Grading the Washington Football Team’s roster part two: Defense

Previewing Washington’s defense heading into the 2021 season

Note: this is the second part of a series of posts grading Washington’s 2021 roster. Part one focused on the offense while this part will move onto the defense.

Washington’s defense propped up an inconsistent offense and helped carry the team to a division title in 2020. The defensive line is stacked with talent and the secondary has some strong pieces too, especially after free agent signing William Jackson. The team selected Jamin Davis with the 19th overall pick back in April to improve the linebacker spot and try to tie together the talent up front and on the back end. So how does this year's defense stack up compared to last year’s? 

To answer that, I’ve graded Washington's roster using a color grading system similar to what the team has used in the past. The scale has seven different color grades that represent different ability levels. Here’s how those colors work.

Blue - These are elite players that are among the best players in the league at their position.

Red - Starter level players with production to go along with it. These players can win games for their team.

Purple - Solid players that the team can win games with, but might not necessarily win games for their team. Often they might be red level players in one aspect of their game, like run defense, but struggle in another, like coverage. Ideally, this is the lowest level of player the team wants as a starter.

Green - Young players with talent and upside, but haven’t yet had the opportunity to prove themselves. They need development time before being moved to another category.

Orange - Back up players that can be replaced, typically needing a special teams role to make the team.

Yellow - Lack the ability to play on a consistent basis, but could potentially develop into a back up.

Gray - Injured players that can’t currently be evaluated due to a long-term injury.

So how does Washington’s defense shape up going into the 2021 season? Let’s take a closer look.

Defensive End

Chase Young entered the league as a blue level player, hence why Washington drafted him second overall. He had some issues with a hip injury through the first half of last season, but as the season progressed he looked more and more at home in the NFL. He still has plenty of room to grow with improving his technique and developing his rush plans, but the talent and impact he brings to the field is unquestionable. The sky's the limit for Young’s potential in the league providing he can stay healthy and he should develop into one of the premier pass rushers in the league sooner rather than later.

Montez Sweat took a significant step in his development from year one to year two in his NFL career. In his rookie season, he struggled with figuring out how to make use of his clear talent and while he was productive, he wasn’t consistently effective. Last season though, Sweat began to make use of the traits that make him special. He flashed the speed rush a little more but really took advantage of the length advantage he has. His long-arm rush caused problems for just about every tackle he rushed against and it should only improve in 2021. His statistical production improved in his second year but doesn’t show just how big of a jump he took. We’ll see if he can make a similar leap in 2021 and perhaps push into the blue tier.

While the starters are established, Washington has some questions it needs answering in training camp with the back up defensive ends. The team has three green players that were all seventh-round picks. James Smith-Williams was taken in the seventh-round back in 2020 and contributed more than most fans realise last season. He played a hybrid defensive end/defensive tackle role, often kicking inside as a quicker rusher than a typical defensive tackle.

He’s joined in the green category by two more seventh-rounders, Shaka Toney and William Bradley-King. The pair were taken by Washington this year and could be fighting it out for one spot alongside Smith-Williams as the back ups to Young and Sweat. Bradley-King is a very similar type of player to Smith-Williams in that he’s a slightly bigger body that can shift inside and play some defensive tackle, while Toney is undersized and more of an edge rusher with great burst. Toney could also get some looks at linebacker and add value with some flexibility there.

Toohill was signed during the middle of last season and will have a tough fight to beat out the three young draftees for a roster spot.

Defensive Tackle

I’m not sure Washington fans appreciate just how good Jonathan Allen is. He was the first of the string of first-round picks used on the defensive line, which has almost made him fly under the radar a bit. He took some time to adjust from a two-gap system under the previous regime to the one-gap style Washington uses now, but he was truly dominant down the stretch and put in some big performances against the likes of the Steelers and the Buccaneers in the playoffs. He’s an elite run defender and he’s also developed a series of solid pass rush moves that help him consistently generate interior pressure. Washington would be wise to sign him to a long-term contract soon, because someone will pay him plenty of money if the team doesn’t.

Daron Payne and Matt Ioannidis follow closely behind Allen as reds. Both are very productive starters and on their day, can play like blues, but not quite as consistently enough to merit blue grades. Payne could use with adding a pass rush move or two while developing his rush plan, while Ioannidis is coming off a big injury from last year. But make no mistake, both of these two are very good players and among the best on the roster, giving Washington an outstanding trio of defensive tackles.

To add to the embarrassment of riches, Tim Settle proved last year he was capable of contributing after seeing his playing time increase once Ioannidis went down. His aggressive nature suits this one-gap system where he can take his shots and penetrate through the line of scrimmage. He’s not quite on the same level as the others yet, but certainly flashes some good reps. He needs to find some more consistency and ensure he’s not taking too many big risks when being aggressive, as that can occasionally lead to a hole in the defense if he fails to make the play.

It will be interesting to see David Bada in preseason. Washington signed Bada in 2020 as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program, similar to how the team brought in Sammis Reyes this year. Bada spent the year developing without being called up to the active roster and faces a tough battle to make the final 53 this year too, given the depth of the unit. But he’s at least an interesting one to keep an eye on in preseason to see if he can turn any heads then.

Sam Linebacker

The linebacker position in general is where Washington is lacking most on defense. Beyond the three presumed starters, there is not much proven talent. At the Sam, or strong-side linebacker spot though, Cole Holcomb proved last year he was more than just a developmental prospect. We knew about the raw athleticism, but he became a much more consistent player as the year progressed last season. He fought his way into the starting unit at the Sam spot and flashed ability both as a run defender and in coverage. He’s on an upward trend at the moment and could eventually develop into a red, but for now he’s just a solid contributor, which lands him in the purple.

Mike Linebacker

I suspect many Washington fans will view Jon Bostic as an orange player rather than a purple. I know a lot of fans view him as a back up, but he’s actually a relatively solid contributor capable of being a starter in the NFL. He’s not Luke Kuechly, calling out every play before it happens, but he’s been a decent communicator and has done well keeping the defense on the same page with regards to run fits and coverages. I don’t foresee him improving and becoming a red player, I think he’s at his ceiling as a purple, but I don’t see why he can’t continue to play at a purple level.

Will Linebacker

It might seem generous to call rookie linebacker Jamin Davis a red player before he’s even played an NFL snap, but Washington wouldn’t have used its first-round pick on him if it didn’t believe he could come in and be a red level player right away, if not more. He’s seen some work at the Mike spot in OTAs and minicamp, and he may well end up there in the future, but I think the best spot for him early on will be the Will or weak-side linebacker spot. That spot will hide some of his weaknesses with regards to getting off blocks and enable him to roam a bit more freely, where his athleticism and instincts can shine. 

Behind Davis, second-year linebacker Khaleke Hudson has been name-checked a few times by Ron Rivera this offseason. Hudson was a hybrid safety/linebacker in college, playing a role not too dissimilar to Washington’s Buffalo Nickel role. He flashed on a few rare snaps at the end of last season but still has plenty of work to do to prove he’s ready for a bigger workload. 

Cornerback

For the second year in a row, Washington gave out a big free agent contract to a cornerback. In 2020, the team signed Kendall Fuller and this year William Jackson was the marquee defensive addition. Both those players are red players, though it will be interesting to see how they match together. Fuller is at his best playing off and with vision, while Jackson is more of a physical press corner. Jackson flashed the potential of becoming a blue player early in his career but then the Bengals started using him in different ways. If he’s allowed to just play physical at the line of scrimmage, he could work his way towards the blue. For now though, he and Fuller are reds.

Rookie Benjamin St-Juste generated plenty of buzz during the OTAs and minicamps in spring. He’s more similar to Jackson in terms of play style, preferring to be up on the line of scrimmage where he can use his length to disrupt receivers releasing into routes. Good performances in spring is one thing, but we’ll see how he does when the pads come on in training camp and preseason. If he proves capable of contributing in his rookie season, that could allow Washington to play more man coverage. But until he’s proven that, he’s a green.

Nickel Corner

Jimmy Moreland might still be considered a green for most fans, but he’s played and contributed more than enough to be recategorized. He’s been a starter at the nickel spot for Washington and has been solid in terms of production, so I’ve put him in the purple tier. He’s been good in zone coverages and has been fantastic triggering on screens from the slot. He’s still adapting to the difficulties of playing man coverage from the slot, but he was more of a press corner on the outside in college, so that could still come in time. I don’t foresee him becoming a red player, but if he can solidify himself as a purple, that’s perfectly acceptable.

Behind Moreland is free agent signing Darryl Roberts and former undrafted free agent Danny Johnson. Roberts has played both outside and inside for the Lions and Jets but is more of a back up at this point in his career. Danny Johnson has struggled to stay healthy at times but when he’s had the opportunity to play, while not bad, he hasn’t produced anything that suggests he should be more than an orange grade right now.

Those two will likely be battling Greg Stroman and Cole Luke for the fifth and possibly sixth cornerback spot, depending on how man Washington carries on its final roster. All four have the flexibility to switch between inside and outside corner, but so too does Fuller and Moreland. That should allow Washington to pick the best player out of the four, rather than forcing a lesser player because of a need either outside or at the nickel spot.

Strong Safety

This one might surprise a few but Kamren Curl played outstanding in his rookie year. He started in the now famous Buffalo Nickel position but took over for Landon Collins at strong safety once Collins went down injured. With an increase in playing time, Curl took full advantage of his opportunity. He showed physicality in the run game, understanding where and when to fit runs, while also providing good coverage. He was excellent in zone coverage from the start of the season, but as the season progressed he improved his man coverage and had some strong reps against both slot receivers and tight ends. He was a huge plus last season and merits a red grade in my opinion.

Landon Collins is still a good strong safety. He was a red last year but had a rough start to the season before getting hurt. I still think he can play to a red level, but we’ll see how he bounces back from a tough injury. It seems like the team and specifically coaches Ron Rivera and Jack Del Rio believe in Collins as the starting strong safety. I’ve moved him down to the purple category because he did have some issues last year, but if he bounces back from his injury, he could return to the red tier.

Deshazor Everett has become a fan favorite with his efforts on special teams and physicality when given the opportunity on defense. As a key special teams player, I think he’ll make the team, but while he flashed some big hits on defense, he also had some blown assignments that went under the radar. Washington also spent a fifth-round pick on Darrick Forrest, who is in a similar spot to Everett. He’s likely to be a key special teams player and Washington has identified him as such. In fact, both Rivera and Del Rio mentioned special teams first with Forrest, rather than what he could add to the defense. So it's likely that Forrest is considered a backup option at best in his rookie year.

Free Safety

Washington added Bobby McCain after he was released by the Dolphins in the offseason. McCain gives Washington a true center field option at free safety, if the team wants to use single high safety coverages. He has range and instincts to play deep, allowing Washington to roll either Curl or Collins down into the box where they can have bigger impacts. He’s not an elite talent and doesn’t have dominant ability from the free safety spot, but he’s been a consistently solid producer and merits a purple grade. He could benefit from playing behind this defensive front and his production could more closely resemble a red if he takes advantage of it.

Behind McCain is Jeremy Reaves. Ron Rivera raved about Reaves last season and in the offseason, praising his work ethic and willingness to perform whatever the coaches asked of him. He doesn’t quite have the ideal range a team would want from a single deep safety, but when he stepped into the line up down the stretch last season, he didn’t miss a beat. In fact, he showed confidence and understanding of the defense, making calls and pointing out adjustments to his teammates in the secondary, leading to them making plays. He’s a solid back up option at this point in time and should make the team pretty comfortably.

Last year’s starting free safety was Troy Apke, but he struggled early in the season and was eventually benched for Reaves. Apke now appears on the outside looking in and may not even be in the conversation at safety any more. Washington reportedly tried him out at cornerback in OTAs and minicamp, but I’d imagine its unlikely he makes the team at either spot.

Overview

Washington’s defense has been hyped up because of the investment of high draft picks in recent years, particularly up front. They have plenty of room to grow from last years performances, but the talent is certainly there for them to be one of the top units in the league. They have two blue players, seven reds and six purples. Teams look to only start players graded purple or higher, which gives Washington a total of 15 starting level players on defense.

For some context, going into last season, Washington also had 15 players with purple or higher grades on defense.

However, when broken down by category, the team had just one blue, six reds and eight purples. What we’ve seen over the past season is the likes of Allen, Sweat, Moreland and Curl develop strongly and improve their grades from last year. That reflects well on the coaching staff’s ability to develop the talent, but also means the overall quality of the defense is improving.

To really see how improved this unit is, Washington can realistically start eight players currently considered red or blue talents. Last year that number was more like four or five. That’s considerable improvement and by the end of the year, the likes of Cole Holcomb and potentially Benjamin St-Juste could take a leap forward towards the red category, while Jackson, Sweat, Payne and Ioannidis could be in the conversation to be graded as blue players.

The defense is clearly the more talented unit for Washington as it has more talent at the top of the roster and more depth throughout. The back up linebackers are potentially an issue and there’s some unknowns with the back up defensive ends, but it’s a very talented group overall that should allow Washington to compete with most teams.