With the 2020 NFL season underway, the Washington Football Team takes the field Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles at FedEx Field. Washington is coming off of a tumultuous off-season, but they hope that the start of the season will shed more positive light on the franchise. Despite the off the field extravaganza, there is cautious optimism among fans that the team, led by Ron Rivera, has young, exciting talent. This talent may not translate to wins this season, but with the likes of Chase Young, Terry McLaurin, and second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins, this team should be exciting to watch this season.
There are many questions heading to Week 1, especially with the lack of preseason games, including the growth of many young players, and draft picks from this year. Here are the five biggest questions for Washington heading into Week 1 against the Eagles.
Five Week 1 Questions for the Washington Football Team, Featuring Dwayne Haskins
1. Growth of Dwayne Haskins
The 2020 season can be seen by some as a referendum on the play of Dwayne Haskins. Haskins showed drastic improvement last season after coming cold off the bench in his first two appearances. In his last seven starts (played just one half in week 16), he threw from 1225 yards with seven touchdowns and just three interceptions. However, Haskins flashed in his last two starts with 261 yards against the Eagles and 133 in one half against the New York Giants. There is no question about the talent in Haskins, evident by throws like this against the New York Jets. Haskins must build off of this improvement in 2020, as Washington could have questions at quarterback in 2021 if he struggles.
Through various accounts, Dwayne Haskins has grown on and off of the field. Just a few days ago, Haskins was voted as a captain for Washington and has impressed many through his mature responses at the podium. On the field, Haskins showed better decision making as training camp went along. If Haskins continues his growth into Week 1, he will answer many questions for Washington moving forward, and maybe some success early on.
2. Will the Defensive Line Live up To Their Potential?
By a wide margin, the biggest strength for Washington (outside special teams) is the defensive line. Washington returns Matt Ioannidis, Jonathan Allen, and Da’Ron Payne in the interior with Tim Settle playing a key role. In the draft, they drafted Chase Young, the heavy favorite for defensive rookie of the year, to an already talented pass-rushing pair in Montez Sweat and Ryan Kerrigan. With the transition to a 4-3, the scheme should play more to the strengths of the line, and allow for some exotic packages. In terms of top-end talent and depth, this defensive line is one of the best in the NFL on paper. However, the defensive line has been just potential the past few seasons. Allen, Payne, and Ioannidis have played well individually, but they haven’t become the dominant defensive line rotation that they can be.
In addition to the interior, Washington has two young edge rushers who should both be pushing double-digit sacks, Montez Sweat and Chase Young. Sweat came on strong at the end of last season and ended with seven sacks. Kerrigan has been one of the most consistent pass rushers in the NFL since he came into the league and is bound to rebound after a down 2019 season. Another player who could find himself contributing on the line is Ryan Anderson, who should split time between the SAM linebacker and the edge.
3. Scott Turner‘s New Offense
Another intriguing portion of the 2020 season is the new Scott Turner offense for Washington. With the Carolina Panthers, Turner featured a modernized attack with a star tailback in Christian McCaffrey. It will be interesting how Turner schemes around the lack of talent at wide receiver and tight end for Washington. Despite that, Washington has an interesting backfield with a pair of excellent pass-catchers in Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic. There have been many reports about the importance of two-back sets in Washington, which may have played into the release of Adrian Peterson. At wide receiver, Washington has a stud receiver in Terry McLaurin, and another explosive athlete in Steven Sims, who improved after Haskins took the reigns last season.
After trading Trent Williams, Geron Christian is slated to start on the left side of the line with second-year guard Wes Martin alongside him. It will be interesting to see how Turner can scheme around this, and maybe get into a rhythm of short passes.
4. Secondary Play After Kendall Fuller‘s Injury
On Friday’s injury report, Kendall Fuller was listed as doubtful for Washington, meaning that Fabian Moreau would start across from Ronald Darby with Jimmy Moreland in the slot. Moreau showed flashes at the end of last season after being moved outside following injuries at cornerback. However, the cornerbacks should be tested this week with DeSean Jackson‘s speed and the speed of Jalen Reagor (if he plays). In Week 1, Jackson has been excellent throughout his career and had eight receptions for 154 yards last season with two touchdowns. Another question in the secondary is the performance of Troy Apke. After an excellent training camp, Apke is the starter at free safety. He should have his hands full with Landon Collins playing the box. With the Eagles lethal two tight end sets, Apke should have some responsibility for the seams, along with playing center field for the defense.
5. Backfield Touches
After the release of Derrius Guice and the surprising release of future Hall-of-Famer Adrian Peterson, Washington still has a dynamic backfield with Gibson and McKissic. At the back end of the rotation, they have Peyton Barber and Bryce Love. Love still does not seem to be close to his college days at Stanford. On the first depth chart, McKissic was the number one running back with Gibson right behind him. Given both of their pass-catching abilities, it will be interesting to see who ends up getting the most touches in traditional formations, with just one running back.
As noted before, two running back sets will become more common this season. But, there will still be situations on a third and two, or a fourth and one, where a regular handoff up the middle is needed. Will that be Peyton Barber? Or will that be Gibson, who has shown the ability to break tackles at Memphis?With McKissic being more of a traditional third-down running back, it would make sense for Gibson to take on more of the traditional running plays, but with this new offense, there is still a question as to what “traditional” will mean. Despite McLaurin, Washington lacks talent at the skill positions, so both of these running backs, should get many touches, regardless who gets more.
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