The 2019 NFL Draft is a very complex event, not only with the constant chess match churning between thirty-two teams, but with the underlying messages that each pick brings.
A pick can be an indictment for a player, and at the same time, a vote of confidence for another. The NFL Draft is where teams make their intentions known, to both their opponents, and their own players.
Broncos general manager John Elway, for example, said he believed Joe Flacco was “still in his prime” not long ago. But in the NFL Draft, he traded up to nab Drew Lock in Round 2. And all of a sudden, Flacco’s prime in Denver has a one-year cap.
Teams speak with actions, and their actions go a long way toward implying how the roster might look on opening day. The Washington Redskins engaged in this implied language last week. Every team did. It’s unavoidable, no matter the intentions.
With all this in mind, what did the Redskins say with their actions in the 2019 NFL Draft? We have a good idea of who they intend to replace with earlier picks. But which players received subtle votes of confidence, not just from what the Redskins did, but what they didn’t do? Let’s take a look.
No. 5 – Redskins C Chase Roullier
Most people were in agreement before the 2019 NFL Draft that Chase Roullier was good. But some sites, such as Walter Football, thought the opposite. Walter Football labelled Roullier as the worst center in football at one point, and mocked a center to Washington in Round 1. The Redskins don’t seem to agree with that assessment.
When the draft finally came around, however, the Redskins left the center position untouched, instead taking two interior linemen in the middle rounds, to both serve as depth and compete for the open job at left guard.
Ross Pierschbacher has experience at center, giving him versatility as a reserve player. But his acquisition does not put Roullier’s job in danger. In fact, the Redskins acquisition of Pierschbacher, and not a higher-tier center, confirms that the center job is indeed Roullier’s, and it’s a position he’s not close to losing. He played all possible snaps in 2018, only allowing seven hurries on 824 snaps at center (Per Pro Football Focus). If you were to convert that into a rate, Roullier allowed pressure on less than one percent of his snaps. And of those seven hurries, only one culminated in a sack.
It makes sense that the Redskins would have this much confidence in Roullier. The Wyoming product has grown from a sixth-round backup to a reliable starter on the interior. He started all sixteen games last season, and now, entering just his third-year, he’s hoping to attain some accolades for his consistent play. Because the Redskins have noticed, he’ll get his chance.
No. 4 – Redskins CB Quinton Dunbar
There was a varying amount of uncertainty surrounding the Redskins cornerback situation this offseason, and even after the NFL Draft, there still is. Josh Norman turns 32 later this year. Fabian Moreau is on the right track, but still developing. And Quinton Dunbar, the former undrafted receiver who became a full-time starter in 2018, is still suffering from the effects of nerve damage.
It was this same nerve issue that derailed Dunbar’s promising 2018 campaign. In just seven games, Dunbar had two interceptions and nine pass deflections, on pace for four interceptions and 18 deflections, statistics that would have consummated a very productive season. Dunbar, however, was hobbled by a nerve issue on his ankle, and he was sidelined indefinitely in after Week 11.
In Week 11, against the Dallas Cowboys, the toll of the nerve injury on Dunbar’s mobility was on full display. Perhaps against Dunbar’s best interests, the team started him against Amari Cooper and company, and Dunbar’s limp was clear on the field. Other players were a step of ahead of him on every play, and after the game, Dunbar went to rehab.
Dunbar’s injury was reminiscent of Kyshoen Jarrett’s; the Virginia Tech product had been mounting a solid rookie campaign in 2015 when he was hit the wrong way, and suffered a nerve injury that ended his career, causing him to lose movement in his arm. Dunbar’s wasn’t nearly as severe, but at the start of this offseason, there were questions over whether he’d be able to regain all of his mobility.
Recently, Dunbar spoke on the team site about the progress he’s made, and the Redskins gave Dunbar a vote of confidence by not taking a cornerback until Round 7. Dunbar has the size, speed, and attention to detail to be a very good starter, still just 26 years old, and the Redskins aren’t letting a lingering injury scare them away from that possibility.
No. 3 – Redskins LT Trent Williams
Most mock drafts in the 2019 offseason had the Redskins selecting some kind of tackle. A developmental tackle, a swing tackle, a first-round tackle, you name it. Whatever the mocks said, the Redskins scoffed and looked away, and in the 2019 NFL Draft, they did not pick a single offensive tackle, opting for defensive depth in the later rounds.
This could also be considered a vote of confidence for Morgan Moses, but his job security was more concrete for 2019; although he had a bad season in 2018, the Redskins were never likely to mess with his role, and they’ll give him a chance to rebound. Rather, the Redskins player whose future was most implied by the Redskins draft preference is Trent Williams.
Williams, who comes off his seventh Pro Bowl bid in 2018, turns 31 years old later this offseason. He hasn’t played a full sixteen-game season since 2013, and over the past three seasons, he’s missed thirteen games. In 2017, he played on a knee injury that needed surgery. In 2018, he injured his ribs, and experienced a medical scare after the season as well.
At 31 years old, the cliff comes to mind when thinking of Williams. When he’s healthy, he’s dominant. But to ask for healthy Trent Williams is asking for a lot, in the present. Williams’ future outlook is uncertain, but the Redskins, by refusing to draft a tackle, must feel comfortable with how their best offensive player is prepping, and they must feel as if he can play for another year or two. Or three.
No. 2 – All of the Redskins tight ends
After all the offseason hype and hot takes and articles discussing tight ends worth taking by the Redskins in Round 1, the Redskins went ahead and drafted zero tight ends, not only making me look bad, but making others look to their current tight end core, a group that will remain unchanging after all.
The group is headlined by two uncertain assets in Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis. Reed is a constant injury threat, while Davis recently turned 35 years old. Behind them, there’s Jeremy Sprinkle, the 2017 fifth-round pick. Then former camp signings Matt Flanagan, J.P. Holtz, and Manasseh Garner.
The tight ends at the top of the Redskins depth chart are uncertain, at the very least, and the tight ends behind them are almost complete unknowns. And yet, the Redskins seem confident with this group. They had nine draft selections, and didn’t use a single one on the position. Perhaps they feel as if Reed and Davis have more utility than what meets the eye. And perhaps they’re truly confident that the competition behind Reed and Davis will bring out the best in the reserves.
Whatever the case, the Redskins choice to avoid tight end altogether in the 2019 NFL Draft is a peculiar one. There’s a reason for every pick they made, but one could make the argument tight end should have been included on Day 3. But the results are in. The Redskins are committed to the group they have now. They still believe Jordan Reed can be an explosive game changer. They still believe Vernon Davis is worth his cap figure. And in 2019, they’ll either reap the benefits, or suffer the consequences.
No. 1 – Redskins S Montae Nicholson
No one received a larger vote of confidence in the 2019 NFL Draft than Redskins safety Montae Nicholson. Just five months ago, Nicholson was reeling from an assault charge in December, after getting involved in a fight. He was benched and placed on the NFI list, and his future with the team was placed into serious doubt.
The Redskins expectedly addressed the safety position in free agency, signing Landon Collins to a massive deal, but when the time came to draft Collins’ partner in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Redskins passed on the opportunity nine times. There are still names to discuss in theoretical tongue on the open market, including Tre Boston, but the Redskins have never been the team to put together their squad in June. They could move a cornerback to safety, such as Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. But beat reporters close to the team have shot down those suggestions, implying that the team is not seriously considering that possibility.
Thus, the eyes move to the options on the roster, and it doesn’t take long for them to center on Montae Nicholson. Troy Apke is a raw speed safety who’s still developing. Deshazor Everett is a special teams ace who’s never been able to latch on to an increased role. On the roster, and in a vacuum, Nicholson is the best candidate to supplement Collins in the starting lineup.
Nicholson has the speed and length to be a very effective, cheap, and rangy compliment to Collins’ prowess in the box. He flashed his playmaking ability in his rookie season, and with new defensive backs coach Ray Horton, Nicholson could get the fresh start he needs. He’s still only 23 years old. A player that young, with only a minor offense on his record, deserves a second chance, if the league is willing to give it.
Nicholson is no longer on the reserve list; he was seen participating in practice with the Redskins players this past week, in photos available on Redskins.com. But it’s still unclear whether the NFL will suspend Nicholson for his December incident. If they do, then it could be an indicator for the Redskins to sign a late-term free agent. If they don’t, then Nicholson has a first-class ticket to redemption. Time will tell if he can use a second chance well enough.