Redskins D-line will Surpass Expectations

The Washington Redskins D-line has been a source of concern this offseason. But with more depth and versatility the D-line will be better in 2016 than most think.

Just before the draft in May, one of the more prominent needs identified by local and national media draft experts for the Washington Redskins was the defensive line.  There were defensive linemen on the board when the team drafted in the 1st four rounds of the 2016 draft but they passed on them all, traded down to acquire future picks and didn’t select a DL until the 5th round.

Head Coach Jay Gruden was quick to point out that the Skins liked the defensive line talent they already had.  Adding edge rushers like Ryan Kerrigan and Preston Smith into the discussion but the focus of the majority of the scrutiny is squarely on the D-line.

Over the offseason, the Skins released defensive end Jason Hatcher and chose not to re-sign nose tackle Terrance Knighton.  However, they did sign a couple of guys in free agency so now the team has 12 players competing for seven or eight slots.

After we look at these guys maybe we can make some sense of whether or not the Redskins are helping defensive coordinator Joe Barry and D-line coach Robb Akey or making their job a little bit harder.

Next: Nose Tackle