Washington Football Team: Projecting Washington’s starting defense this season

The Washington Football Team is loading up for what should be a division-winning season there in the nation’s capital.

Coming off their first division title since 2015, accompanied by new additions like Curtis Samuel and William Jackson III, the Washington Football Team has all of the talent in the world to win back-to-back NFC East crowns.

Though offensively they should be improved, it’ll be the defensive side of the football where Washington will rely on the most to keep them in every ballgame this season.

From Chase Young to Kamren Curl, Da’Ron Payne to Kendall Fuller, Washington is loaded with premier talent across the board on that side of the football.

Even then, the Football Team will see guys like Matt Ioannidis and Landon Collins returning to make major statements after having their season cut short just the year prior.

A defense that’s loaded with talent, the Washington Football Team must place their best eleven men out on the field. Which base defense suits them best and who should start?

So with all of this talent available, what should Washington do? Who should start for this Washington defense and who must receive the bulk of their snaps going in to 2021?

The answers are plentiful and filling, but none is a home run. Could they run the 5-2 defense and sacrifice a DB on the field? Or could they run a variation of the 4-3 defense, adding another linebacker for run support and/or a hybrid backer in Khaleke Hudson who can play coverage?

The options are endless, none of which satisfy you completely but nonetheless Washington is in a problematic situation that teams around the league wish they could be in.

With all of this talent available, what should the Washington Football Team’s defense look like in 2021?

As mentioned earlier, this is the starting 11 that Washington should place out there come Sunday, Sept. 12 against the Los Angeles Chargers. This may give up my hand a bit early as I’ll be projecting the starters in accordance with my projected base defense, so here’s what I believe the Football Team should look like for the bulk of their snaps.

• Two EDGE Rushers: DE Chase Young and DE Montez Sweat
• Two Interior Defensive Lineman: DT Daron Payne and DT Jonathan Allen
• Two Linebackers (MIKE and SAM): MB Jamin Davis and SB Cole Holcomb
• Five Defensive Backs: FS Kamren Curl, SS Landon Collins, RCB William Jackson III, LCB Benjamin St-Juste and NCB Kendall Fuller

The defensive line for the Football Team is littered with top-tier talent. The starting four from Chase Young to Jon Allen will be the driving force of success for this team, should they win another division title.

In addition to starting guys like Payne and Allen, Washington should roll in a steady dose of Tim Settle and Matt Ioannidis. Both interior forces should see plenty of playing time, with the core-four of guys on the interior staying “fresh” throughout the course of a contest. The depth alongside this interior defensive line is real, something that to an extent could make a piece or two expendable if need be in the long run.

The outside rushers in Montez Sweat and Chase Young are stout defensive anchors who should be donning the burgundy and gold for the next decade. Behind them, is where the real issues begin. Washington currently doesn’t have a steady blend of EDGE talent outside of their two prime-time hitters. Health considered, it isn’t an issue now, but Washington should look for at least one talent on the EDGE who can fill in for 15 percent of the snaps when need be.

With your two linebackers in Cole Holcomb and Jamin Davis, you’re adding significant athletic ability and speed to a group that lacked it in a major way just a season ago. The linebacker core is the weakest link of this defense, but with Davis slowly coming along at MIKE and Cole Holcomb playing a Sam(Space)-backer role similar to a guy like Dylan Moses at Alabama, you’re bringing in a healthy dose of versatile range that is sorely needed on this team.

Lastly, your defensive backs all have special skill sets that work well together. Outside of Landon Collins, your core-four of Fuller, Jackson, Curl and St-Juste all have range on the outside, who can move around a bit throughout your formation and display their savvy instincts on any given snap.

Guys like Kamren Curl and Kendall Fuller can play that Nickel role, while St.Juste and Jackson can play press-man on the outside. Collins, while not the best coverage defender, has shown great instincts as a cover-4 defender and as a cover-1 plugger, who plays his best football in coverage with everything in front of him.

Collins in his own right adds an aspect that none of the DB’s on the field offer, and that’s sound run-stopping ability. He’s someone who can hover around the line of scrimmage, attacking gaps in the running game or you can utilize him in a coverage setting where he’s required to play 8-12 yards off the LOS.

As seen on the previous slide, Washington should run a Nickel 4-2-5 defense, utilizing their speed and range by bringing out an extra DB on the field.

With the strong occurrence of spread offenses rising, and Washington’s weak linebacker room, rather than play a heavy dose of Jon Bostic or Khaleke Hudson, the Football Team should bring out their eleven best players and utilize each of their unique skill sets.

While every defense has its own flaws, by bringing in your eleven best players, you’re giving yourself not only the best chance to win due to the level of talent on display but you’re also bringing in men who all fit well together.

The defensive line’s responsibility is simple, you’ll have Daron Payne playing the 1-tech, Jon Allen playing the 3-tech, with Chase Young and Montez Sweat playing either the 5-tech or the 6i-tech. Rush the passer, clog the gaps, make tackles, get after the quarterbacks. Play downhill football in either an over or under front, depending on the offense’s alignment.

As far as your linebackers, Jamin Davis will play your standard MIKE linebacker role, protecting the A&B gaps, and being the anchor of this defense. From occasionally rushing the passer to dropping back in coverage, Jamin will be placed in a spot where he will have ample responsibility regardless of Washington’s formation.

Cole Holcomb will enjoy his role the most, as I paralleled his job to one like Dylan Moses at Alabama. In a downhill role as the “Space-backer”, a player who can align as a B-gap player or at the “apex”, protecting the A&B gaps as a run-defender Holcomb’s speed and adequate versatility in coverage or against the run will pay dividends in this formation.

Your three corners in William Jackson III, Kendall Fuller, and Benjamin St. Juste all can play manned up on their receivers, something they’re all capable of. In addition, if Washington plays more cover-4, you’ll have guys like Kendall Fuller and Landon Collins who have excelled in that scheme, playing with everything in front of them and relying on instincts to make plays in the passing game.

This brings us to Landon Collins, who fits the “jack” role, someone who can play the flats in coverage and be a thumper in run support. This is the ideal role for a guy like Collins who struggles immensely as a man defender or a split deep-half safety. Collins has a knack for laying the lumber with great pursuit, he can be a force in this role.

Finally, while Kamren Curl may not have true single-high safety range, Washington should use him as their free safety. If need be, Washington can move plenty of parts around like moving Curl inside the Landon Collins or Kendall Fuller role, moving Fuller to Curl’s position and bringing in a guy like Bobby McCain for Collins, utilizing the entire repertoire of Curl. Nonetheless, Kamren Curl’s arguably the most versatile DB on the roster, with impact ability regardless of what formation Washington is in. Wherever he lines up, Kam Curl has a shot to make a big-time difference.

Concluding, Washington should run a 4-2-5 Nickel defense, with their guys lined up in a formation looking like this:

Split coverage, one half playing quarters while the other plays the flats, and your linebackers will have the hook to curl or the underneath zone depending on what is called. This versatile defense fits a versatile bunch there in Washington, a unit that’s primed for a big-time season.

Should the Washington Football Team trot out these eleven on Sunday afternoon, they’ll be putting themselves in the best position to win going forward. Utilizing their skill sets is key, but running this type of defense fits all of your best player’s capabilities for snaps on end.

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