Top five linebackers for Redskins to target in 2020 free agency
2. player. 53. . Linebacker. Cleveland Browns. Joe Schobert
Joe Schobert is hitting free agency at a really good time. The Cleveland Browns linebacker has strung together three great seasons in a row, but he’s coming off his best coverage season in 2019.
Schobert continued to be an all-around force for the Browns last season racking up 133 tackles, two sacks, four interceptions, nine pass defenses, and two forced fumbles. He was every bit as good as those stats indicate.
During his career, Schobert has proven to be a highly instinctive player who shows the ability to be in the right place at the right time in all facets of the game. The former fourth-round pick isn’t the most athletic player, but he knows where to be and has very good tackling technique that helps him to bring down opposing players with ease.
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Schobert has a solid 6-foot-1, 245-pound frame and good play strength that has improved since he joined the NFL ranks four years ago. That, coupled with his technique, are what makes him so dangerous and able to make plays as part of a defense.
For the Redskins, Schobert would be a natural fit at the middle linebacker position he played for the Browns last season. He would be a big upgrade for the Redskins there and would afford Holcomb and Hamilton a chance to win starting jobs on either side of him with Ryan Anderson and, potentially, Jon Bostic playing in rotation. And if and when Reuben Foster is ready to return at some point in 2020, the team could find an effective way to use both him and Schobert as starters on defense.
Schobert would certainly be an upgrade for the ‘Skins and if he can be as much of a playmaker as he was in coverage last season, he should be a true three-down option for the squad. And the 26-year-old’s strong work ethic could have a good influence in the linebacker room.