2019 Record - 3-13-0
Head Coach - Ron Rivera
New Players in 2020 - Thomas Davis (LB), Kyle Allen (QB), Kendall Fuller (DB), Ronald Darby (DB), Cornelius Lucas (OL), Peyton Barber (RB), Wes Schweitzer (OL), Cody Latimer (WR), Sean Davis (DB), Logan Thomas (TE), Richard Rodgers (TE), Kevin Pierre-Louis (LB), J.D. McKissic (RB)
Players opting out for 2020 season (COVID-19) - Josh Harvey-Clemons (LB), Caleb Brantley (DL)
OFFENSE - Dwayne Haskins will be the quarterback for the Washington football team this year after he passed for 1,365 yards with seven touchdowns and also seven interceptions last season. Haskins rushed for 101 yards and had a 5.1 yards per carry average.
Case Keenum left for Cleveland as a free agent in the off-season and the team brought in Kyle Allen from Carolina via trade. Allen passed for 3,322 yards last year with 17 touchdowns and 16 interceptions and also scored two rushing touchdowns after taking over for the injured Cam Newton. Alex Smith could also be in the quarterback mix this season as he has made a near miraculous comeback from a devastating leg injury two years ago that required numerous surgeries.
The running game appears to have taken a hit as Derrius Guice was released following recent off-the-field incidents. Adrian Peterson, who led the team in rushing last season, is back for his 14th season after going for 898 yards (4.3 ypc) and scoring five touchdowns. Peyton Barber (470, 3.1 ypc and six TD with one receiving TD as well with Tampa Bay), J.D. McKissic (free agent from Detroit) and rookie draft pick Antonio Gibson (Memphis) are also ready to go this season.
Wide receivers include Terry McLaurin (58 receptions for 919 yards and seven touchdowns), Kelvin Harmon (30, 365 yards), Steve Sims, Jr. (34, 310, four TD), Cody Latimer (24, 300, two TD with the Giants) and rookie Antonio Gandy-Golden (Liberty). The tight ends are Jeremy Sprinkle (26, 241, one TD) and Logan Thomas, who had 16 catches for 173 yards and one touchdown with Detroit last year.
DEFENSE - Up front for the defense are ends Matt Ioannidis (8 1/2 QB sacks) and Chase Young, the number-two pick in the NFL draft from Ohio State. The tackles are Jonathan Allen (six sacks) and Daron Payne, who had two sacks. Ryan Kerrigan (5 1/2 sacks) and Montez Sweat (seven sacks) provide more speed on the outside rush as well.
The linebacking unit includes Cole Holcomb and either Thomas Davis or Ryan Anderson (four sacks) on the outside along with Jon Bostic in the middle. Shaun Dion Hamilton, Kevin Pierre-Louis and rookie Khaleke Hudson (Michigan) will be the backups.
The safeties are Sean Davis and Landon Collins and the corners include Fabian Moreau (three interceptions), Kendall Fuller and Ronald Darby, who had two interceptions with Philadelphia last season. Other players in the mix are Sean Davis, Jimmy Moreland, Troy Apke and Deshazor Everett.
The Washington defense finished 27th overall in 2019, giving up 385 yards per game while allowing 27.2 points per game. The run defense was next to worst in pro football, allowing 146 YPG while the pass defense was 18th, allowing 239 yards a game. Washington had 13 interceptions along with 46 quarterback sacks and was a plus-one in turnovers.
OUTLOOK FOR 2020 - It's a new era of sorts for this team, formerly known as the Redskins as they dropped the team name and logo and will simply be known as The Washington Football Team for this season.
They also have a new Head Coach as Ron Rivera takes over and just recently revealed he is battling a treatable form of cancer as training camp continues. Rivera had been the head coach for Carolina for a number of years and led them to Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 NFL season.
The offense was abysmal last year and finished last in the NFL in both scoring (16.6 points per game) and passing (176 YPG). The rushing game averaged 99 YPG (22nd) and the total offense was 31st in the league, averaging 275 yards per game. Washington quarterbacks were sacked 50 times last season as well.
Ouch!
Dwayne Haskins took over at quarterback during the second half of the 2019 season and got a rough introduction as he went along. The team is looking for him to make some strides this year. Improved pass protection is a must if the passing game is to improve at all. The running game is decent and the ageless Adrian Peterson returns and continues to produce as he enters his 14th NFL season.
The team no longer has highly touted RB Derrius Guice, who was released following domestic violence charges. So backing up Peterson will be a rookie (Gibson) and Peyton Barber, who showed some flashes of brilliance with Tampa Bay in past seasons.
The Washington defense has many holes to fill as well this season and they will be looking to Chase Young to have an immediate impact as a rush end. The team accumulated 46 QB sacks last year, which was in the top ten in the league. So having Young playing along with Matt Ioannidis, the Washington team should have two formidable pass rushers.
The pass rush should also help out a decent secondary, which picked off thirteen passes last year. The run defense is another story and Washington is looking for improvement in that area as they signed five free agents and drafted four defensive players this off-season.
This is obviously a rebuilding year for the team as the Washington team (3-13 in 2019) has not had a winning season since 2016 and hasn't been to the playoffs since the 2015 season. Rivera is a no-nonsense guy who isn't afraid to take chances, thus his nickname as "Riverboat Ron" from his days as the Carolina Panthers head coach.
All bets are off this season with the way training camps are being conducted in this bizarre year with the COVID-19 pandemic still looming large in this country. Washington would do well to push the New York Giants for third place in the NFC East this season as they look toward better days in the future.
TEAM SCHEDULE
Week One - vs. Philadelphia
Week Two - at Arizona
Week Three - at Cleveland
Week Four - vs. Baltimore
Week Five - vs. L.A. Rams
Week Six - at N.Y. Giants
Week Seven - vs. Dallas
Week Eight - BYE
Week Nine - vs. N.Y. Giants
Week Ten - at Detroit
Week Eleven - vs. Cincinnati
Week Twelve - at Dallas
Week Thirteen - at Pittsburgh
Week Fourteen - at San Francisco
Week Fifteen - vs. Seattle
Week Sixteen - vs. Carolina
Week Seventeen - at Philadelphia
No comments:
Post a Comment