Throughout the month of July, the Last Word on Pro Football department will be taking a look at the three most recognizable faces of each NFL team. For this series, we’ll be looking only at active players. Here, the 2019 Washington Redskins are the focus.
There is no more important position in sports today than that of quarterback. It is alarming then that the 2019 Redskins cannot call their quarterback a face of the franchise player, given their depth chart remains a mystery. Washington selected quarterback Dwayne Haskins with the 15th pick in the NFL Draft, the second quarterback taken overall. They also acquired Case Keenum via trade from the Denver Broncos, who will battle Colt McCoy for the starting job. Alex Smith is still under contract and recovering from the gruesome leg injury he suffered in Week 11 against the Houston Texans last season.
The Redskins will rely on a trio of veterans on both sides of the ball to remain relevant in a competitive NFC East. They hope that their experience will bring along some promising young players for the future.
Faces of the NFL: 2019 Washington Redskins
Adrian Peterson
Although the Redskins plan to involve running back Derrius Guice more this season, the three-time rushing champion and first-ballot Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson still has to be considered one of the faces of the franchise. After Guice suffered a torn ACL in their first preseason game last season, Washington signed AP to the veteran’s minimum of $1.015 million in late August. Peterson rewarded them by finishing eighth in the league in rushing with 1,042 yards, and fifth in carries with 251.
The Redskins rewarded last year’s bell cow with a two-year deal worth $8 million this off-season. He will provide insurance in case Guice were to miss more time with injury. Peterson’s role will be a short-yardage or change-of-pace back this year. Chris Thompson is the best receiving running back of the bunch and also returns from an injury-plagued season. However, Washington certainly would not have invested in a two-year deal in Peterson if he didn’t factor into their plans. His experience and knowledge of the game will certainly help Guice’s progression. Guice is looking to prove he was worthy of a second round pick in last year’s draft, while Peterson is looking to add any stats he can to his certain Hall of Fame candidacy.
Josh Norman
Even at age 31, Josh Norman is out to prove that he is still one of the league’s top cornerbacks. Since 2013 when he played seven games, Norman has rarely been injured, missing four games in the last five years. He was named First Team All-Pro in 2015 and finished fourth in the 2015-16 NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting. He parlayed this monster year into a lofty $75 million contract from the Redskins. Norman ranks fifth according to Pro Football Focus among man-coverage cornerbacks, although in the Redskins system he plays more zone coverage at times than man. When allowed to play man-to-man, Norman is one of the most physical cornerbacks in the league (see his bouts with Odell Beckham Jr. in 2015).
Norman not only makes headlines with his on-field play, but with commentary that calls out the opponent’s alpha-male receiver. He is also a household name since his appearance on Dancing With the Stars, and his recent Running With the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain. Washington has invested a lot in their secondary, with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie signed to line up opposite Norman, and ex-Giant Landon Collins to anchor the back-end of the secondary, If Norman, DRC, and Collins all play to their potential, the Redskins will at least have one solid unit in their secondary that they can rely on.
Jordan Reed
Jordan Reed is the prototypical “what if he just stayed healthy kind of player.” Since joining the league in 2013, Reed has never played in more than 14 games in a season. Reed’s multitude of injuries consists of three documented concussions (as well as three more concussions before joining the league), toe sprains/fractures, chest bruises, hamstring tears, MCL sprains, pectoral bruises, and shoulder separations. Despite appearing in just 13 games last season, Reed led the team with 558 receiving yards. He will once again be their quarterback’s safety net and go-to target given that they enter this season without a bonafide number one receiver on the outside.
The Redskins offense simply looks different when Reed is healthy and patrolling the middle of the field. While he is not given as much consideration as Travis Kelce, George Kittle, or Zach Ertz when it comes to fantasy drafts, there is no doubt he will rise on fantasy experts draft boards if he is healthy for the whole season.
