With the start of the 2021 season less than three months away, things they are a-changin’ for the Washington Football Team.
Tell me if you’ve heard this story before: Once upon a time, there was a team that used to have a name. Every season, this team would win the offseason, making splash signings and drafting the next big name at quarterback became its M.O.
Year after year, the results wouldn’t justify the offseason hype, and fans continued to hope that the following season would be different. But it never was…until 2020 that is, when savior Ron Rivera took the helm and pushed aside the overbearing hand of Dan Snyder.
Hyperbole? Maybe so, but if you ask any Washington Football Team fan how they feel going into the 2021 season, you will hear sometime that you haven’t heard in quite some time, hope!
Ron Rivera has won over the fanbase with his no-nonsense approach, taking the franchise to the playoffs in his first season at the helm, while battling cancer and dealing with a carousel of quarterbacks leading the way.
After bringing in Fitzmagic, strengthening what was one of the league’s weakest receiving corps, and adding quality help at linebacker and corner, this team looks like it has most of the pieces it needs to be a contender for years to come.
What better time to make bold predictions than before training camp even kicks off. It’s a fun activity and is always a fun piece to look back on after the season ends and either go, “Wow, that was really smart” or “What the heck was I thinking.”
As the saying goes, “go big or go home,” so with that, let’s get into the 10 bold Washington Football Team predictions for the 2021 season.
Bold Prediction 1: The Washington Football Team will win at least nine games
Despite going 7-9 with the fifth-easiest schedule last season, the Washington Football Team should improve on its win total and get to nine wins and sneak into the playoffs.
In 2021, Washington is going to face off against six playoff teams from 2020, and after the league announced the expansion to 17 games, Washington had a game against the Bills added to their schedule. This took the Football Team from having the 22nd most difficult schedule to the 15th most difficult in the NFL.
Given all the speed the team added to the receiving corps along with adding a gunslinger in Ryan Fitzpatrick, this is an offense that shall be much improved from last season. In addition to that, with Coach Rivera in his second season and done with his chemo treatments, he will be able to narrow his focus and further instill his system and values within the team.
The defense, which was already among the top units last year, will continue to be a strength and should allow Washington to keep games close, even when facing off against some of the league’s top offenses in the Chiefs, Bills, Packers, and Seahawks.
Washington does have a tough early stretch from Week 3 to Week 7 with games against the Bills, Falcons, Saints, Chiefs, and Packers. If they are able to go at least 3-2 during that stretch, the team should be in a good position to finish with nine or more wins.
Bold Prediction 2: Terry McLaurin will finish as a top-five WR
I don’t think Terry McLaurin gets enough credit for what he has been able to accomplish thus far in his Washington Football Team career.
As a rookie, after being seen as a special teams player who may be a lower-end receiver, McLaurin finished inside among the top 30 WRs in receiving yards, finishing with 58 receptions for 919 yards and seven touchdowns, all while having Case Kennum, Dwayne Haskins, and Colt McCoy as his quarterbacks.
During his sophomore season, in spite of facing constant double teams, he finished with 87 receptions for 1,118 yards and four touchdowns in 15 games, which was just outside the top 10 in receiving yards among WRs.
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With a healthy Antonio Gibson, added speed in Curtis Samuels and Dyami Brown, and the addition of Fitzpatrick who is not afraid to go down the field, McLaurin will finish as a top-five WR.
Yes, there will be more mouths to feed on offense, but with the WR position going from one of the team’s biggest weaknesses to one of its strengths, teams will no longer be able to focus their attention exclusively on McLaurin.
Fitzpatrick also has been able to get the most out of his WR1 when he has the chance to start over 10+ games in a season. In 2019 with Miami, Fitzpatrick started 13 games and his primary receiver, DeVante Parker, finished as a top-five receiver.
In 2015, the last time Fitzpatrick started 16 games, his primary receiver, Brandon Marshall finished as a top-five receiver. He will do the same with McLaurin in 2021.
Bold Prediction 3: Ryan Fitzpatrick will throw 15 INTs
I’m sorry, I had to do it.
With Fitzpatrick, you have to take the bad with the good. The same thing that creates the Fitzmagic, can lead to Fitztragic results.
Fitzpatrick has started 16 games three times in his career. In 2011, he led the league with 23 interceptions, in 2012, he threw 16 interceptions, and in 2015, he threw 15 interceptions.
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In 2015, Fitzpatrick was with the New York Jets and the team finished the season 10-6 before Fitzpatrick imploded in a Game 17 match-up that would have clinched a playoff berth.
Out of the three teams, the 2015 Jets has the most parallels to the 2021 Washington Football Team as that team had a top 10 defense, which helped overcome some of Fitzpatrick’s mistakes.
The Washington Football Team’s defense should be able to bail Fitzpatrick out in 2021, and if the team is winning in spite of the interceptions, Fitzpatrick will start. However, if things start to go south, the question will be how big of a leash will Fitzpatrick get.
The Jets had Geno Smith as their backup in 2015, and he hadn’t shown much as a starter, which allowed Fitzpatrick to keep his job. Will Ron Rivera exhibit the same patience with Heinicke waiting in the wings?
Bold Prediction 4: Jamin Davis wins Defensive Rookie of the Year
Both Coach Rivera and Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio played linebacker in the NFL, so I trust their judgment in selecting Jamin Davis.
Some analysts called him a reach in the first round, but he will quickly quiet the critics in 2021.
Despite only having 11 career starts in college, Davis has good size, speed, and field awareness. He can cover the tight end position and should be a tackling machine for Washington.
With a strong defensive line in front of him, Davis should have a bit of an easier time adjusting to the NFL. He’s a physical specimen and his attitude and willingness to be coached stood out in OTAs.
He should finish with 100+ tackles and be a major playmaker for the Washington Football Defense, which could lead to back-to-back defensive rookie of the years for the team.
Bold Prediction 5: Antonio Gibson or Curtis Samuel misses time
With the addition of Samuel, Washington should be able to get very creative with both him and Gibson on the field.
Now all the bold predictions can’t be super positive since that’s not realistic, so let’s take a look at one that fans hope won’t occur.
At OTAs, Gibson admitted that he is still rehabbing from his turf toe injury and working towards being 100 percent. He did look good on the field, but who knows how the wear and tear of 17 games impact the injury. Turf toe is one of those tricky injuries that can linger.
Washington Commanders
On the other side, we have Samuel, who is dynamic but has only played in all 16 games once in his career. He also tweaked his groin and missed time in OTAs, so that will be something to monitor as the team heads to training camp and into the season.
Bold Prediction 6: Sam Cosmi Catches a Pass
Sam Cosmi is crazy athletic. With a Relative Athletic Score of 9.99 out of 10, Washington should be able to utilize his skills in many facets.
Not only is Cosmi a good blocker, but at Texas, he did have a 12-yard touchdown reception. He did most of the work on that play and trucked the defender at the end.
We all know Scott Turner loves to get creative on offense, so I could see a red-zone package where Cosmi catches a pass. Silly? Yes. But would it be cool to see what the big man can do? Oh yeah!
Bold Prediction 7: Logan Thomas finishes as a top-five TE
Last year, when the Washington Football Team added Logan Thomas to the roster, there was not a beep. No excitement, but there was chatter about how the team didn’t seem to be filling major gaps on offense.
One season later and the opinion on Thomas has completely changed. After finishing with 72 receptions for 670 yards and six touchdowns, Thomas put himself on the map as a play-making tight end in the league.
How did so many teams overlook him for so many years? We’ll never know but Washington noticed that Thomas performed when he got the opportunity and in 2020, he did just that.
In 2021, Thomas should be able to expand on his growth, playing on the same offense for two consecutive years for the first time in his career. He has also taken it upon himself to study some of the league’s top tight ends to help get him to the next level.
Washington tight end coach Pete Hoener, who has coached a lot of great tight ends, including Greg Olsen and Delanie Walker, said he already sees Thomas as a top TE.
"When I talk about a complete tight end, he has to be in the top 5, 6 or 7 in the league. The way he blocks, his total attitude as a real pro, his leadership qualities and then his production as a receiver. I look for that to keep going up and up."
Last season, Thomas finished third among TEs in receptions and seventh in receiving yards. Look for him to establish himself as a top-five TE in 2021.
Bold Prediction 8: Washington receives a big impact from an UDFA
The Washington Football Team has found some ball players among undrafted free agents in the past, including WR Cam Sims. This year, that impact player will be Jaret Patterson.
Patterson is another player that has local ties, having gone to high school with Chase Young, before starring at Buffalo.
He’s a small back at 5’8″ but showed his speed and versatility at rookie camp and OTAs. Coach Rivera has been impressed by Patterson early, comparing him to Darren Sproles, who carved out a nice, long NFL career.
"Yeah he’s small but he’s explosive, he’s dynamic, he’s stout. He looks like a football player."
Sproles was in the league for 14 seasons and is currently ranked fifth in career all-purpose yards in NFL history. If Washington can get even a fraction of that production from Patterson, it will be a major victory.
Bold Prediction 9: Adam Humphries finishes with over 500 receiving yards
Now, in itself, this prediction doesn’t seem too bold, but remember, in 2019 and 2020, no wide receiver outside of McLaurin had over 500 receiving yards.
If Humphries, who should be the WR4-WR5 on this team, has over 500 receiving yards, that means the offense has taken a major step forward.
When Humphries was picked up, it wasn’t heralded as a major move, but per Pro Football Network’s Offensive Share Metric (OSM), Humphries was ranked top 6 among WRs despite his numbers taking a dip from his career-high in 2018.
In 2018, Humphries finished with 76 receptions for 816 yards and five touchdowns. One of the QBs that threw him the ball that season, none other than Ryan Fitzpatrick. That familiarity will not only help on the field but the addition will give Washington a true slot WR threat.
Humphries will finish with over 40 receptions and 500 yards.
Bold Prediction 10: Landon Collins Gets Cut or Benched
Landon Collins has not been a good signing for Washington. With the emergence of Kam Curl, Collins becomes a bit of a luxury.
Could the team slate him as a linebacker in some packages? Potentially. Coach Rivera had mentioned it could be a possibility, but Collins shot down the idea on Instagram.
https://twitter.com/NickiJhabvala/status/1372183755381731335?s=20
We all know how much Rivera values team players and from his reaction, it doesn’t seem like Collins is being receptive to the move. I’m hedging my bets here saying that he could be cut or benched.
Collins is not practicing as he continues his recovery from his Achilles injury, which doesn’t help the cause. By cutting Collins, the team could save $7.7M in cap space, but it would be easier to move on in 2022, so they might end up keeping him around.
However, his prior play as one of the worst safeties in coverage in the NFL, could lead to him at least getting benched during the season.
What are your bold predictions for the 2021 season? Let us know in the comments.