Which NFL bottom feeders are primed for a turn around?
By Andrew Garda
2014 record: 4-12
1st 2015 NFL Draft pick: No. 5 overall
Key Free Agency Acquisitions: Terrance Knighton, Chris Culliver, Stephen Paea
Turnaround in 2015? Yes
While adding Terrance Knighton was a nice move to shore up the middle along with Stephen Paea, this team still needs a pass-rusher now that Brian Orakpo has left. That will probably be settled in the upcoming draft, but it’s a huge problem. So is the secondary.
The problem is, it’s hard to tell if it’s merely a matter of quarterbacks having too long because Washington lacks a pass-rush or if the corners aren’t holding at all so the pass-rush has no chance to get to the quarterback. It’s really a combination of both, but the secondary has really stood out as being less-than-excellent.
Adding Chris Culliver should help and we’ll see if DeAngelo Hall can recapture even a little of his former play as well. Hopefully that will improve the overall defensive effort and put the offense in a better position to succeed.
Of course, this all hinges on what we see out of the quarterback position. And notice I didn’t say ‘out of Robert Griffin III” as while head coach Jay Gruden finally put Griffin down as the starter at the Combine (per Yahoo.com’s Frank Schwab), Washington has made enough odd choices to make us wonder what his shelf life will be.
He has the weapons—DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, Andre Roberts, Jordan Reed and Alfred Morris—to succeed but the turnaround is largely in his hands.
I think Washington does it. I’m not calling Super Bowl but in a wide-open NFC East where nobody is perfect, I can see Washington coming out on top. It all comes down to Griffin, sure, but I believe we see him much closer to his rookie season again this year and that will make a huge difference.
Next: Oakland Raiders