Redskins: 5 most underappreciated players on the roster

Jacob Camenker

NEW ORLEANS, LA - NOVEMBER 19: Samaje Perine #32 of the Washington Redskins celebrates with Chase Roullier #73 of the Washington Redskins after scoring a touchdown during the first half against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on November 19, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

The Washington Redskins have a lot of players on their roster, but there are some that haven’t been getting enough love lately.

Every NFL team has players on it that are underappreciated. In a league where 53 men comprise the roster of each team, there’s bound to be players that don’t quite get the respect that they’re due.

These players can sometimes be unheralded starters. Others are fine role players that don’t draw as much appreciation because fans believe they are limited in scope. And others are players that just haven’t been given an opportunity to show what they can do enough in the NFL.

The Redskins have plenty of these players on their roster. Some are more obvious than others, but there are definitely players that fly under the radar for the squad. And we’re going to take a look at guys on the Washington roster that stand out in this regard.

But before we do, a note: One could make a case that Ryan Kerrigan could have a place on this list, but his underappreciation is more on a national scale. The Washington fans tend to understand and appreciate the double-digit sack artist, so that’s why he wasn’t included on this list.

Here’s a look at five players on the Redskins roster that deserve a bit more love and recognition for what they provide the team.

NEW ORLEANS, LA – NOVEMBER 19: Samaje Perine #32 of the Washington Redskins is tackled by Manti Te’o #51 of the New Orleans Saints during the second half at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on November 19, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

5. RB Samaje Perine

One of the most baffling choices Jay Gruden made last season was not to play Samaje Perine outside of the final game of the season. Coming off a solid rookie season, Perine looked ready to take on a bigger role in the backfield and could have been given a chance to lead the attack with Derrius Guice out. Or, at the very least, he should have been the primary backup to Adrian Peterson.

Instead, Perine only got on the field for five games and was given just eight carries. Despite this fact, Perine still has a lot of upside and could emerge as a quality rotational back during the 2019 season.

People seem to forget that Perine looked solid as a rookie fourth-round pick. He had back-to-back 100-yard outings against the Giants and Saints and ran with good strength and showed solid one-cut ability. His overall numbers for the season — 3.5 yards per carry and just one rushing touchdown — weren’t great, but given that he was running behind a very banged-up unit, he certainly showed enough to be a part of the backfield in 2018. But Gruden never gave him the chance.

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However, this offseason, Gruden has been hyping up Perine and saying that he needs to give him more opportunities. With Guice returning from a torn ACL and Peterson entering his age 34-season, Perine could work into the rotation if Gruden uses a back-by-committee approach. It may not happen right away, but it seems that Perine at least has a firm grip on the fourth RB spot on the roster for the moment.

Some may point to Perine’s fumbling “problems” as part of the reason that he’s not underappreciated. But in reality, Perine has only fumbled once every 104 touches during his NFL career, which is a better mark than that of Peterson. So, if Perine can continue to prove that he’s a solid runner during the preseason, he should put the fumble narrative to bed.

Perine isn’t a solid starter yet. But he only turns 24 in September and has the makings of a top-end backup in the NFL at the very least. If he is given a chance to get some carries this year, he may be a pleasant surprise. That said, it’s no guarantee that he will be able to get touches because of the crowded Redskins backfield.

LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 14: Cornerback Quinton Dunbar #23 and strong safety Montae Nicholson #35 of the Washington Redskins celebrate after a play in the fourth quarter at FedExField on October 14, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)

4. S Montae Nicholson

After his rookie season in 2017, Nicholson seemed like a rising star at safety. Or, at the very least, he seemed like a good starter for a team that had lacked talent at the safety position.

However, in 2018, Nicholson had a bit of a sophomore slump. The ‘Skins, who had counted on Nicholson to hold down a starting role next to D.J. Swearinger, traded for Ha Ha Clinton-Dix ahead of the NFL trade deadline as a result and pushed Nicholson down to the third spot on the safety depth chart.

If that was supposed to serve as a wake-up call for Nicholson, it didn’t. He was arrested late in the season and the team suspended him for the final two games, capping off a wildly disappointing season for the Michigan State product.

But now, it seems that he may have one last chance to prove himself.

Nicholson is penciled in as the starter next to Landon Collins as the team didn’t address the safety position outside of targeting the former New York Giant in free agency. This will likely be the former fourth-round pick’s last chance to prove himself in Washington, and if he plays like he did as a rookie, he could have a bounce-back year.

Many are bemoaning the shape that the ‘Skins are in at safety outside of Collins. That’s understandable to an extent because of their lack of depth. But, Nicholson shouldn’t be slept on. If he can clean up the issues he had in ’18 and showcase the coverage and playmaking skills he had a bit as a rookie, that could help to solidify the back-end of the defense. It’s a big if, but the 23-year-old still has plenty of time to make things work.

LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 14: Linebacker Mason Foster #54 of the Washington Redskins reacts after recovering a fumble in the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers at FedExField on October 14, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)

3. LB Mason Foster

This pick may surprise some. After all, Foster had some issues last year, including some run-ins on social media, but we’re focusing on his on-field impact. Let’s take a step back and look at what Mason Foster can offer as a player.

Foster is one of the Redskins’ better tacklers. He had 131 stops last season and he played in almost all of the defensive snaps for the team (98.2 percent). He’s an excellent two-down run stopper and can certainly be relied on in that role.

Foster is also a leader for the team, and he served as their defensive captain in 2018. He is respected in the locker room, so that’s another element that he brings to the game.

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While Foster isn’t the same player he once was in coverage, it won’t matter for the team in the upcoming season. The Redskins will probably look to use Foster as a two-down role player at the most. They can use him on early downs and alternate him with guys like Josh Harvey-Clemons to ensure that he won’t get exposed if he has to cover tight ends. And even if he does do that in limited action, he can still make some plays. The problem is he just can’t do it consistently but was asked to do that last year.

There have been some who have opined that the ‘Skins should move on from Foster because of his eroding coverage skills. That view is short-sighted. Foster can still be a great role player as a run stopper and a leader for the defense. That’s two things that this young unit may desperately need.

If Foster can play rotationally with Harvey-Clemons or Cole Holcomb, that may help to further replace the injured Reuben Foster this season. And if Jon Bostic emerges to take the starting role next to Shaun Dion Hamilton, Foster still has a place as a high-level run defender backup and a special teams player. He hasn’t gotten as much love as he has deserved for his play in recent seasons, and while he’s no longer the solid three-down player he once was, there certainly is a place for him on this team.

(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

2. CB Fabian Moreau

In recent years, the Redskins have added exciting, late-round options to their cornerback room. In 2018, it was Greg Stroman. It 2019, it’s Jimmy Moreland.

The presence of these two players has led some to question whether or not Fabian Moreau would hold onto the top slot-corner role. However, it seems that Moreau has a stranglehold on that position at the very least.

Gruden recently said that he was “really, really, really, impressed” with Moreau’s progress in camp. Moreau is entering his third year in the NFL and just his second in a prominent role with the Redskins. The former 2017 third-round pick had first-round potential, but he slipped due to a torn pectoral he suffered at his Pro Day.

1. C Chase Roullier

During the 2018 season, the Redskins lost countless players to injuries. Chase Roullier was not one of them. Roullier played all 1,020 offensive snaps and was the only player on the squad to do it. He played 13 full games at center while also playing at left guard for a brief three-game stretch.

Roullier, a former sixth-round pick out of Wyoming, has done a lot to solidify the team’s center position since being drafted in 2017. Center had previously been a weakness for the team, as Kory Lichtensteiger regressed rapidly at the end of his career while Spencer Long was solid but injury-prone as a replacement. Left guard has, rightfully, gotten a lot of attention as the weak link up front, but people do forget that before Roullier, the center spot was also uncertain at best.

Roullier is a solid center who does well in all facets of the game, but he is especially solid in pass protection. He surrendered just one sack last year and committed only five penalties during the season. That’s not bad considering that last year was his first as a full-time starter.

Still, there were some who were calling for Roullier to be moved to a backup role this offseason, and that argument makes little sense. He may never turn into a top-tier player at the position, but given that he is only turning 26 in August, he should continue to grow. And at the very least, Roullier will continue to be a solid building block on the team’s offensive line.

While the Redskins are still facing uncertainty on the left side of the line thanks to Trent Williams‘ holdout, the right side of their unit and the center spot appear to be solidified. And that is partially thanks to Roullier.

Jacob Camenker