Redskins: Examining what part of the preseason matters the most

It’s overreaction season in the NFL, and the Redskins are certainly a part of it.

As the NFL preseason has progressed, there has been no shortage of overreactions to the performances of teams across the league. Fans and media alike read a thousand pounds of meaning into every piece of data that is gleaned from these exhibitions.

Which rookies look great? Which rookies look terrible? Which free agent signings appear to be working out? Which teams are wishing they hadn’t signed those free agents? Which incumbent starters are in danger of losing their jobs? Which teams lack the depth to have their starters being pushed? Which coaches are playing their starters too much? Which coaches are playing their starters too little?

The list of topics goes on and on, every single one leading to overreactions. And Redskins fans and media aren’t immune to this overreaction epidemic. If you don’t believe me, just take a look at these examples.

Week 1, Derrius Guice tears his ACL. Average reaction on social media:

Week 2, Daron Payne gets his first sack. Average reaction on social media:

Week 3, Adrian Peterson is the only bright spot as the Redskins look generally bad.  Average reaction on social media:

It’s fun to overreact to individual plays and hang on every play in the preseason, but the reality is, outside of injuries, it’s important not to give too much weight to the preseason results, performances, and so on.

So what does matter in the preseason?

The preseason is all about roster construction and ensuring you reach the season with the best possible chance to succeed.

Every team is a unique combination of 90 players. Add in the complexities of the coaching staff and offensive and defensive schemes, and you could forgive a coaching staff if they didn’t play any of their starters the whole preseason. In fact, that’s essentially what Sean McVay has done out in LA this year.

The Redskins have been catching a lot of flack for playing their starters so little this offseason. I would argue that, for the first time in a long while, the Redskins have had the luxury of focusing this preseason on what it should be about….roster construction and health.

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Sadly, the team got unlucky with Guice’s injury as well as the subsequent injuries to Byron Marshall, Samaje Perine, and Martez Carter. These injuries necessitated bringing in a starting caliber back like (we all hope) Adrian Peterson. This meant they had to focus on the “starting rotation” rather than their depth. In all honesty, I think the only other starting job up for grabs was slot corner, and they decisively shipped off Orlando Scandrick in favor of Fabian Moreau.

Otherwise, the Redskins basically used the preseason to get rookies some experience and finalize the last 8-10 spots on the roster. They’ve also clearly been experimenting with various personnel combinations and packages.

I am cautiously optimistic that Gruden and company have taken the right tack by prioritizing health with starters and competition among reserves. Ultimately, the results in the regular season are what matters.

My expectations for this season are that we will continue to build a solid and sustainable roster foundation and that the team will continue to be extremely competitive in almost every game.  The reality is, that’s what every franchise should be shooting for, and what every preseason should be about.