Washington Redskins 2018 season inside linebacker grades
By Ian Cummings
Shaun Dion Hamilton
Shaun Dion Hamilton suited up for every game in 2018. He didn’t log his first defensive snap until Week 12, against the Cowboys. With the way the players in front of him had been playing, even Hamilton, a sixth-round pick out of Alabama, deserved a chance to take the top job.
Despite the play of his superiors, Hamilton wasn’t given a look for a starting position until Week 12, and even then, he only took four snaps. The next week, against Philadelphia, it was more of the same; Hamilton was only given five snaps in a lopsided loss.
After the Eagles game, however, the snaps started to come in bunches. Hamilton averaged 30 snaps a game in the team’s final four contests, good for around a snap share of fifty percent. He made those snaps count, logging 27 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. In four games as a starter in any capacity? Not bad for a rookie.
Pro Football Focus recognized Hamilton’s promise in some moments, giving the rookie an 85.6 overall grade for his performance versus the Jacksonville Jaguars, in which he only allowed one reception on eight coverage snaps, and managed to take down the quarterback on his only pass rush snap. Hamilton’s year-end grade wasn’t as high, weighted down by a weak performance in the season finale, but a few nuggets serve as a testament to Hamilton’s skill and potential.
Hamilton’s play down the stretch confirmed what we already knew about the former Tide standout: If he could stay healthy, he could play. Hamilton stayed healthy in 2018, and made the most of his opportunities, so much so that he could be a starter in 2019.