Washington Football Team: Examining how close the team is to a title

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Washington Football Team WR Terry McLaurin. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images) /

Assessing the Washington Football Team’s roster

On defense, their best unit, they have a very good line, with solid depth. That front four is borderline elite, but as the Tampa game suggested, they are not yet able to dominate against a quality offensive line.

At linebacker, they are average, and more importantly, razor-thin. Any injury would leave a gaping hole, and Kevin Pierre-Louis’ impending free agency only exacerbates the situation.

The secondary situation is similar. They have a large hole at deep safety, but quality players at the other spots. Their depth, though not razor-thin, is not to a level where you would feel confident should any of the starters (and I count third corner Jimmy Moreland as a starter) be unavailable.

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On offense, they are obviously in need of a quarterback. We’ve all been writing way too much about that of late. (And by “all,” I mainly refer to myself.)

Among the other skill position players, running backs Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic, tight end Logan Thomas, and wide receiver Terry McLaurin all had excellent seasons and should be integral parts of an improving offense in 2021.

However, as with the linebackers, all of those positions are razor-thin. An injury to any one of the first three players would hurt a lot. An injury to McLaurin would be catastrophic.

What’s more, this offense is not well-balanced. With McLaurin, McKissic, and Thomas as your three primary pass catchers, there is not nearly enough speed to open up the field. As currently constructed, McLaurin is the only pass catcher with game-breaking ability. McKissic and Thomas are very good possession guys, but they’re never threats to take one to the house. (Unless that house is within about 25 yards.)

None of the pass catchers most likely to step into bigger roles next year – Kelvin Harmon, Cam Sims, Antonio Gandy-Golden – address this speed problem. They could certainly help take some of the burden off McLaurin, but they will not transform the offense.

Once Wes Schweitzer and Cornelius Lucas helped solidify to the left side of the offensive line in 2020, that unit became a somewhat surprising strength. But – and I promise this will be the final time I use this phrase – their depth is razor-thin.

As presently constituted – and assuming that the team re-signs free agent guard Brandon Scherff – the only depth comes from less-than-stellar young vets like Geron Christian, David Sharpe, and Wes Martin, and totally unproven kids like Saahdiq Charles and Keith Ismael.

I am harping on this depth issue because I really don’t think some fans are recognizing just how fortunate Washington was with regard to injury in 2020. This is partly due to the fact that on paper, the Washington Football Team had plenty of injuries – several at key positions like quarterback and left tackle.

But given this team’s particular makeup – who they most rely on and where they have the most depth – Washington fared very well. One or two more serious injuries at cornerback or offensive line may have significantly altered their fortunes.

Just look at how Eric Fisher’s injury late in the Chiefs AFC championship victory sabotaged their offensive line in the Super Bowl.

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