During the month of July, the Last Word On Sports NFL department will determine which three players deserve to be considered the faces of each franchise. For this series, we will only consider active players. In this edition, the Washington Redskins are the focus.
Faces of the Washington Redskins
Robert Griffin III
After an electric rookie season, Robert Griffin III became the face of the Washington Redskins and hope for the franchise was temporarily restored. Despite the drop in production since that rookie season, this man is still one of the first players you think about when today’s Washington Redskins are discussed. The Redskins mortgaged a significant number of assets to originally acquire Griffin, and the organization still has faith that he can return to 2012 form. Until the team decides to move on, RG3 has to be acknowledged as one of the faces of this franchise. Quarterbacks typically receive the most attention from the media anyway because the position is the most valuable, so it makes sense that RG3 continues to receive the majority of the team’s attention. He may only have one more year to prove himself, but if he can provide the Redskins with some hope in 2015, he could be locked as the face of the team for a long time. Washington is hoping that this will be the case, but only time will tell.
Alfred Morris
Alfred Morris has been one of the few reliable players for the Redskins over the past three seasons. He has rushed for over 1,000 yards and scored at least seven touchdowns in each of his three seasons in the NFL. His production did drop a bit last season, but the offensive line was horrible. The addition of Brandon Scherff in the draft should help this season, as the Redskins now have at least two respectable offensive linemen. Morris entered the league with RG3 in 2012 and exploded for over 1,600 yards and 13 touchdowns. If RG3 can improve his performance and come close to his 2012 style of play, Morris and the rest of the offense should benefit tremendously. Morris is entering the prime of his career at the age of 26, so expect another solid season from a very consistent running back in 2015.
Ryan Kerrigan
Ryan Kerrigan quietly put up solid numbers during the first three years of his career and in 2014 he had an impressive campaign in which he posted a career-high 13.5 sacks. He is the best pass rusher on his team and one of the best edge rushers in the NFC East. The Redskins exercised the fifth-year option on his contract this offseason and they are currently working on a long-term extension to keep this pass rushing talent in Washington. Kerrigan is the key component of a revamped front seven that should be significantly improved in 2015 after a few key acquisitions during the offseason. The additions of Terrance Knighton, Stephen Paea, and Ricky Jean-Francois should give the Redskins a formidable defensive line, creating more opportunities for Kerrigan to rush the passer. Like Alfred Morris, he has been one of the few consistent bright spots on a team that has struggled significantly for the past couple years.
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