Redskins: Five reasons for fans to hold out hope for the future
By Ian Cummings
No. 2 – The Redskins have a solid, growing young talent core
While the Redskins’ veteran core is growing dangerously outdated, two solid drafts in a row have helped balance the age demographics. Kyle Smith has begun to form a solid young core.
On offense, Derrius Guice is an obvious example of the core in place. Guice was lost to an ACL injury in the preseason of 2018, but he has clear first-round talent, and he’ll come back in 2018 as a vital, versatile playmaker for the Redskins’ offense. Jeremy Sprinkle and Trey Quinn will join him as promising niche players, and Chase Roullier returns as an adequate starter on the offensive line.
On defense, the interior line is perhaps the best example for the young core’s growth on the entire team. Stacked with dominant trench warriors such as Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, and Matt Ioannidis, the interior line is one that can both generate pressure, and cap the run. Consistency is still being sought, as is often the case with young players, but as long as Jim Tomsula sticks around, Washington’s defensive line can be elite.
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The growth on defense starts with Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne. They are at the center of the team’s young core, and with players like Ryan Anderson, Shaun Dion Hamilton, Fabian Moreau, and Greg Stroman slowly coming along as increased contributors, Washington at least has something to look forward to, as their old core slowly fades with age.