Washington Football Team: 3 positives and negatives from the preseason so far

Negative: Linebacker Depth

Prized rookie Jamin Davis will move into the starting lineup in place of the departed Kevin Pierre-Louis. That is the only substantive change to a position group that was razor thin last year. Davis will play inside, moving Jon Bostic to the outside, and based on Davis’ talent, the overall play should improve.

But after those three, what is there? Maybe 2020 draftee Khaleke Hudson can take a step forward. I have always thought veteran David Mayo is a good run stopper. And Jared Norris has shown the occasional flash of being more than a special teams madman. But if any of these players has to step in and play serious snaps, that is a problem.

Last season, it got bad enough that when Pierre-Louis got hurt late, the team brought in free agent Mychal Kendricks, who was essentially out of the league after pleading guilty to insider trading charges a few years back. Kendricks played significant minutes in Washington’s final couple of games.

The Football Team has done almost nothing to shore up this position and should any of the three starters miss serious time, it could be a problem. There is always the chance that they could sign a free agent vet, as they did last season with Kendricks. Or that one of the lesser-known guys could step up. But if the worst happens, I would expect to see a lot more defensive sets that use only two linebackers, with an extra safety taking on added responsibility. This might be where Kamren Curl most helps the team in 2021.