Washington Roster Review: Linebackers

Taking a closer look at how Washington's linebackers played in 2021 and where the team stands at the position heading into 2022

With the 2021 season in the books for Washington, it’s time to look back at the roster and evaluate each position to see where the team stands going into the offseason. Previously I looked at the safeties and cornerbacks, but today it’s the turn of the linebackers.

Under contract for 2022: Cole Holcomb, Jamin Davis, Khaleke Hudson.

Notable free agents: Jon Bostic, David Mayo.

Unit analysis: 

It should be no surprise to any Washington fan that the linebacker group was the weak link on defense this season. Yes, Washington invested a first-round pick in Jamin Davis, which we’ll certainly get to, but the team just had zero depth at the position to handle any sort of injury trouble. When Davis proved he wasn’t ready and Bostic went down injured, it was left to Holcomb to hold the group together quite literally by himself. The team decided to implement a 5-1-5 package with five defensive lineman and five defensive backs just so Holcomb was the only linebacker on the field. Kam Curl and Landon Collins being effective in the box helped that package too, but it really was a case of Washington doing everything it could to not play linebackers, because it didn’t have any.

Washington really mismanaged this group throughout the year. The first mistake was playing rookie Jamin Davis at the Mike (middle) linebacker spot, as opposed to the Will (weak side) linebacker role that suits his skill set far more. After the draft, I said I always saw Davis as a Will, but I understood that with his athletic upside, if they could get him to work at the Mike spot, it would make the pick more valuable and leave the team set with Davis and Holcomb as the two main linebackers going forward. 

As it turned out, Davis couldn’t handle the responsibilities of playing the Mike and Washington was too slow to realize that experiment wasn’t going to work. It was clear in pre-season that Davis was constantly a step or two slow in diagnosing plays and reacting to what he was seeing in front of him. That left Bostic as the Mike and when he went down, Holcomb had to try and take over. Holcomb did a solid job, but Rivera pointed out that he’s much better on the outside where he doesn’t have the extra responsibility of making calls. When David Mayo played the Mike spot late in the season, the impact it had on the defense was clear to see. Mayo was able to make calls and adjustments and still fulfill his responsibilities quickly, which enabled Holcomb to play with less mental baggage and play faster too.

At the end of the season, Holcomb stated he feels he could step up and take on the added responsibilities of the Mike position, which would fill a huge need for Washington. However, Rivera clearly stated he sees him more of an outside guy, playing the Sam (strong side) or Will spots. Holcomb at the Sam and Davis at the Will could be a solid combination for Washington, but they’d need to find an experienced Mike capable of making all the calls to work in between them. That is, without any doubt, Washington’s biggest defensive need this offseason, but finding that kind of guy is much easier said than done.