Going into the draft this year, people are talking about how much the Redskins’ offense is going to bounce back from last season. A huge reason for this train of thought is because they signed former Eagles All-Pro wide receiver DeSean Jackson. So at this point, besides actual draft picks, what are the biggest needs for the Redskins?
The most glaring need is still on offense. Their offensive line was just awful last season. Robert Griffin III was sacked 38 times in just 13 games, almost eight percent of the times he dropped back for a pass. That doesn’t even include how many times he was hurried, hit, scrambled, and knocked down. They can have all the offensive weapons they want, if Griffin spends most of his time running for his life and getting sacked, it’s going to be hard for guys like Jackson to get open down the field.
Another huge need for them is at inside linebacker. Their one starter at this position is Darryl Sharpton, who played for the Texans last season and wasn’t very good. He is very solid against the run but struggles in coverage and doesn’t have much of a pass rush. Their other starter, Akeem Jordan, only had a limited role last season with the Chiefs. As a player with limited snaps, it’s still unknown if he can be a solid every down player. The inside linebacker position is a major question mark for the Redskins and a position with very little depth. The Redskins would be well advised to take one or two in the draft, even if just for depth.
Their third glaring need, certainly not least glaring though, is their whole secondary. One of their starting cornerbacks, DeAngelo Hall, is a feast or famine type of player. He takes a lot of risks trying to make the big play but unfortunately, more times than not, he gets beat when taking those risks. He has some incredible physical skills but those are fading quickly as he gets older. The other starting cornerback, David Amerson, started only nine games his rookie season and recorded two interceptions. He absolutely shows promise at the corner position but the Redskins need a few more young guys back there with him.
At the safety spot they are bringing Brandon Meriweather back and he was not very good last season. Not only did he cost them a ton of penalties by the way he tackles, but he was also suspended a game for it. He is completely reckless and often misses tackles for that reason. He also has a problem locating the ball on run plays and on pass plays. That’s a major fault for such an important position in this league.
Their other safety is former Steeler Ryan Clark. He’s the kind of player teams bring in to groom a rookie. His intelligence and technical skills are something that any young player would be lucky to have at their disposal. However, his physical skills are depleting with his age. He missed a lot of tackles last year and is getting a little slower year after year.
Even after free agency, the Redskins still have a lot of needs. With their lack of draft picks this year, it is going to be very hard to fill all of those needs or even most of them. With new head coach Jay Gruden, they might be able to adjust things schematically to cover up the areas they aren’t able to address in the draft.