The Washington Redskins have greatly improved their defense. Just how good have they been in the first four weeks of the season?
The Washington Redskins were not expected to be one of the better defensive units in the NFL to start the season. Though the team had acquired a large number of new players, the unit was expected to be a work in progress. With Greg Manusky at the helm, many expected that the team would only make marginal improvements at the best.
Instead, the Redskins defense has been the lifeblood of the team. They have played very well and they helped keep the Redskins competitive as the offense found themselves an identity. Though the Redskins have a 2-2 record, the defense has kept the game close in both losses, and they could have beaten the Chiefs had it not been for a laundry list of injuries.
At the bye week, the Redskins are in a much better place than they realistically should be. They have a lot of injuries to recover from, but this week will give them the time to do that. Their personnel combinations look to be in very good shape and the defense should be a strength for the team this season.
Without further ado, here’s a look at the positional grades for the Redskins four weeks into the season.
Defensive Line
Last season the defensive line was a massive weakness for the Redskins. So far in 2017, that has not been the case at all. Despite losing their best lineman in the offseason in Chris Baker, the unit has been able to retool itself with offseason acquisitions. However, none have been more important than Jim Tomsula.
The former head coach of the San Francisco 49ers was one of the biggest names to join Greg Manusky’s staff, and he has not disappointed. Tomsula has done yeoman’s work with the young talent on the defensive line and has completely transformed them into a solid unit. Despite losing starting nose tackle Phil Taylor in the preseason, Tomsula’s unit has looked strong in all facets, largely thanks to the performance of their young talent on the unit.
Notably, rookie Jonathan Allen and second year man Matt Ioannidis have been fantastic for the team. Allen was the team’s first round pick at No. 17, but many saw him as a potential top five pick. Thus far in his career, Allen has demonstrated an ability to rush the passer but has also been a difference maker in the run game. His solid frame will allow him to continue to succeed and it appears that he is already the team’s best defensive lineman.
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Meanwhile, Ioannidis’ resurgence has come out of nowhere. After having minimal impact on the team in his rookie season, Ioannidis has been one of the team’s best rotational players. Through four games, he has already notched two sacks and has been able to use his strength to push offensive linemen back into the quarterback. As Ioannidis continues to grow, he will play a key role on the line in the platoon role that he is operating in.
Elsewhere across the line, Ziggy Hood has been solid despite his poor performance at nose tackle in 2016. His play has improved thanks to the situational run stuffers that the team brought in around him in Stacy McGee and Terrell McClain. It seems like Tomsula has this unit figured out and their balance of playing time will allow them all to play well as they move forward.
Right now, it’s fair to say that the defensive line is one of the stronger units on the team. There is still room for improvement, but for what was one of the team’s worst positional groups last year, they are in great shape. They deserve a high grade right now and they could continue to improve as the season goes along.
Defensive Line Grade: B+
Rush Linebackers
There were some serious questions about the Redskins rush linebackers coming into the season. Ryan Kerrigan was expected to reprise his role as the consistent pass rushing threat on one side of the defensive line, but there were questions about who his bookend would be. Trent Murphy, last year’s breakout performer, tore his ACL and MCL in the preseason and it was unclear who would step up and replace him. That man turned out to be Preston Smith.
In retrospect, that shouldn’t have been a huge surprise. As a rookie in 2015, Smith had totaled eight sacks playing across from Kerrigan, but regressed in his second year as teams figured out how to neutralize him. However, Smith still had the excellent athleticism and length to be an effective pass rusher, and he has put it all together again in his third season.
Smith has been one of the most consistent players on the defense, and he has racked up four sacks in four games to start the season. He has done well to get into the backfield and he is one of the quickest players off the snap in the league. He has allowed Kerrigan to get more one on one matchups, and that has been hugely beneficial to the Redskins.
Elsewhere at the position, the team has used both Junior Galette and Ryan Anderson in limited roles that have suited then well. Galette has done well to function as a decent backup pass rusher while Anderson has been a nice tackler in run support. Anderson has also played a role on special teams and has generally looked solid.
The Redskins have a very strong unit at rush linebacker. There’s no doubt about. Kerrigan and Smith are a fearsome duo while their backups are fierce competitors who do well when on the field. If this team had Murphy, they could have one of the best pass rushing trios in the league. The Redskins deserve a high grade at this position, and it may well be the strongest on their defense.
Rush Linebackers Grade: A
Inside Linebackers
It’s amazing how much one move can completely change the course of a defense. Greg Manusky has gotten a lot of credit for the work he has done with the Redskins, and rightfully so. One of the best moves that Manusky and the team made was bringing in Zach Brown late in free agency to help run their defense.
Washington had a major weakness at middle linebacker last season. Will Compton was the starter and defensive captain. While his leadership was important, his tackling ability was virtually non-existent. He was good in coverage, but he was part of the reason that the team had so much trouble stopping the run. Brown’s arrival has completely gotten rid of that issues.
Through four weeks, Brown is leading the NFL in tackles with 42 and he has been a machine for the Redskins. Brown has been very fast and reactive to runs and pass plays alike and that has allowed the team to greatly improve their defense overall. He has come up with key stops on third down and that has been key to the team’s improvement.
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Next to him, Mason Foster has been similarly strong and he notched a game winning interception against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2. Foster has been an instinctive run stopper and he has fared well enough in the passing game. The duo is set to continue to be successful for the rest of the season, provided that they can stay healthy.
In terms of backups, the Redskins have actually not utilized Compton. The former starter has been mostly limited to special teams. Instead, Martrell Spaight has worked as the No. 3 linebacker and he has looked much better. Perhaps he is finally healthy or perhaps the new coaching staff and scheme suits him better. He has been an attacking run stopper so he may have the upside to be a starter in the future.
This unit is definitely stronger than it was last year. They have good depth and their starters are very strong. This is yet another place on the defense where the team deserves a solid grade for the improvements they have made in just one month.
Inside Linebackers Grade: A-
Cornerbacks
The cornerback position was yet another position that Washington had questions at during the 2017 offseason. While Josh Norman was still considered to be one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, the team had issues across from them in 2016. Bashaud Breeland was expected to continue his solid performance, but instead, he was frequently torched. Coming into 2017, there was not much hope that he would be able to get back to his pre-2016 level.
However, Breeland has in fact been able to improve, and he has looked like a top No. 2 cornerback for most of the season. Breeland has provided excellent coverage on opposing receivers and really has been a weapon for the team. It started Week 1 against the Eagles when he broke up a potential touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery. Since that moment, Breeland has looked confident and strong and that has really been the difference for him.
Additionally, in the slot, the Redskins have gotten strong play from Kendall Fuller. The second year cornerback has continued to develop after an up-and-down rookie season. Fuller started out very strong, but he hit a rookie wall. Thus far in 2017, Fuller has looked very strong in the slot and has really rounded out the starting cornerback trio.
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In terms of the backups, Quinton Dunbar has been the primary backup and he has done well replacing the starters when they come out of the game. Dunbar should continue to hold onto that role. Meanwhile, Fabian Moreau has done well on special teams and Joshua Holsey has been inactive for the first four contests. The rookies will continue to improve and could earn bigger roles in the future.
The Redskins corners have been strong so far, but the injury issues they had in Week 4 will knock this grade down a bit. Norman is dealing with a rib injury, and while he may not miss time, it could be something that affects him down the road. The group is still strong, but we’ll need to see more from the players around Norman to be fully confident in them.
Cornerbacks Grade: B
Safeties
The safeties have been one of the more volatile positions on the defensive front. At the beginning of the season, the Redskins had two new starters at safety in D.J. Swearinger and Su’a Cravens. However, Cravens unexpectedly retired then wanted to return to the team, but the Redskins placed him on the reserve/left squad list. So in a crazy turn, Cravens will not be able to play in 2017 and may have a chance to return in 2018.
In his stead, the Redskins have used a platoon of Deshazor Everett and rookie Montae Nicholson. Everett is a special teams ace who excels as a tackler. He’s a big hitter who has made more impact in the run game. However, he has had issues in coverage this season, so he shouldn’t be relied on to be a starter. He’s a better fit as a No. 3 guy at the position.
Meanwhile, Nicholson has had an unexpectedly positive impact despite being a fourth round rookie. Nicholson was considered to be a raw player with the tools to be successful at the NFL level. But nobody thought he would be ready to produce. Nicholson has looked very good in coverage thus far, and he had a key interception in the team’s upset win over the Oakland Raiders.
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The Redskins have to hope that Nicholson’s solid play can continue. Otherwise, their unit may suffer. They have decent depth, but being without the departed Will Blackmon, the aforementioned Cravens, and veteran DeAngelo Hall could impact them. Granted, only Cravens could be a capable starter at this point, but they would all provide some extra depth.
Right now, this is definitely the weakest unit on the defense. While Swearinger and Nicholson have looked good, Everett has been only okay. And Stefan McClure has mostly just played on special teams. The Redskins safeties have upside, but for now, they are just an average unit.
Safeties Grade: C
Special Teams
The Redskins special teams have done well to start the season. Most of the attention for the unit is placed on kicker Dustin Hopkins. While Hopkins hasn’t been as good as he was last year, he hasn’t made any critical mistakes quite yet.
So far, Hopkins has gone 7-for-9 on field goals with a long of just 41 yards. Both of Hopkins’ missed have come from 50-plus yards, so it appears that may just be out of his range. Hopkins is very accurate inside of 40 yards, but the team can’t trust him to consistently get long field goals. That could become a problem down the road, but it hasn’t been an issue… yet.
As for Tress Way, the punter has continued to be one of the more solid players in the league. Way is averaging 44.5 yards per punt and has been able to flip field position in favor of the Redskins on more than one occasion. That has been very helpful for the team.
Finally, long snapper Nick Sundberg hasn’t been a story. That’s good news. Any time a long snapper is in the news, it’s for a bad reason. The less we hear about Sundberg, the better he is playing. Sundberg has been consistently good for the team, so they have to be happy with his performance.
Overall, the special teams grade is below average solely because Hopkins appears to be a below league average player. And his performance has the most impact on the Redskins week in and week out.
Special Teams Grade: C-
Overall
Watching this team play has been significantly better this season because of the improvements all over the stop unit. Last year, fans would wait for the defense to give up points and hope that the offense could carry the team. That hasn’t been the case at all this year.
The Redskins defense under Greg Manusky is significantly better than the unit that Joe Barry marched out last season. There’s no doubt about it. The defense is playing with much better energy and they have improved their fundamental skill sets. Manusky deserves a lot of credit for the work he has been able to do.
The team made the proper upgrades to each unit in the offseason. There was a heavy focus on the defensive side of the ball in free agency and in the draft, and it appears to be paying off. New playmakers like Zach Brown, Jonathan Allen, and D.J. Swearinger have all made massive impacts and that has helped the team to win.
Next: Redskins first quarter offensive grades
Hopefully the Redskins will continue to play well on defense. If they can, they will have a shot at making the postseason and being a legitimate threat.