How improved will the Redskins defense be this season?

This offseason the Redskins made major additions to the defensive side of the ball with a mix of free agent signings and the draft. They added projected starters Defensive linemen Stephen Paea and Terrence Knighton, OLB Preston Smith and defensive backs Chris Culliver and Dashon Goldson. Also they brought in safety Jeron Johnson who is competing for a starting role and rotational defensive lineman Ricky Jean Fancois, who has started in the past. Given that this defense finished tied for 29th in points allowed last year, 20th in yards allowed and tied for 25th in turnovers, it is easy to see why the Redskins needed to make so many changes. But are these changes enough and where will the Redskins defense rank at the end of the season?

Defensive Line:

Where they got better:

-The Redskins made a major signing on the defensive line before last season in DE Jason Hatcher. Though Hatcher was banged up and didn’t have the year everyone was hoping for he was still by far the Redskins most effective defensive lineman. In addition to nagging injuries hindering his production, the lack of support from his teammates didn’t do him any favors. This year he will definitely have a lot more support with the additions of Paea and Knighton to the starting line-up and Jean Francois as a rotational back-up along with Chris Baker. Knighton won’t offer much pass rush ability, but he is one of the best run defending nose tackles in the league and hopefully his presence will force more 3rd and longs. Paea last year had a breakout year with the Bears and generated a good amount of pressure on the quarterback. If Hatcher can stay healthy they should form a good pair of ends in this defense.

What they are lacking:

-It’s tough to find fault with the Redskins defensive line as they have 5 guys capable of starting, including three pretty good guys in the starting line-up, but the one concern is they lack that “elite” talent along the line. Most top 3-4 defenses have at least one elite defender along the defensive line (i.e. J.J. Watt, Justin Smith, Muhammed Wilkerson, Kyle Williams, etc.), while the Redskins have three talented guys I don’t think anyone would say any were “elite”. This may not end up an issue, but it could keep their defense from being a shutdown unit.

Grade/Final Thoughts: 

A-, I considered B+ because of the lack of the elite talent, but I think Hatcher, Paea and Knighton are enough that the Redskins should get very good production from this group. Having two capable back-ups and rotational guys ensures that the talent level won’t drop off too much when the starters need a breather.

Outside Linebackers:

Where they got better: 

-Health! From a talent perspective the Redskins probably got worse as Brian Orakpo when healthy proved himself to be a very good ROLB. The problem is Orakpo was banged up and ineffective early in the season and then suffered a season ending injury, his 2nd in three years. The Redskins do bring back Ryan Kerrigan at LOLB, who is coming off his best year, but it’s still not clear he’s the same level threat to opposing offenses that Orakpo was when healthy. This may be an unpopular opinion to some, but you could clearly see opposing offenses scheme around Orakpo and they haven’t shown the same level of consideration for Kerrigan. That could change now, in which case Kerrigan’s job will get considerably tougher, meaning Orakpo’s replacements need to step up.

Second year OLB Trent Murphy will look to improve from a disappointing rookie season, where he was ineffective in getting to the quarterback in replace of Orakpo. He will be joined by 2nd round pick Preston Smith, who shows some impressive bend and athleticism for his size. If he can translate that to the next level he could end up being the same level of pass rusher as Orakpo, but it’s unlikely to come his rookie year. Where he can help of course is by staying healthy and giving production for the full season.

What they are lacking:

-They are lacking certainty at the ROLB position which is arguably the most important position in a 3-4 defense. The Redskins desperately need at least above average pass rush production from Smith and Murphy combined at this position and hopefully it will be even better than that. Now that the Redskins have the other pieces in place along their defensive line, they don’t want to see their production dry up at this key position.

Grade/Final Thoughts:  

B+, On paper the Redskins should be pretty good here, particularly if Kerrigan continues to improve his game and can maybe become an elite rusher.

Inside Linebackers:

Where they got better: 

-They didn’t, and that is one of the bigger concerns heading into this year. The only addition to the position was 5th round rookie Martrell Spaight, who will likely only see special teams duty even if he makes the 53 man roster. It’s possible that Will Compton unseats Perry Riley, who struggled mightily last year, but that would still probably only be a minor upgrade. The best hope here is that Keenan Robinson really takes his game to the next level. He had a solid year last year, and compared to Riley he looked pretty good, but he was still a ways off from being a very good ILB, and that is what the Redskins need.

What they are lacking:

-Top level ILB play. Good 3-4 defenses typically have at least one starting inside linebacker who is considered at least very good, if not elite, and the Redskins simply don’t have that. Robinson showed some flashes last year and had a solid year overall, but he really needs to step up his game to get to that level. Next to him Riley was a liability in a number of games last season, and just has not seen his athleticism transfer to quality play. Unless there are major improvements this figures to be a problem area again for the Redskins.

Grade/Final Thoughts: 

C, Even if Robinson improves moderately, it’s tough to peg this position as much higher than “average” level of play. A move to Compton could help cut down on some of the critical errors Riley made last season, but it likely won’t make a big difference until a new starter is added to the mix.

Cornerbacks:

Where they got better: 

-The addition of Chris Culliver is huge for the Redskins as he is not only a good solid starter, but he’s essentially pushing David Amerson out of the starting line-up (hopefully), which turns it into a vast improvement. Culliver is a smart corner, who plays with good technique and rarely gives up the big play, which is desperately needed in a secondary that has been a sieve the past couple of years. Bashaud Breeland had an up-and-down rookie year, but he showed enough promise that lets you believe he can be a good starting corner in his own right. Breeland needs to be more consistent and needs to cut down on the penalties, but Culliver and Breeland could be a solid starting corner duo. Hopefully DeAngelo Hall is healthy enough this year to be the 3rd corner (likely with Breeland moving inside), but that could be a big ‘if’ with the veteran coming off a pair of Achilles injuries last season (both to the same foot).

What they are lacking:

-Certainty is probably the biggest thing that is lacking for the Redskins corners this year. Will Culliver be as effective in the Redskins defense given that he doesn’t have the same supporting cast as he did in San Fran? Can Breeland be more consistent and cutdown on the mistakes? Will Hall be healthy enough to handle the 3rd corner role this season? All of these questions are up in the air right now and there are no clear cut answers. The most concerning question is Hall’s health, because if he isn’t ready to go that will mean Amerson will be the 3rd corner and Breeland will move inside to cover the slot. Amerson was arguably the worst starting corner in the league last year and struggled with the most basic coverages and blew a number of assignments. While he’s still young he would have to make some major strides to not be a liability this year.

Grade/Final Thoughts: 

C, this is an improvement from last year for sure, but this probably isn’t going to be a very good or great unit. I’m not too worried about Culliver, but it is possible that because of the lack of support his play suffers slightly. Breeland should improve, but how much is a fair question. If Breeland is the primary slot guy that could be a little worrisome because I’m not sure that is going to be a strong suit of his. Hall’s health and Amerson’s development are two big concerns, and why I don’t think this should be higher.

Safeties:

Where they got better:

-The Redskins added Dashon Goldson, who was an All-Pro safety back in 2012 with the 49ers, but had seen his play drop off considerably these past two years. He is likely to man the free safety position, while the strong safety spot looks to be a two-way battle between free agent Jeron Johnson and Duke Inhenacho, who the Redskins claimed off waivers last year, but missed most of the season due to injury. The good news is both spots will likely end up being improvements to the Ryan Clark-Brandon Meriweather safety duo the Redskins trotted out last year. They were arguably the worst safety pairing in the league, so anything should be an improvement. Goldson is the best bet to actually have above-average or better safety play, but expectations should be tempered after two down years.

What they are lacking:

-Quality starting safety talent. Goldson could maybe reach this level, but that is a pretty big unknown at this point. Hopefully the change of scenery helps him, but unfortunately he won’t have a lot of support from the strong safety position. Ihenacho and Johnson have both flashed at times in their brief NFL careers, but neither appear to be guys who can really take their game to the next level. At best the Redskins could get average safety play from that spot, but even that might be optimistic.

Grade/Final Thoughts:

D+, Considering this was an F (or F- if you are honest) last year, this is a nice bump, but it is still probably the weakest position on the team.