Redskins: Why the defensive line may be the new version of the Hogs
By Seth Barnes
The Redskins offensive line used to be the strength of the team back in the team’s heyday. Now, with the major improvements that have come to the defensive line, have the Hogs switched sides?
It’s been a couple of worrisome years of watching the Redskins offensive line try to hold up for an entire season. Left guard has been problematic for so long it seems ridiculous. The Redskins kept putting Shawn Lauvao out there and crossing their fingers that he’d stay healthy. In his five years in Washington, he played for more than nine games only twice, and never made it an entire season.
Chase Roullier just finished his rookie season, and was the only lineman to start every game. He performed admirably for a first-year starter that was drafted in the 6th round. Pro Football Focus graded Roullier a very average 62.1. He returns as the starting center, but it’s uncertain how well he’ll develop.
Right guard Brandon Scherff has been a fan favorite and solid performer since he joined the league in 2015, making the Pro Bowl the following two years. Still, for the No. 5 overall pick, you’d expect more. He may still be growing. This will be a telling year for the fifth year starter.
As banged up as Morgan Moses has been through the season, he’s been the stalwart along the line, showing up in every game since he picked up the starting job in 2015. Since his extension, Moses has taken a step back but has been relatively solid.
Which leaves Trent Williams. If you’ve been following Redskins news this week, you know Williams, perhaps the best left tackle in the league when healthy, wants to be traded or released.
When healthy, this group has performed admirably and made up arguably one of the top 10 units in the league. The problem is that they’ve seldom been healthy. It seems every year now, the team ends the season with its offensive linemen hobbling around on one leg. That’s not going to get this team to the playoffs, much less through it.
There was a time when “Hogs 2.0” was a thing. Now it just feels like the unit is heading in the wrong direction. Which begs the question, are the hogs actually on the other side of the line of scrimmage?
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After only one full year together, the Redskins defensive line resembles one of the top lines in the league. Look at these stats along the line last year:
- Matt Ioannidis: 7.5 sacks, 11 QB hits and 6 tackles for a loss
- Jonathan Allen: 8 sacks, 15 QB hits and 11 tackles for a loss
- Daron Payne: 4.5 sacks, 8 QB hits and 6 tackles for a loss (plus he clogged the middle)
Look at the rushing totals from some of the top RBs that ran against them last year. Admittedly, these are before the Week 11 collapse.
- David Johnson: 37 yards
- Mark Ingram: 53 yards
- Alvin Kamara: 24 yards
- Christian McCaffrey: 20 yards
- Ezekiel Elliott: 33 yards
- Saquon Barkley: 38 yards
Last year was Payne’s first full year in the league and Allen played a full season for the first time, too, after missing more than half of his rookie year with an injury. I’m pretty excited to see what they’ll be able to do next year after a full year and offseason under their belts. Not to mention how much this will benefit Ryan Kerrigan and Montez Sweat.
This defensive line is motivated, nasty and young. Ioannidis is the old guy of the bunch at 25. And after his contract extension, we’re certain that this group will be together for at least another three years.
What do you think? Are we beginning to see the defensive version of the hogs?