After years of neglect, defensive line is now a strength for the Redskins

The Washington Redskins went 17 seasons without drafting a defensive lineman in Round 1. That changed last year with the selection of Jonathan Allen.

In last month’s NFL Draft, Washington once again drafted an Alabama defensive lineman in Daron Payne. Now, the Washington Redskins are hoping that the moves pay off this upcoming season. It’s not a coincidence that the Redskins have struggled to stop the run the past few seasons. There hadn’t been much emphasis on getting stronger up front defensively.

Three years ago, the Washington Redskins passed on Leonard Williams, who has developed into a Pro Bowl player for the Jets. Granted, Brandon Scherff has done the same in Washington, but defensive linemen tend to make a bigger impact than guards. The run defense struggled that season, as the team ended up allowing 4.8 yards per carry. During the offseason of 2016, Washington failed to land any high-impact free agents or draft picks. The run defense that season was gashed down the stretch in games against the Panthers and Giants. Washington finished 8-7-1, missing the playoffs for a second straight year.

The Washington Redskins thought they addressed their woes last offseason with the acquisitions of defensive linemen Jonathan Allen, Stacy McGee, and Terrell McClain. McGee carved out his niche as a run-stopper during his first season with the team, while the latter was cut after the 2018 NFL Draft.

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Jonathan Allen didn’t post big numbers in his five starts, but he impacted the play of his teammates; Preston Smith accumulated 4.5 sacks in the first five games of 2017, but didn’t record another until a 0.5 sack in week 13, and Matt Ioannidis didn’t record any more sacks after Allen got injured; He recorded 4.5 beside Allen. Allen clearly had a big impact on both Smith and Ioannidis’ hot starts. Although he didn’t play a full season, Allen is primed for bounce-back sophomore campaign.

Right after the Washington Redskins drafted Daron Payne, Jay Gruden stated that Payne will start off at nose. You won’t see Payne’s name much on the stat sheet, but he’ll have a big impact on the production of linebackers Mason Foster and Zach Brown.

Washington also should be thrilled If nose tackle Tim Settle can make an impact early. With Payne at the five-technique, Ryan Kerrigan ~~can~~ will develop into an All-Pro player. After all, Preston Smith reaped the benefits of Jonathan Allen’s presence early on last season. The same effect should be expected here. The Washington Redskins would be wise to at least get Payne some snaps in front of Kerrigan. Washington didn’t do much defensively last year, but they were tied for 7th in the NFL with 38 sacks. That’s a number that can easily go up with the new improvements.

The improvements in the draft will also enable the Redskins to have a strong rotation up front. Pass rushers Anthony Lanier and Matt Ioannidis combined for 9.5 sacks last season and will provide pressure on third downs. Ziggy Hood can now move back to his natural position at defensive end after playing out of position for the past two seasons.

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A dream scenario for the Washington Redskins defense would be Jonathan Allen staying healthy for a full season and rookie Daron Payne being an impact player at every position along the defensive line. The defense will get a strong test against the Arizona Cardinals in week one. David Johnson torched the Redskins two seasons ago, scoring both a rushing and receiving touchdown. He also added 175 yards of total offense. Right off the bat, we’ll get to see just how much the Washington Redskins defense has improved. On paper, it looks very good. After years of neglect, the Washington Redskins have finally addressed the most important positional area.

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