The foundational players of the Washington Football Team

Each NFL team has its core, foundational players. These are the players that, if they were taken away from their respective teams, the way the team operated would look much different. There are typically three of these players on each roster. Who are these three players for the Washington Football Team?

For example, the Seattle Seahawks’ foundational pieces would be Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner, and DK Metcalf. The Kansas City Chiefs’ would be Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce.

The three players for a particular team could be up for debate, especially on very talented teams like the Buccanneers and Chiefs. And, most of the time, they will feature their starting quarterback.

But for the Washington Football Team, that may be a different story. While Ryan Fitzpatrick’s quality of play in 2021 will be very important to Washington’s success, there are multiple other factors to consider. Washington has a roster that is built as one that should be able to win football games with average quarterback play.

One could argue that the true foundation of the Washington Football Team is their defensive line. Everything is built around their elite defensive front and everything else collapses without it. That person would probably be right.

However, there are three specific players that are the core foundation of the Washington roster. There are two non-negotiables and then the third spot is up for debate. So who are the foundational pieces of the Washington Football Team?

Before getting started, the idea for this article should be accredited to a tweet by The Draft Network’s, Jordan Reid. In the tweet, he asks who the “Jenga Pieces” or foundational pieces of each NFL team are. He is one of The Draft Network’s NFL Draft analysts and you can find his work here.

These three players are the foundation of the Washington Football Team.

3. Kendall Fuller

The third “most valuable” player for the Washington Football Team is very debatable. This player could just as easily be Kendall Fuller‘s counterpart William Jackson III. Or it could be Jonathan Allen, who may be the most underrated player on the roster. Take your pick.

I went with Fuller due to his high level of play in Washington last year and his positional flexibility. In his five-year career, Fuller has played at outside corner, slot corner, and safety. He has been solid at all three spots but was at his best last year as an outside corner.

The quality of Fuller’s play and his positional flexibility opens up many possibilities for Jack Del Rio and his defense. If in a given game he would rather have the longer Benjamin St-Juste on the outside, he can shift Fuller into the slot.

If Del Rio would like to have both St-Juste and Jimmy Moreland on the field as well, he can move Fuller back to safety in some packages. Or he can just keep Fuller on the outside, where he was at his best last year.

While Fuller may not be the true number one corner, like the coaching staff is hoping Jackson III will become, he presents immense value to Washington. If Fuller was taken out of the lineup –that not only forces inexperienced players to take on bigger roles — it would take away a huge chess piece from Del Rio.