For the 2014 Washington Redskins it is now time to look beyond next week and on to the 2015 season. That may be a bit perplexing but this team has all but shot whatever BB’s out of their toy gun that they had. Now it’s time to be a “real” organization and to play and develop the younger guys on the roster. Get them on the field and let them take their lumps and hope they get better before next season comes around.
At this point, the team is 1-5 and going nowhere in a hurry. Let head coach Jay Gruden now become the true face of the franchise. He should take a hard look at tackle Morgan Moses who was drafted out of the University of Virginia to be a book end opposite Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams. Even if Moses is not ready per say, let him learn on the fly and deal with the adversities that he will surely endure. Gruden hinted today that the time is coming.
While the head coach is at it, he should add guard Spencer Long to the list of those youngsters getting playing time. Some may feel as if Long is not ready but at the end of the day — just like with Moses — it can’t get any worse than it has been so far this season.
The offensive line needs to get younger and more athletic than it is now. Sure, starting guard Chris Chester and right tackle Tyler Polumbus have endured some harsh and, at times, unfair criticisms of their games, but the reality is that they have not played particularly well over long stretches of time. Perhaps if this team ran the ball more, their deficiencies would not be on display so often.
Gruden talked about considering the young linemen during his press conference today.
“Yeah, there is. There is some thought,” he said when asked if they were close to getting onto the field. “There is thought that all our guys that are active on game day (or inactive)… everybody that wears the Redskins helmet… we give thought to whether they should play or not, not just those two guys. So both of them are continually getting better. It is just a matter of when we feel like we can put them in there and trust the fact that they are going to do exactly what we want them to do and not blow protections or blow assignments. Then they will be in there. Plus, with Spencer… Chester is playing very well at right guard. And Tyler is holding down the fort. Obviously, Morgan is pressing him but Morgan is trying to flip over to the right side and he just needs a little bit more time. He is still cooking in the oven a little bit, he is not ready to come out. When he is ready, he will be ready.”
Regardless, the time is now to have the young core of this team playing together in meaningful regular season games. The goal will always be to put yourself in position to win games. This team has proven that, as currently constructed, they can’t do that. It’s time to look ahead and realize that there are actually some nice building blocks in place. The team has to do a better job of giving their younger players the resources to be successful players on the field.
Cornerbacks David Amerson (drafted in 2013) and rookie Bashaud Breeland make up a cornerback tandem that could be starting for this team for the next five-to-seven years regardless of who their defensive coordinator is or could become. Breeland has been forced into a starting role because of injury to veteran DeAngelo Hall. As much potential as he has shown however, the team now has a good problem with him playing alongside the talented Amerson.
This would be the time to change the way business has been done in the past, i.e., overpaying and overusing high-priced-towards-the-back-end-of-their-career players. If the scouting department — which has laid a few eggs on high-round draft picks — were to do their due diligence and draft a nice complimentary third corner, this group could go from a weakness to a strength overnight.
The running back position is locked and loaded with young talent. Pro Bowler Alfred Morris is the mainstay with Pro Bowl-caliber fullback Darrel Young alongside him. Fellow running back Roy Helu, Jr. has shown great versatility and youngsters Silas Redd and speedster Chris Thompson figure to be in the plans of Jay Gruden down the road.
The wide receiver position is set for now as is the tight end slot with Jordan Reed, Logan Paulsen and the versatile Niles Paul leading the way of the latter group. Paul is an unrestricted free agent after this year and the Redskins could do themselves a huge disservice if they do not re-sign him.
The quarterback position, though fraught with injuries and inconsistent play, should not be discounted. The fact is that this team has a starter and a legitimate backup on the roster. Whichever of those two labels will go to either Robert Griffin, III or Kirk Cousins will be set during the remainder of this season.
On defense, the front seven is mixture of young and experienced veterans. The team should look to add a player who can be an effective pass rusher. The emergence of inside linebacker Keenan Robinson will be a plus for the defense going forward.
Overall, if the Washington Redskins want to close the widening gap that is continues to separate them from the rest of their NFC East brethren, then they must make sure that their young talent becomes their experienced veteran talent.
The time to start that process is now.