Riggo’s Rag Redskins Mailbag: Potential surprises, position battles, more
Tight end position battle
John Staff: What will tight end look like this year and will the team make a move at the position (i.e. David Njoku)?
Jacob Camenker: The whole tight end position is up for grabs this season. There aren’t any players at the position that should be considered safe bets to make the team.
Perhaps the closest thing to a lock would be Logan Thomas, a 29-year-old free-agent signee who is coming off the best season of his career after totaling 16 catches for 173 yards and a touchdown with the Detroit Lions. The former Virginia Tech quarterback has only been playing tight end for a handful of years, so there’s a chance that he could progress with more snap counts.
light. Related Story. Evaluating the Redskins tight end position for 2020
After Thomas, Hale Hentges, Richard Rodgers, Thaddeus Moss, Jeremy Sprinkle, Caleb Wilson, and Marcus Baugh will be fighting for roster spots. Currently, I think Hentges is probably the second-best bet to make the team because he is well-rounded, found success in Washington last year, and is only a second-year player.
The third spot could go to anyone. In my latest roster projection, I handed the job to Moss since he has some fullback versatility and possesses plenty of upside. Ian Cummings chose Sprinkle for the same spot because of his robust blocking ability. I’d say those four are probably the most likely bets to make the team barring a surprise from a guy like Wilson, who should be a practice squad candidate.
As for a potential move at tight end, I wouldn’t classify it as likely, but I wouldn’t rule it out either. If David Njoku is, in fact, available, the Redskins should consider swapping a Day 3 pick for him. He’s a talented athlete who would give Dwayne Haskins a great middle of the field target. That said, he’s set to be a free agent after the season, so the ‘Skins shouldn’t surrender too much to get him.
I think that Ron Rivera is going to wait and see what happens in the tight end room. If it’s a weakness for 2020, the team can focus on upgrading it during the 2021 offseason in what figures to be a much stronger draft class at the position. And maybe if they’re lucky, one of the young options on their roster will emerge as a quality player at the NFL level.