Washington Football Team: 3 players who need to step up after Montez Sweat injury

2. Shaka Toney

Since Smith-Williams was already a part of the defensive line rotation, we thought Shaka Toney was deserving of the No. 2 spot. After all, the 2021 seventh-rounder has played just 14 snaps this year, including three in Week 8.

Folks might not know much about Toney, so let’s fill in the blanks. At 6-foot-2 and 242 pounds, the Penn State product is heavily-dependent on his athleticism and explosion off the line (as opposed to brute strength) to generate pressure.

Being drafted as late as he was shouldn’t be a death sentence. We’ve seen several late-round selections go on to enjoy lengthy and successful NFL careers. The only thing working against Toney is that he’s had Sweat, Young, Allen, Ioannidis, Smith-Williams, and Casey Toohill ahead of him in the pecking order.

Toney turned heads in Washington’s preseason clash against Baltimore, as he registered a handful of pressures and made a few nice stops against the run. Sure, he was going up against backups, but he looked the part of a serviceable backup.

It remains to be seen what kind of role Toney will have without Sweat, but Sweat logged a 71% snap share before the injury, so there will be plenty of playing time to go around. Assuming Toney cracks the new-look rotation, he needs to make an impact. Not just for Washington’s defense, but his future.