Redskins First Depth Chart Of 2013

The Washington Redskins released their depth chart a few days ago, and while there has already been some speculation as to whether or not these are the projected starts, second stringers, etc, the easiest way to put it is no.

At this point in training camp, there’s no guarantee any of these players, not even Robert Griffin III will start. That’s just how Mike Shanahan is and always will be. The best player wins in his camps, as fans saw last season with Alfred Morris taking the job away from Roy Helu, whom was the projected starter by most.

OFFENSE:

One interesting point is the fact that Logan Paulsen is lined up as the second stringer over Jordan Reed. While it’s no surprise to see him pass Niles Paul, who needless to say failed last year at tight end, it would be hard to believe that he’d beat out Jordan Reed, who so far as been what the team expected.

The other is obviously Santana Moss. While he played slot last season, and was dangerous there, it’s important to remember Aldrick Robinson is ideally going to be his replacement in Washington. That doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s going to be this season, but with what Robinson showed last season in the little playing time he had, don’t be shocked if he pushes Moss out-of-the-way.

DEFENSE:

There’s not much to see on defense as it should be the same lineup fans saw last year. Obviously the loss of Adam Carriker is a huge blow to the team, but unlike last year, the Redskins haven’t lost all of their depth.

It will be interesting to see if Phillip Thomas can rise to take the job Week 1, or if he’ll have to work his way up the old-fashioned way. As expected Bacarri Rambo is the leading starter over DeJon Gomes and Jordan Pugh, who don’t bring as much to the table.

Another thing to watch is Chase Minnifield. While he is ideally a rookie this season, E.J. Biggers has been struggling in camp as of late, while Minnifield has had the exact opposite reported on him. Minnifield was a projected #1 pick before injuring his knee.

SPECIAL TEAMS:

For those who love every part of the team, here’s your special teams lineup. Needless to say you shouldn’t have expected much of a change here as the kicking and punting last year was exceptional.

It will be interesting to see if Crawford can handle the punt return duties this season. Last year he ran out of steam a few times, which he admitted, but before that had never returned punts before. Unlike Brandon Banks, he proved even without the extreme speed, you can steal be lethal by just reading your blocks.

Niles Paul as the return man is a bit interesting as he only average 21 yards per kickoff return last season. Perhaps Aldrick Robinson ends up taking his spot as the return man, but if he indeed is going to take Santana Moss’ spot at the slot, then ideally you would keep him behind to ensure injuries don’t occur.

With Chris Thompson back in pads, perhaps he can show something to coaches and not only push himself up on the running back list, but also the return list, as he’s the Redskins version of LeSean McCoy.

As we near the start of the season, this list, especially offensively will probably have moved quite a bit. Either way, the Redskins are stacked much better than they have in as long as one can remember, meaning this team should put up a good fight to repeat as NFC East Champions.