Jay Gruden: Redskins have ‘high hopes’ for Caleb Brantley

Jay Gruden held a press conference at the NFL’s annual meeting on Tuesday. During that time, Gruden mentioned that the team had “high hopes” for Caleb Brantley.

The Washington Redskins’ biggest strength is their defensive line. They have a three-man unit that may be one of the best 3-4 defensive lines in the league, featuring Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, and Matt Ioannidis. Behind them, the depth is solid as well.

Though the Redskins cut Stacy McGee this offseason, they still have last year’s fifth-round pick Tim Settle on the roster. Additionally, they have Caleb Brantley on the team, a former sixth-round pick by the Cleveland Browns who was thought to have early-round talent but dropped due to character concerns.

Entering Brantley’s third year, the Washington coaching staff is high on him, and Jay Gruden said that he has “high hopes” for him, per NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay.

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This is an encouraging development. If Brantley can continue to develop, the Redskins’ defensive line unit will only continue to get stronger. And, the team will protect against any drop-off that could come if their unit deals with injuries.

Brantley was a highly regarded prospect coming out of Florida, and he was thought to have some potential as an interior pass rusher. He logged 5.5 sacks in his final two seasons at Florida and had two sacks in his rookie year with the Browns. However, he was waived after that campaign amid new additions to the Cleveland defense.

Last year with Washington, Brantley didn’t do a lot, playing in just seven games and logging a single tackle. However, he was the sixth defensive lineman on the roster for a good chunk of the season. McGee’s release will open up more opportunities for him to get on the field and spell the ‘Skins’ top defensive linemen.

Gruden is right that Brantley has potential and upside. He won’t turn 25 until September and if he can progress this year, he will earn a chance to be a top backup. It’s premature to say that he could develop into a starter, but it seems that the Redskins will give him every chance to develop into a key rotational player. And under Jim Tomsula’s tutelage, the sky is the limit for Brantley.

Also, this development likely means that the Redskins aren’t going to draft another defensive lineman this year unless they grab one late. That was always expected to be the case, but with the coaching staff reaffirming their confidence in Brantley, it seems highly likely that the defensive line will stay as is unless the team gets a superior value in the draft.