The Washington Football Team has been ravaged by injuries in 2021.
For all of their struggles, it doesn’t get talked about enough that Ryan Fitzpatrick, Curtis Samuel, Logan Thomas, Brandon Scherff, Sam Cosmi, Jon Bostic, Dyami Brown and William Jackson III have all missed multiple weeks.
That doesn’t include Chase Roullier, who suffered a fractured fibula on Sunday against Denver and will miss the rest of the season.
Surely things couldn’t get any worse, right?
Wrong! So wrong, in fact, that Washington’s defense will be without one of its premier playmakers for the foreseeable future.
On Wednesday evening, news broke that Montez Sweat suffered a fractured jaw in the Week 8 loss that will sideline him between 4-6 weeks. The injury doesn’t require surgery, but Sweat will need to alter his diet and won’t be able to engage in any physical activity for the next month.
This is yet another debilitating blow to Washington, which will need these three players to step up in Sweat’s absence.
3 Washington players who must step up without Montez Sweat
3. James Smith-Williams
James Smith-Williams is the most likely candidate to replace Sweat in the starting lineup. However, you have to think Ron Rivera and Jack Del Rio will shuffle things around to ensure Washington’s best remaining DL — Chase Young, Jonathan Allen, Matt Ioannidis and Daron Payne — share the field together.
That’s the only reason Smith-Williams didn’t land higher on this list. The 2020 seventh-round selection has actually impressed in limited opportunities this year, racking up 11 tackles, one sack (recorded against Denver), two QB hits, four pressures, and a run stop while playing just 30% of the defensive snaps.
That number figures to increase to about 60% if not higher, with room to grow if he impresses. The good news is that the bye week gives Smith-Williams plenty of time to practice with the first-team and start developing some continuity.
Rivera and Co. have been reluctant to trust Smith-Williams, but the second-year pro won’t get a better opportunity to prove he deserves a future as a go-to rotational player behind Sweat and Young in 2022 and beyond.
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.
1. Chase Young
This one might seem obvious, but that doesn’t mean Chase Young shouldn’t qualify for the top spot on this list. Without his running mate, the former No. 2 overall pick will need to take his game to another level.
That goes without saying, but Young has largely underwhelmed this season given the hype he garnered as a rookie when he compiled 44 tackles (10 for loss), 7.5 sacks, 12 QB hits, four forced fumbles, four pass breakups, three fumble recoveries and 40 pressures en route to taking home Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
Through eight games in 2021, however, Young has managed 25 tackles (three for loss), four QB hits, two forced fumbles, two pass breakups, and 23 pressures. See what we’re saying? In a year many expected Young to make that Pro Bowl, or even All-Pro, leap, he’s on pace to produce similar numbers to his rookie campaign.
That isn’t to say Young is playing poorly, obviously. His pass-rush win rate is still elite and the box score never tells the full story of a defensive lineman’s impact, but there have been far too many instances this season where the 22-year-old superstar has been invisible in games before making a splash play.
Fans just expect better, and rightly so considering the rookie year he put together. Young’s job won’t get any easier without Sweat, but he has the requisite tools at his disposal to carry the defense without his partner in crime.
We’ll know soon enough if he’s up to the challenge.