6 Washington players who proved their worth in 2021

The 2021 season didn’t go as planned for the Washington Football Team, but that’s nothing fans should hang their heads over. While the pressure will be on Ron Rivera to deliver next season — his third at the helm in Landover — there were plenty of positives to take away from the 7-10 campaign.

For starters, Washington is perfectly positioned to make a splash at quarterback, which is seemingly the one thing separating them from becoming a viable contender in the NFC, whose QB talent pales in comparison to the AFC.

In addition, Washington saw a number of core pieces, and even some pickups from last offseason,  show real growth. The likes of Terry McLaurin, Jonathan Allen and Kendall Fuller headlined that group, but that was to be expected.

With that in mind, let’s highlight some low-profile members of the roster who proved their worth to the front office and coaching staff.

6 Washington Football Team players who proved their worth

6. DeAndre Carter/Joey Slye

We’ll start with Joey Slye, everyone’s favorite kicker.

It’s tough to put into words the kind of stability Slye brought to the kicker position in 2021. While Dustin Hopkins was steady before his draconian release, his propensity to miss extra-points was a problem and fans never seemed confident with him over the ball in a late-game situation.

Slye had a sensational season for Washington, all the while helping everyone forget about the Chris Blewitt debacle. He nailed all 12 of his field goal attempts, including one from beyond 50 yards and three from 40 yards or more, and 9-of-10 of his extra-points. His lone miss was blocked.

A free agent to be, we’d be shocked if Slye wasn’t Washington’s No. 1 kicker by the start of OTAs and mandatory minicamp.

Now, we get to Carter. It’s not a stretch to call the former undrafted talent Washington’s best addition from last offseason. He made a strong impression on the coaching staff during training camp, was rewarded with a spot on the 53-man roster as a result and never looked back from there.

Carter’s prowess as a return man was arguably the main reason he found himself on Washington’s radar and he lived up the hype by producing the second-most kickoff return yards (904) and the third-best yards per return (25.11) in the NFL.

On top of that, Carter exceeded expectations as a receiver, finishing fourth on the team in receiving yards (296) and second in touchdown catches (3). Pretty impressive for a guy who entered the year with 34 career receptions.

Another free agent to be, Washington would be out of their minds to let Sacramento State product hit the open market.