Fans have been calling for it for a long time, and in 2020, the Redskins will finally switch back to a 4-3 defensive alignment.
The move comes on the heels of Ron Rivera’s hiring as the Washington Redskins new head coach, as well as Jack Del Rio’s hiring as the defensive coordinator. Washington’s defensive coaches have long been ridiculed for putting players in tough positions and not playing to the strengths of their personnel. It appears as though that may end with the new staff.
That being said, it’s never a completely smooth transition when a team maintains a great deal of its personnel whilst making a scheme change. Yes, many of the Redskins’ players were already scheme versatile, and the 4-3 scheme change really only impacts the front seven the most. For some players, it’ll be the change they needed. But for others, it might cloud their outlook.
All of the Redskins’ defenders will be impacted by the 4-3 scheme change in some shape or form, but here are three holdovers from the 2019 season who will be impacted the most.
No. 3 – DE Montez Sweat
You could almost hear the collective groan over the past decade, every time Ryan Kerrigan dropped back into coverage. Everyone knew he was essentially a defensive end, but the coaching staff employed him in roles which didn’t match his skill set, and while Kerrigan’s coverage wasn’t always the issue, needlessly subtracting from the pass rush hurt.
In the first year of Montez Sweat’s career, there was a similar issue being raised. Sweat, in truth, has enough athleticism and length to manage the outside linebacker role, but he’s at his best as a pure defensive end — defending the edge on every snap. He logged 7.0 sacks as an outside linebacker in 2019, and now in 2020, he’ll be in a role that’s even more conducive to pass rushing production. He’ll also have an extra year under his belt, and more talent around him.
The Redskins were confident enough in Sweat’s upside to trade up into Round 1 for him in 2019, and now, after showing growth in his rookie season, he’s in a position to make a leap in 2020. A lot of factors are contributing to that, but his new well-defined role as a pure edge defender will certainly help keep things simple, and fast.
No. 2 – DT Tim Settle
Tim Settle was drafted by the Redskins in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft to serve as a 3-4 nose tackle. He measured in at 6-foot-3, 335.
Now, Settle is 6-foot-3, 308, and the role of nose tackle has long passed him by. The slimmed-down Settle is stronger and more athletic, and this has been apparent in flashes. In 2019, with snaps limited by the rotation of Daron Payne, Matt Ioannidis, and Jonathan Allen, Settle logged 2.0 sacks, as well as two tackles for loss and five quarterback hits.
Even at 335, Settle displayed glimpses of his athleticism, but now, with all that bad weight gone, he’s a different player entirely. While the 3-4 nose position was once his niche, he’s now perfectly built for the 4-3 defensive tackle role. With his run stopping experience and pass rushing upside, there’s a chance he could only add to the fearsome rotation that the Redskins have up front.
No. 1 – LB Ryan Anderson
Ryan Anderson is by far the Redskins defender most impacted by the 4-3 scheme change, although the impact levied on Anderson is not necessarily a positive one.
Anderson was drafted by the Redskins to serve as an outside linebacker in the 3-4 scheme. I liken his skill set to that of Devon Kennard, to a lesser degree. Defensive end is often synonymous with “pass rusher” in today’s NFL, but Anderson is much more of an edge defender; his true speciality is in run support, although he possesses the ability to rush the passer on occasion.
In 2019, Anderson showed growth as a pass rusher, notching 4.0 sacks with his motor off the line. But now in 2020, his outlook is clouded, as there’s no clear-cut spot for him in the 4-3 defense.
Anderson might be too small to put his hand in the dirt at 6-foot-2, 255, and he has a lot of competition at defensive end as it is — competition with a more natural scheme fit, as well as more versatility across the line.
Anderson’s likeliest bet is to stay at linebacker, but he wouldn’t be defending the edge nearly as often, and might be limited to a mere sub package role. A SAM linebacker job might be best for him — the SAM is primarily tasked with defending the run and staying close to the line — but Anderson would still find himself in coverage at times, and he doesn’t have the athletic profile or the experience to flourish in that position.
Jack Del Rio has said that he’s looking forward to getting Anderson involved, and after Anderson’s performance in 2019, that should be the case. Anderson performed admirably in sixteen games; his hustle was noticeable, and he generated forced fumbles at an extremely high rate, logging five on the season. As reassuring as Anderson’s 2019 play was, however, it’s going to be tough for him to find a consistent role in the 4-3 scheme, and in the end, that confusion might not be worth a roster spot.