Every year, undrafted free agents come out of the woodwork to find spots on NFL rosters. Could Marshall defensive lineman Ryan Bee have a chance at making the Washington Redskins?
Last season, there was a lot of buzz around the Washington Redskins’ undrafted free agent crop. The deep 2018 draft caused many players that would have been drafted to slip out of the draft entirely. As a result, Washington pounced and added many quality players to their roster.
After cuts in ’18, a few undrafted free agents ended up on the Redskins. They were WR Cam Sims, C Casey Dunn, and CB Danny Johnson. Right now, all three are still on the 90-man roster. In 2019, they will look to find similar success and depth for their roster.
That said, the 2019 undrafted free agent class that the ‘Skins brought in isn’t quite as inspiring as last year’s class. There are still a handful of players that may make a case for the active roster, but there aren’t as many clear-cut roster options of this group.
However, one of the best options that the Redskins brought in was Marshall defensive lineman Ryan Bee. The productive member of the Thundering Herd has a lot of tools that teams look for in backups in the trenches, and his upside is very high. He could challenge for a spot on the Redskins team, but he may be facing an uphill battle given the depth they have on the defensive line.
Here’s an in-depth look at Bee and what he could end up bringing to the Redskins’ roster.
About Ryan Bee
Bee spent five years at Marshall under head coach Doc Holliday’s tutelage and served as a four-year starter for the team. After taking a redshirt year as a freshman in 2014, Bee played a big role on the team in 2015 and eventually played his way into the starting role in the second half of that season. From there on out, he would start all but one game.
During his career at Marshall, Bee was an extremely consistent producer. He had at least four sacks in each of his four seasons and finished his career with 18 in total. He also had 200 career tackles and before his senior year logged at least 51 in every season.
Bee was a big part of Marshall’s defensive success, and he helped them finish with three scoring defenses that fell in the top 27 (out of 130 teams). In his first year as a starter, the team actually allowed the 10th fewest points per game to opponents at 17.8. So, Bee obviously helped to keep up the team’s defense (which has been solid since the 2013 season) in great working order.
Prior to his senior year, Bee was considered to be a potential late-round draft pick, but he fell out of the draft despite his consistent production and success. He didn’t last long as an undrafted free agent, as the Redskins scooped him up and signed him to their 90-man roster.
In Washington, Bee will have a tough path to the 53-man roster, but he has the skills needed to make a case for himself in the preseason.
What Bee does well
If there’s one thing that Ryan Bee brings to the field, it’s effort and energy. When he is on the field, his motor is always going, and he never gives up on a play.
Bee has solid technique as well. He plays with really good pad level and his hands are always active at the point of attack. His footwork is very good too, and that should certainly help him to get a leg up on the competition, as he will be able to win with his technique and length at the line of scrimmage.
Speaking of his length, Bee has a great frame for the NFL level at 6-foot-7. He is only 280 pounds (more on that later) but he has excellent size and as many say, size cannot be taught. So, if Bee shows good technique with his big frame, that could give him a chance to impress and showcase the upside that he has.
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Additionally, It’s apparent that Bee is a good tackler. While he doesn’t always perfectly square up his opponent when in pursuit, he uses his long arms to wrap them up. His pursuit is strong and thanks to his solid feet and change of direction ability, he should be able to make plays anywhere on the field.
Bee also is adept at getting his hands up into the throwing lane to bother opposing quarterbacks. this is extremely important, as it will give him a chance to knock down passes in the NFL and not just rely on getting to the quarterback as his one skill. In his four-year career at Marshall, he had seven pass defenses.
It helps Bee’s cause that the Redskins have one of the best defensive line coaches in the NFL, Jim Tomsula. Bee has the tools needed to become a quality defensive lineman and if Tomsula likes what he sees, he may be able to make Bee into a role player.
While there are a lot of areas that Bee looks good in, there are a couple of major areas for improvement as he looks to state his case for a spot on the 53-man roster.
What Bee needs to improve
One of the most obvious areas that Bee needs to improve is his functional strength. Despite his 6-7 frame, Bee lacks weight (280 pounds). He will need to bulk up at the NFL level if he wants to win with strength at the point of attack.
This weakness does show up on tape, as Bee can often get taken out of the play by stronger offensive linemen. While he can use his length to win frequently, he often gets stalemated at or beyond the line of scrimmage. As a result, he doesn’t always generate as much pressure as he should.
Elsewhere, Bee lacks great athletic ability and doesn’t have a particularly good first step. He has good movement skills, but he just isn’t particularly explosive. He ran the 40-yard dash in 5.12 seconds at his pro day which would have ranked bottom-10 among the group that was at the combine.
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Because of his lack of athletic ability, Bee’s strength becomes a bigger sticking point. Of course, in an NFL strength and conditioning program, this issue could be fixed relatively quickly. If he puts in the time in the weight room, he could bulk up fast and then make his combination of strength and length an issue at the five-tech. That would give him a chance to emerge as a quality player who could at least challenge for a backup role.
Essentially, Bee’s best bet of making the team is to improve his overall strength to compensate for his relative lack of athletic ability. He has the traits and upside needed to make an NFL roster, it’s just a question of whether or not he can put it all together.
How Bee fits with the Redskins
This is the biggest question that needs to be answered. While Bee has talent and upside, finding him a role with the team might be difficult.
Right now, the Redskins are stacked on the defensive line. Former first-round picks Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne appear to be one of the best interior tandems in the NFL, and the recently re-signed Matt Ioannidis is very good as well. That trio will continue to generate interior pressure, and they will eat up a majority of the snaps.
Behind Allen, Payne, and Ioannidis, the ‘Skins have a couple of other former Day 3 picks in Tim Settle and Caleb Brantley. Both were considered to be early-round talents in their draft classes, but they fell for a variety of reasons. Settle seems to be entrenched as the top backup while Brantley, who was claimed off waivers prior to last season, would be the replacement for Stacy McGee, who was cut this offseason.
Because of the presence of these five players, it may be hard for Bee to find a spot on the roster. He could sneak on as a sixth man on the interior defensive line, but he will have to compete with JoJo Wicker, who spent last season on the practice squad, for that spot. Additionally, two other undrafted free agents, Jonathan Bonner and Austin Maloata, will push Bee for reps.
Still, Bee has enough talent to earn the role as a developmental player on the defensive line. And at the very least, he could get consideration for the practice squad. If Jim Tomsula likes Bee enough, he could try to develop him in hopes of turning him into a solid backup or maybe even a starter.
Bee has the most upside of any undrafted free agent on the Redskins roster. Now, it’s just a matter of figuring out whether or not he will be able to find a role at one of the depth chart’s most crowded positions.