Grading The Washington Redskins

With the beginning of a new era in Redskins Park, it will be time for new head coach Jay Gruden to evaluate the position players left behind by Mike Shanahan.  Below are the grades for the skill position players after the 2013 season:

Quarterback:  Robert Griffin III simply did not live up to the hype in his sophomore year with the Redskins.  After a torn ACL, the former Baylor Bear struggled with his mobility, and with a poor offensive line, faced large amounts of pressure.  RG3 must improve his progressions if he hopes to become an elite passer.  GRADE: C-

Running Back:  The Redskins strong suit throughout their 3-13 campaign was the running game.  Alfred Morris was once again the featured back and rushed for 1,275 yards.  Also, Washington properly utilized Roy Helu and Darrell Young in short yardage situations.  The real question remains is will Morris’s success translate without Mike Shanahan’s zone running scheme?  GRADE: A-

Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Wide Receivers:  Two words best summarize the Washington weaponry: Pierre Garcon.  Garcon was exceptional in his second season with the organization and shattered Art Monk’s record for receptions in a season with 113.  Garcon’s statistics were fantastic, but outside of him the group’s production was poor.  Jordan Reed emerged in his rookie campaign, but a concussion brought his year to a premature ending.  Expectations were high for Josh Morgan, but Morgan was unable to stay on Shanahan’s good side and lost playing time.  GRADE: B-

Offensive Line:  Washington’s offensive line was a position to forget for Redskins fans.  Trent Williams anchored the unit and was selected to his second consecutive Pro Bowl appearance.   Outside of Williams, however, the line looked absolutely atrocious for most of the season.  Whether it was Kirk Cousins or RG3, the line was simply unable to do their job leading to numerous strip sacks and interceptions.  GRADE: D

Defensive Line:  With the return of Brian Orakpo the defensive line was expected to be a top unit for the franchise.  Orakpo and second year man Ryan Kerrigan were expected to dominate opposing lines, but the two were unable to establish consistency applying pressure leading to a sack totals of 10 and 8.5 sacks respectively.  The interior of the line performed admirably allowing 117 yards on the ground a game.  GRADE: C+

Linebackers: The most turnover surrounding the Redskins may rest within the linebacking corps.  London Fletcher wrapped a Hall of Fame type career with 111 tackles and will be sorely missed in 2014.  Now, it will be Perry Riley’s turn to assume the lead of the Washington Defense, and it is unclear who will surround him.  Orakpo is a free agent and the Redskins face the real possibility of trying to replace him.  GRADE: C

Secondary:  DeAngelo Hall emerged as the Redskins best defensive threat shutting down opponent’s top receivers for much of four quarters.  Just a year after being resigned, Hall had four interceptions and two touchdowns from the defensive backfield.   What Shanahan probably wasn’t expecting was the poor play from the rest of the secondary.  Josh Wilson was horrible opposite Hall, and was shredded on several occasions.  Then, to make matters worse, Brandon Merriweather missed a chunk of games due to suspension and injuries.  Washington was then forced to implement two rookies, Baccari Rambo and David Amerson, into the lineup. GRADE: D+