Washington Football Team: Offseason Wants, Needs & Preview

[Finished 7-9 Overall]

Rebuilding a team with a new name, a new coach, a troubled culture, and a quarterback who struggles with immaturity is a difficult task for any team. The Washington Football Team took on this challenge, and not only made the playoffs but outperformed nearly everyone’s expectations in 2020. All teams face adversity in some shape or form each and every season, but HC Ron Rivera met that adversity head-on.

Scott Turner was able to maximize his talent in his role as offensive coordinator and the defensive line was the best in the NFL last season. The numbers don't lie, this defensive unit ranked near the top in every defensive category. Washington was 4th in points allowed, 4th in pass defense, 10th in rushing defense, and 4th in sack rate. With all the success on the defensive side of the ball, how is it that this team barely snuck into the playoffs while playing in the worst division in the NFL? That conversation starts and ends with the offense. QBs Alex Smith, Dwayne Haskins, Taylor Heinicke, and Kyle Allen combined for the 32nd lowest average depth per target. Every defensive coordinator, every defensive player, and every person watching the game knew where the ball was going once it left the hands of one of WFT's four different quarterbacks. Terry McLaurin. Even despite the predictability of this team incessantly targeting their star receiver, McLaurin made incredible catches with tough matchups week in and week out.

In August, nobody shot up the draft boards like RB Antonio Gibson. The former Memphis Tigers hybrid WR/RB became a monster in the second half of the season. J.D. McKissic, the other hybrid WR/RB on the team, excelled in full-point PPR leagues thanks to the low aDOT screen dump-off style of QB Alex Smith. The former West Virginia QB turned TE Logan Thomas became one of the best tight ends in the NFL. Thomas is a mid-tier TE who has major breakout potential due to his red-zone presence and target floor. With these key offensive pieces in play, can Washington take a leap forward instead of just sneaking into playoffs? With $38M in cap space, they have plenty of spending flexibility to make big things happen this offseason.

Offensive Needs

Making the playoffs was a surprising accomplishment considering the low expectations of Washington, but it may end up hurting them in the long run. Former QB Dwayne Haskins was clearly not the answer. While the comeback player of the year, QB Alex Smith, was a heartwarming story, the end result wasn't pretty. Making the playoffs put this team on the tail end of the draft, and picking 19th overall makes it rather difficult to find your long-term franchise quarterback. Washington picked up the phone and gave Detroit a call, but they simply didn't have enough draft capital to get QB Matthew Stafford. QB Taylor Heinicke performed heroically in spot duty, a week after taking college courses, but may be better suited for backup duties. He was brought back on a team-friendly deal just in case they strike out in free agency and the NFL draft.

OC Scott Turner implements many techniques that make modern-day offenses successful. He is best known for tempo, pre-snap motion, weapons in space, and play-action passing. Unfortunately for Turner, he’s dealt with subpar quarterback play so far. To see the full potential of this offensive mind, we are going to need better signal-callers and weapons. Throughout different points in the season, WRs Cam Sims, Antonio Gandy-Golden, and Steven Sims absolutely had their 60 seconds of fame on NFL Red Zone, but at this point in time, they are not consistent enough to be full-time starters.

On March 5, Washington officially released QB Alex Smith, adding an additional $14M in salary cap relief. Some of the options for Washington at quarterback include Teddy Bridgewater, Mitchell Trubisky, Sam Darnold, Marcus Mariota, and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Upgrading the quarterback position would do wonders for the fantasy value of Gibson, “Scary Terry”, and “LT 3”. Bringing in more weapons would take the pressure off these big 3 and, at the same time, could really elevate this offense into a top-caliber unit. One of the rumors circling the interwebs is linking free agent WR Curtis Samuel to Washington. Samuel has a connection with Turner dating back to his Panthers OC days. This would be a nice pairing for both parties. If Washington doesn't bring in Samuel, they will still need to bring in at least 2 WRs, whether it's through free agency or through the upcoming draft. McLaurin can only do so much for this team as the target hog. McLaurin finished as the WR20 in PPR points per game (14.9) on WR10 targets. Keep in mind, he posted those numbers while playing with two high ankle sprains. Whatever target competition arrives in the nation's capital should be offset by whatever quarterback upgrade they can find this offseason. Turning 26 this September, McLaurin enters his prime with a high floor and even higher ceiling. With an upgrade at QB, Scary Terry could become one of the best fantasy players in the NFL.

One of the other accomplishments Washington can brag about was how well its offensive line performed in 2020. This offensive unit was 3rd in the NFL in rushing and 10th in the NFL in sacks allowed. Commanding the trenches will give any team a chance to win any game. A dynamic defensive line paired with a ball-controlled offense can only get you so far. The continuity of the offensive line can only bolster the Washington offense. One key move the Football team already made this offseason is re-signing all-pro RG Brandon Scherff. This can only boost RB Antonio Gibson’s production, who averaged 20 fantasy points per game down the stretch, and could flirt with 300 touches this season. Everything about Gibson suggests he can handle a true bell-cow workload. If Washington can find consistency at quarterback, Gibson could be in the top-12 mix and would be a steal entering 2021 fantasy drafts.

With QB Alex Smith now out of DC, WR/RB J.D. McKissic's value is anticipated to drop. Last season, McKissic was a PPR cheat code. Similar results will be highly unlikely with Alex Smith leaving and Gibson likely earning more work on passing downs. McKissic has only averaged 5.5 yards per target throughout his career. He'll be one of the easiest fantasy football fades in 2021 drafts.

Defensive Needs

DC Jack Del Rio's recipe to success was a dominant pass rush and an almost exclusively zone defense. Washington actually has the rare problem of having two great players who can start at safety. S Landon Collins suffered an Achilles tear, while S Kamren Curl filled in admirably. We could see Curl shift to the slot corner, while Collins lurks downfield in the box on running plays. CB Kendall Fuller had a very productive season, while CB Ronald Darby and CB Fabian Moreau were picked on by opposing teams. Washington should definitely spend some draft capital on the cornerback position, or look to fill the need through free agency. Up front, Washington is as good as it gets with all four starters on rookie contracts as first-rounders: DE Chase Young, DE Montez Sweat, DT Daron Payne, and DT Jonathan Allen. At linebacker, Washington has thumping 30-year old Jon Bostic and 2019 fifth-round pick, Cole Holcomb. LBs Thomas Davis, Kevin Pierre-Louis, and Rueben Foster are all set for free agency. Washington may elect to find some better talent at the position to help this already impressive unit.

Too Long Didn't Read Version

Major kudos to HC Ron Rivera for defeating cancer. It was a fight on the field and off the field this season. After years of bad decisions and terrible coaching, this team seems to finally be moving in the right direction. Progress is being made on both sides of the ball. With plenty of cap space and a few obvious positional needs, this team can go far in 2021. It all boils down to what moves Washington will make at quarterback and who will be under center for this franchise in 2021.