Checking in on the Rookies After Week Two:

Here is how the Rookies have looked after the first two weeks:

CB David Amerson:

-Amerson had a quiet first week, which can be a good thing for a corner back. There were a couple possible blown coverages that the Eagles didn’t take advantage of, but for the most part he looked solid with just some run defense issues. Week two though that changed as Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson and James Jones took advantage of Amerson throughout the game. He missed multiple assignments, was called for a penalty, and just looked lost at times. His tackling was also atrocious and allowed for the Packers to get plenty of extra yards. It was a rude awakening for the rookie, and showed a lot of things he needs to work on to clean up going forward.

TE Jordan Reed:

-Reed has been the big surprise so far for the Redskins. He’s been a highly effective target for RGIII so far and with Fred Davis struggling to come back from his Achilles injury, Reed clearly looks to be on his way to taking over the starting pass catching tight end duties. He’s still not even an average blocker which limits him some, but as long as he keeps catching passes and making plays he will find himself in the Redskins line-up.

RB Chris Thompson:

-Thompson has been given primary return duties for the Redskins through the first two weeks. His decision making week 1 was very suspect and cost the Redskins. Week two he was better, but he’s still not done much to warrant keeping the job (and the game day roster spot). The Redskins desperately need him though, as field position can really help jump start the offense. He’s probably still weeks away from helping out on offense.

LB Brandon Jenkins:

-It hasn’t been a great start for Jenkins career, barely seeing the field week one and committing a crucial penalty against the Packers early on. He’s yet to make an impact with any big sacks or pressures, but the Redskins nickel package involving him did make a couple plays, including a sack by Ryan Kerrigan. Had Jenkins not been out there, perhaps Kerrigan wouldn’t have gotten the sack. Obviously he still has a lot of work to do, but there are at least signs that he can help the Redskins from a situational stand point.

S Bacarri Rambo:

-Rambo has started both games for the Redskins, but he clearly looks out of his element. The Redskins had hoped that he would be a boost to the back-end of their secondary, but currently he hasn’t been much of an improvement over the safety woes they’ve had in recent years. He’s made a could nice open field tackles, bu for the most part has been plagued with missed tackles and assignments. The Redskins should have expected some growing pains early on, but really this is beyond what they probably expected. In another situation you would maybe look to limit his exposure and use him in a platoon or situationally. Unfortunately given how bad the Redskins safety situation is, Rambo is relied upon to start. In some sense the Redskins shouldn’t be too surprised, given that he’s a 6th round rookie, but their hope clearly was that he was more advanced. The Redskins do have to help him out by having their veterans execute assignments in front of him so he’s not put in so many bad situations.