“What if” everything breaks right for the 2020 Redskins?

Additional Factors

Redskins defense is in the top third of the league

With the addition of Chase Young and the quality defensive coaching the Redskins brought to the organization, the defensive side of the ball seems to the biggest reason for optimism for the 2020 Redskins.

Playoff teams have good defenses; that’s been proven over and over again throughout the history of the NFL. Last season, nine of the top 12 teams as ranked by Pro Football Reference made the playoffs. No playoff team ranked lower then 15. The Redskins were 27th and last on third-down efficiency.

For the Redskins to have a successful 2020 season, the defense must finish in the top third of the league. With the talent and draft capital invested on this side of the ball, the “what if” on this happening seems most likely.

The defensive line must be dominant

What if the Redskins defensive front becomes dominant? We’ve seen what a dominant front can do for a defense. We’ve seen deep playoff runs by teams with dominant defensive fronts. And dominant is the adjective that can be used to describe what the Redskins hope to become. With question marks at the other levels of the defense, there must be none up front, and there shouldn’t be. This group is deep and loaded with talent.

Linebackers need to tackle

Obvious, right? But switching to a base 4-3 defense will require this group to be in position. With single gap responsibilities, it’s important this group makes the tackles. I’d expect the coaching staff to have a huge impact on these guys. Del Rio and Rivera were both linebackers, and that’s a big deal. Expect this group to outperform expectations and be another reason why the 2020 Redskins become a top third defense.

Fabian Moreau emerges as a breakout player

What if Fabian Moreau showcases his first-round abilities? I can’t lie, Moreau was my sleeper pick to break out last year. I was hugely disappointed, and I understand most Redskins fans have lost faith in him. But he was also playing out of position quite a bit last season. He looked uncomfortable in the slot. When he lined up on the outside, he showed flashes of what he can become.

Again, I hope the quality changes in the defensive staff and scheme will put Moreau in position to succeed. With Kendall Fuller on the other side and having the versatility to move to the slot, Moreau is once again my pick as breakout player of the year for the Redskins. If that happens, I have no doubt the 2020 Redskins will achieve the defensive ranking they need.

Redskins stay healthy

Um, yeah. Please stay healthy. A new training staff and hopefully a new vision of bringing in players without injury histories should help. But quite frankly, they just need some luck in this department.

Good organizations can improve “luck” by the way the organization creates a culture and the manner in which they operate. While it’s no guarantee to success, it’s certainly reason for optimism.

“What if” this is our year? A guy can dream, can’t he?