington’s roster.
Quarterback
The most important question of Washington’s season: Is Dwayne Haskins a franchise quarterback? After the 2019 first-round draft pick’s uneven rookie year, which took place amid the turmoil of a coaching change, he now has a supportive coaching staff and a vertical passing-based offense that fits his skill set. Haskins doesn’t have much help — an ESPN analyst ranked his offensive supporting cast as the NFL’s worst — so he must grow enough on his own to prove he can be The Guy.
The backup is either Alex Smith or Kyle Allen, whom Washington acquired from Carolina because of his familiarity with the offense after starting 12 games last season for the Panthers. Despite Smith’s health concerns, Rivera endorsed his play and said he would be ready for this season.
Running back
This is the most diverse set of running backs Washington has had in years. The group reflects the importance of versatility at the position for new offensive coordinator Scott Turner, whose father, Norv, developed the scheme that helped Christian McCaffrey become the rushing/receiving archetype of the modern NFL running back.
The release of Adrian Peterson left two known quantities in this position room: J.D. McKissic as a shifty, route-running aficionado on third down and rookie Antonio Gibson as a do-it-all home run threat — if he can catch on to the NFL game quick enough. Peterson’s departure also signaled Rivera’s confidence in Bryce Love and Peyton Barber. Love is returning from a major knee injury, and Barber is coming off an underwhelming 2019 with Tampa Bay.
Wide receiver
Terry McLaurin, the team’s breakout star entering his second season, is perhaps the offense’s second-most-important player. The new regime challenged him to run more routes inside, and his development is crucial because Haskins, his old Ohio State teammate, will look for him often.
The next two wideouts are second-year slot man Steven Sims Jr. and veteran Dontrelle Inman, and other names to watch include rookie Antonio Gandy-Golden and undrafted free agent Isaiah Wright. Late in camp, Rivera seemed disappointed by the position’s depth, saying of his receivers beyond McLaurin, “They have to step up.”
After finishing last season with one of the worst receiving tight end units in the league, according to advanced metrics, this remains one of the weakest positions on Washington’s roster. The team added Logan Thomas, a big target, in free agency and he emerged as one of Haskins’s favorite red-zone options during training camp, but the former quarterback is still learning.
Coaches see potential in athletic-but-unrefined Marcus Baugh, and Jeremy Sprinkle figures to be the top blocker.
Offensive line
The question marks here are, in the words of Beyoncé, “to the left, to the left.” The competitions Rivera hyped up most, at left tackle and left guard, never materialized because Saahdiq Charles and Wes Schweitzer were hurt. That means Geron Christian and Wes Martin are likely to start at each position, and they have seven career starts between them.
The glass-half-full take is that the middle and right side return all three starters from last season in center Chase Roullier, Pro Bowl guard Brandon Scherff and tackle Morgan Moses. The team also added proven depth in tackles David Sharpe and Cornelius Lucas.
Defensive line
This is the team’s strength. The line features five former first-round picks, including Chase Young, this year’s No. 2 overall selection and Washington’s most anticipated rookie since Robert Griffin III in 2012. The group is deep — at least three backups could start for other teams — and fits Rivera’s vision of a relentless, downhill unit. It will be more aggressive, too, defending the run on the way to the quarterback instead of remaining in gaps.
In the words of defensive line coach Sam Mills III, “Let’s be honest — this room is supposed to lead this defense.”
Linebacker
One of the most puzzling positions in terms of tiers. The two categories of player here are veteran leaders (Thomas Davis Sr. and Jon Bostic) and those in unfamiliar roles (Kevin Pierre-Louis and Shaun Dion Hamilton). The exception is Cole Holcomb, who played 718 snaps last season as a rookie, but the coaches want to see more consistency from him. Yet who will play which position, and what the depth chart will be, remains something of a mystery.
The team placed Reuben Foster, the talented linebacker working his way back from a devastating leg injury, on injured reserve before finalizing the 53-man roster, which means he cannot return this season.
Defensive back
This group was the surprise of training camp. Five or six safeties and six or seven cornerbacks jumped out to Rivera, who was caught off guard. The safety starters are nailed down — Troy Apke at free safety, Landon Collins at strong safety — and the cornerback competition is deep. The two starting spots alongside Kendall Fuller seem to be among Fabian Moreau, Ronald Darby and Jimmy Moreland.
But it’s the players beyond those top-line names who give Rivera comfort in times such as late in camp, when several defensive backs were battling injuries. At cornerback, that’s Greg Stroman and Danny Johnson.
“It’s a group that you can feel good about saying, ‘This is our starting group,’ ” he said. “But you’re also saying, ‘Wow, I like our depth.’ ”
Special teams
When Washington cleaned house to close the Jay Gruden era, special teams was one of the only parts of the organization to experience minimal turnover. The new regime retained coordinator Nate Kaczor, Pro Bowl punter Tress Way and kicker Dustin Hopkins, who was 25 for 30 on field goals last season (83.3 percent).
The difficult part has been finding players to fill out the four core phases — kickoff, kickoff return, punt and punt return — without preseason games. Rivera said the team won’t really know what it has until Week 1.
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