Did we sacrifice depth?

[Skinsfan55]

When someone expresses concern about their team spending money the usual response is "It's not your money, what are you worried about?" but the fact is, financial responsibility is the way to build a great team, you need depth and a lot of luck with injuries to make it through an NFL season, including playoffs.

So what do we have for depth?

QB- After Campbell we have Collins and Brennan and I feel pretty comfortable with those guys. I think Campbell is the best out of the 3 but those other guys bring something unique to the table also.

RB- I've heard that the Redskins plan to use Betts a lot more next season. He's good enough to be part of a RB team in the NFL but Portis is clearly the man. Betts can catch so maybe some two back sets? I don['t have much confidence in Cartwright as a tailback so maybe we could use a young guy here? An undrafted FA? Sellers is a good short yardage guy who can catch too. Also a mauling blocker for Portis.

TE- ey is a star and Fred Davis is well liked by the coaching staff. I feel comfortable with this.

WR- Santana Moss still has it, but after him it's kinda thin. ARE is a #3 at best and Kelly and Thomas need to really show up to camp to contribute. I wonder if we might go after a guy like the newly available D.J. Hackett who we missed out on last season.

OL- This is a position of weakness that I believe we are turning to a position of strength. I don't care what anyone says. Chris Samuels is a top 5 left tackle. The newly signed Derrick Dockery is probably in the top 10. (One of my favorite Redskins a few years ago, I'm psyched to have him back.) Casey Rabach is a decent veteran center and I believe he's a strong link in the offensive line chain. Randy Thomas is 33 and has slowed a little with age but I believe he's still a top 10 RG. The last piece of the puzzle IMO is going to come in the draft. Jansen is no longer a legit starting RT and the latest mock draft from Todd McShay on ESPN (first one after the combine, where Orakpo is flying up the boards) has us taking Ole Miss tackle Michael Oher. (Where he's represented as the last of the elite tackle prospects taken at #13.)

Having a young, talented right tackle to hold down the other side of the offensive line is going to be huge. With the addition of Haynesworth I think that offensive line is our top priority and we ought to concentrate on getting one of those tackles.

Add to that potential mix Rinehart, Heyer possibly Jansen if he sticks around... we may have a pretty strong line with some depth.

DL- This is the position that I think has the most depth now. Jason Taylor, Andre Carter, Chris Wilson and Rob Jackson as ends doesn't look great depth wise, but add to that Phillip Daniels (the veteran minimum I'm sure) and Haynesworth, who can easily shift over to either end position, and we're going to see a much improved defense.

LB- Linebacker is still a concern since we have only 2 at this moment but those players will have a lot more holes to run through with Haynesworth, Griffin, Golston and Montgomery in a lethal defensive tackle rotation.

We're still pretty thin at LB, but hopefully a 3rd round pick will be able to add something along with maybe a veteran free agent. (There's quite a few decent vets out there, Angelo Crowell, Mike Peterson, Derrick Brooks, etc. etc.)

CB- While I was on the "keep Springs and trade Rogers" bandwagon, I'm not unhappy to see Rogers getting another season in B&G. He and Hall should be a great team, especially since we'll have a much improved pass rush. Fred Smoot is a good nickle back but after him the depth falls off significantly. Is Tryon going to be able to contribute?

S- In my opinion, LaRon Landry has never really proven himself as an elite player... that should change this season. With Chris Horton playing along side him and the aforementioned improved pass rush we're going to see him shine. Horton was a nice surprise last season but I wonder how much we can expect a 7th rounder to improve and be an everyday player? Moore looks like a decent backup at FS, but I think we need another guy on the strong side. Any way Doughty comes back?

Well, what do you guys think of our depth for next season? I really like it, especially if we keep our picks for next season.

[gibbs4president]

The offensive line is better with the addition of Dockery, but it's still an aging line and must be addressed in the draft with, probably, at least two of the four picks. That is, if the Redskins actually keep them all.

I agree that LB must also be addressed, but I'm worried about Tryon as the dime corner right now. I hope the corners stay healthy; I'd be afraid with Tryon on the field, from what I've seen so far.

[HEROHAMO]

I never really cared about depth. I want great starters. The only thing depth is for is to give the starters a breather. Also in case of injury they can step in.

[Skinsfan55]

I never really cared about depth. I want great starters. The only thing depth is for is to give the starters a breather. Also in case of injury they can step in.

Depth is the key to winning in any sport, the Red Sox, Phillies, Celtics, Lakers, Patriots, Steelers.... any team that has won in recent history has had an outstanding bench.

It's not just to give the starters a breather, in a long NFL season you need to count on bench guys (especially defensive guys) to play significant snaps.

[frankcal20]

I think the coaches really like Westbrook at CB. Maybe a bit more than Tryon. I think Tryon may be returning punts this year. If I remember correctly, he's a pretty fast guy.

[gibbs4president]

I never really cared about depth. I want great starters. The only thing depth is for is to give the starters a breather. Also in case of injury they can step in.

The last time I checked, football is a pretty violent sport. Injuries occur all the time.

It's a good idea to be ready when injuries happen. Because they do every season.

[gibbs4president]

I never really cared about depth. I want great starters. The only thing depth is for is to give the starters a breather. Also in case of injury they can step in.

The last time I checked, football is a pretty violent sport. Injuries occur all the time.

It's a good idea to be ready when injuries happen. Because they do every season.

That came off a little nasty, which wasn't intended. I just think it's a good idea to be prepared for injuries.

[MDSKINSFAN]

I think the coaches really like Westbrook at CB. Maybe a bit more than Tryon. I think Tryon may be returning punts this year. If I remember correctly, he's a pretty fast guy.

I hope your right about Tryon returning punts if he an hold on to the ball. I don't think I can take a another year of ARE doing that.

I don't think we sacrificed depth at all. We never had very good depth at the OL position but adding Dock helped. Our secondary is pretty deep. Our starters are great and I dont think Tryon or Westbrook are bad 4th/5th guys. RB situation is fine. TE we have more than we really need. QB is deep. Our DL has some quality guys that can step in like Montgomery and Golston if Haynesworth and Daniels are the starting DTs. I also like Wilson and Rob Jackson if he comes back this year as our backup DE. I always liked Jackson, it seemed like he worked hard when he played in the preseason. LB are the only thing that might worry me. I like Fletcher and Rocky but I'm just not sure about Blades yet.

[dad23hogjrs]

It all swings on 13

looks like we are keeping Jason Taylor, which I am not a fan of, because for his cap number you can get two good players in FA that are still on the board.

So, the biggest concerns are OL and LB. Now Marcus did not give us much recently so it feels strange to say we need a LB because he is gone, but in truth we do.

Blades is a good kid, and one could argue that with our new D-Line all we need our LB to do is run and hit, but I think we are actually going to need more athleticism out of our LB because of it.

We do not play in a dumb division, and the league as whole figures things out pretty quick. When you cant run up the middle, or take 5-7 step drops against us because of Haynesworth, then we are going to see lots of tight ends and backs in the flats trying to make plays after the catch.

Our corner are not afraid to hit, but unless we want to give them 4 yards the LB will need to get to these spots first. Fletch has proven he can, So has Rocky who I feel has gotten a bum rap for injuries...I see a strong injury free season coming from him. Blades though, is a little tight in the hips. Physically he is built a lot like Fletch, but mentally, he does not make up for it like Fletch does.

The LB that will be at 13 will be able to do what we need right away.

On the O-Line, we have the LT and LG starters Set. I would have liked Brown at center instead of Rabach, but hey, for 7 mil per year, the rams can have him. Dock is durable, Samuels is gonna miss 2-3 games, Rabach is durable. Thomas is gonna miss games, and the combo of Heyer/Jansen did not get it done. Jansen is not going anywhere due to cap, so he will be fine as back-up at both guard and right tackle. Heyer is a back-up, not a starter.

Similarly to LB, the OT Should be the Day 1 starter (at RT). He will likely be either the #3 or #4 OT this year, and in this class, thats a good player.

I think it comes down to who our FO trusts more in the SLB and RT situations - Blades or Heyer/Jansen.

I'd like to see us dump Taylor, pick up a LB in FA, Keep Daniels for the vet minimum after we voided his last two years, and resign evans.

Then 13 is pretty darn clear...OT all day long.

[HEROHAMO]

I never really cared about depth. I want great starters. The only thing depth is for is to give the starters a breather. Also in case of injury they can step in.

Depth is the key to winning in any sport, the Red Sox, Phillies, Celtics, Lakers, Patriots, Steelers.... any team that has won in recent history has had an outstanding bench.

It's not just to give the starters a breather, in a long NFL season you need to count on bench guys (especially defensive guys) to play significant snaps.

All those teams have there stars in place first. Then they built the bench.

Michael Jordan, Kobe, Shaq, Manny Ramirez , Big Papi, They all were put in place then they build around them. Which is my point. We need to build the foundation of the house first. Then we shall start putting up the walls and the roof etc....

[HEROHAMO]

I never really cared about depth. I want great starters. The only thing depth is for is to give the starters a breather. Also in case of injury they can step in.

The last time I checked, football is a pretty violent sport. Injuries occur all the time.

It's a good idea to be ready when injuries happen. Because they do every season.

That came off a little nasty, which wasn't intended. I just think it's a good idea to be prepared for injuries.

Of course , but check post above for my response to your response.

[Countertrey]

I think the coaches really like Westbrook at CB. Maybe a bit more than Tryon. I think Tryon may be returning punts this year. If I remember correctly, he's a pretty fast guy.

I'm sure that he has been retained because the team sees terrific raw talent, and hopes he is a diamond in the rough. He has exceptional speed, and great genes. I am postulating, of course, but my suspicion is that the team has been drilling him whenever possible to improve his skills and habits, and will attempt to work him into game play whenever practical, to get him more experience.

[spudstr04]

I think depth can be solved through the draft and a couple of small free agent moves.

Take someone like Orakpo at 13, if he's there. He can man the OLB spot. Take OL/DL depth in the 3rd/5th round, and get a burner for the RB position late in the draft.

We can pick up some "Fabini" types in FA for depth and may be 1 or 2 more DBs for competition.I think Doughty will ba back.

[Countertrey]

I think depth can be solved through the draft and a couple of small free agent moves.

Take someone like Orakpo at 13, if he's there. He can man the OLB spot. Take OL/DL depth in the 3rd/5th round, and get a burner for the RB position late in the draft.

Look, I love me some Orakpo, too, but we continue to need a solid starting RT, not depth... That's what we need to use 13 for, unless there is some kind of miracle in free agency.

[PMG12569]

I hope your right about Tryon returning punts if he an hold on to the ball. I don't think I can take a another year of ARE doing that.

Amen to that brother!! ARE is awful at returning!! I wonder if they are thinking of giving Khary the OLB spot vacated by Washington. I would rather have him the Blades.

[MDSKINSFAN]

I think depth can be solved through the draft and a couple of small free agent moves.

Take someone like Orakpo at 13, if he's there. He can man the OLB spot. Take OL/DL depth in the 3rd/5th round, and get a burner for the RB position late in the draft.

Look, I love me some Orakpo, too, but we continue to need a solid starting RT, not depth... That's what we need to use 13 for, unless there is some kind of miracle in free agency.

I dont think we need to draft a DE in the first round. Carter and Taylor wont have any excuses this year if they dont get sacks, but I think they will because of Haynesworth, so I dont think we need a DE that badly. We need a RT. I could see us drafting a DE/LB though in the later rounds because I think LB is our #1 position of need right now on D. Man I really wish we had that 2nd round pick back that we gave for Taylor.

[VetSkinsFan]

We have to address RT with round 1 or FA before the draft. We need a day 2 starter, as previously mentioned. We currently have NO ONE that can start RT. In addition to blades, Fincher was a pleasant surprise for LB; don't leave him out of the mix. Is he elite? No, but the LB corps are serviceable.

[KazooSkinsFan]

I think depth can be solved through the draft and a couple of small free agent moves.

Take someone like Orakpo at 13, if he's there. He can man the OLB spot. Take OL/DL depth in the 3rd/5th round, and get a burner for the RB position late in the draft.

Look, I love me some Orakpo, too, but we continue to need a solid starting RT, not depth... That's what we need to use 13 for, unless there is some kind of miracle in free agency.

I'm with you on if we can get a decent RT at #13. That would give us some good depth on the OL too since they can split time with Jansen while they learn and Heyer could focus on backing up Samuels and giving him the occasional breather. It could do a lot for our OL. Then with Doc in the fold and hopefully Rinehart will be coming along too. I just don't think we need to wipe the slate of the guys we have, but bringing in some guys to transition could improve the line quickly (fingers crossed).

[CanesSkins26]

OL- This is a position of weakness that I believe we are turning to a position of strength. I don't care what anyone says. Chris Samuels is a top 5 left tackle. The newly signed Derrick Dockery is probably in the top 10. (One of my favorite Redskins a few years ago, I'm psyched to have him back.) Casey Rabach is a decent veteran center and I believe he's a strong link in the offensive line chain. Randy Thomas is 33 and has slowed a little with age but I believe he's still a top 10 RG. The last piece of the puzzle IMO is going to come in the draft. Jansen is no longer a legit starting RT and the latest mock draft from Todd McShay on ESPN (first one after the combine, where Orakpo is flying up the boards) has us taking Ole Miss tackle Michael Oher. (Where he's represented as the last of the elite tackle prospects taken at #13.)

Thomas is not a top 10 RG anymore. In fact, I think that is in the bottom half of NFL guards. Rabach was very hit or miss last season. He had some pretty poor games and isn't getting any younger. Jansen is terrible. Dockery, while solid, isn't much of an upgrade over Kendall. This is still going to be a weak spot for the team next season.

[Skinsfan55]

Dockery is 7 years younger, 44 pounds heavier and a lot better athlete than Kendall. He's a huge upgrade.

Rabach is ranked 12th and Thomas is ranked 10th in the league at guard by scouts inc.

I completely disagree with your analysis.

[CanesSkins26]

Dockery is 7 years younger, 44 pounds heavier and a lot better athlete than Kendall. He's a huge upgrade.

Rabach is ranked 12th and Thomas is ranked 10th in the league at guard by scouts inc.

I completely disagree with your analysis.

Well if Scouts inc says it it must be true. If they are all so highly rated why were they all so terrible in the 2nd half of the season last year? No doubt they have some ability still but with being so old guys like Thomas and Kendall can't play at a solid level for an entire season. The entire line wore down as the season went on last year.

[Skinsfan55]

Dockery is 7 years younger, 44 pounds heavier and a lot better athlete than Kendall. He's a huge upgrade.

Rabach is ranked 12th and Thomas is ranked 10th in the league at guard by scouts inc.

I completely disagree with your analysis.

Well if Scouts inc says it it must be true. If they are all so highly rated why were they all so terrible in the 2nd half of the season last year? No doubt they have some ability still but with being so old guys like Thomas and Kendall can't play at a solid level for an entire season. The entire line wore down as the season went on last year.

Their saying it doesn't make it true, it's just evidence that builds on my argument.

Also, we faltered in the second half because of injuries to our line, our defense and to Clinton himself.

[KazooSkinsFan]

Dockery is 7 years younger, 44 pounds heavier and a lot better athlete than Kendall. He's a huge upgrade.

Rabach is ranked 12th and Thomas is ranked 10th in the league at guard by scouts inc.

I completely disagree with your analysis.

Well if Scouts inc says it it must be true. If they are all so highly rated why were they all so terrible in the 2nd half of the season last year? No doubt they have some ability still but with being so old guys like Thomas and Kendall can't play at a solid level for an entire season. The entire line wore down as the season went on last year.

My view is as you say age is the issue. The problem more particular being that ALL our linemen are aging. I can still do most of what I could do when I was younger, I just can't do it as long and I don't recover as fast. That's why I was arguing that if we can bring in SOME youth I really think we could drastically improve the overall performance of the line. I think our guys still have a lot of skill. More rotation, some youth sprinkled in, could really drastically improve them. And we need to be working on the next generation anyway. Better to do it in steps then give up in a couple years and blow up the line and start over. Win-win-win.

[CanesSkins26]

Dockery is 7 years younger, 44 pounds heavier and a lot better athlete than Kendall. He's a huge upgrade.

Rabach is ranked 12th and Thomas is ranked 10th in the league at guard by scouts inc.

I completely disagree with your analysis.

Well if Scouts inc says it it must be true. If they are all so highly rated why were they all so terrible in the 2nd half of the season last year? No doubt they have some ability still but with being so old guys like Thomas and Kendall can't play at a solid level for an entire season. The entire line wore down as the season went on last year.

Their saying it doesn't make it true, it's just evidence that builds on my argument.

Also, we faltered in the second half because of injuries to our line, our defense and to Clinton himself.

One Clinton's injuries and defensive injuries had nothing to do with the oline not being able to pass block. Second, do you really think that guys like Kendall, Thomas, Rabach, and Jansen are going to stay healthier the older they get?

[SkinsFreak]

We have to address RT with round 1 or FA before the draft. We need a day 2 starter, as previously mentioned. We currently have NO ONE that can start RT. In addition to blades, Fincher was a pleasant surprise for LB; don't leave him out of the mix. Is he elite? No, but the LB corps are serviceable.

First, I absolutely agree that we need a starting RT. But I also believe OLB is just as big of a need. The one nice thing however, with the team getting Hall back and signing Haynesworth and Dockery, we now have less holes to fill. We needed all three and all fill major holes.

Let's assume for a minute, for the sake of this discussion, that no other free agents are signed and the team plans to fill the holes at RT and OLB in the draft. If that's the case, in my opinion, I'm torn between which position I'd take first at #13. And part of that certainly depends on which players are selected in front of you.

After the completion of the combine, there are two OT's considered worthy of a top ten pick; Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe. Both should be gone long before we pick at #13. Then there are Andre Smith and Michael Oher. After those two, there is a significant fall-off talent wise at OT.

Oher is considered a reach at #13. Andre Smith is better, but there's a big risk involved with him. He could be there at #13 and if the team decided to take a risk on him, Chris Samuels may have to step up. Here's what I mean by that... Samuels also went to Alabama and hopefully he could become a mentor for Smith, maybe take him under his wings and help the kid mature a bit... actually, Smith would need to mature quite a bit. Andre has had some significant character problems in the past and his behavior at the combine didn't help.

Point being, Oher may be a stretch and Smith may be a huge risk. However, it's been reported that this draft class is stocked with very good talent in the mid-rounds at the tackle position. From McShay...

There is a noticeable drop in talent after the top four, but there are still some interesting prospects in the middle to late rounds, including William Beatty and Andrew Gardner. Though he needs to bulk up and do a better job of sinking his hips in pass protection, Beatty has the length scouts look for at left tackle and he flashed above-average foot speed at the Senior Bowl. Gardner started the first 48 games of his career before a torn labrum in his left shoulder forced him to undergo season-ending surgery in 2008 and his stock has dipped accordingly. An excellent pass-blocker before the injury, Gardner could prove to be a steal in the later rounds if the shoulder is healthy.

Another tackle worth mentioning here is Sebastian Vollmer. Vollmer turned some heads at the East-West Shrine game and he moves well for his size. In fact, we think a team could take him early on Day 2, so we were surprised to see his name.

At the combine, Mike Mayock and the guys rattled off about a dozen other names of OT's that will go in the mid-rounds that could be potential starters. So like you said... we need a day-2 starter and a starting caliber tackle could come with our 3rd round pick. I'm not saying it's a lock and the only way to go, but it is something to consider.

This years draft is absolutely stocked with 1st round LB talent. Last year there was a run on offensive linemen taken early with 9 selected in the 1st round. This year its going to be an early run on linebackers, and as many as 8 could go in the first round, with a fall-off in talent after that.

So all things considered, if they stay at #13, the best value may be a linebacker, and that's why most mock drafts have us taking Orakpo. The word out of the combine is that most teams are looking at him to play OLB in the pro's.

All I'm suggesting is that, since I'm on the fence, it is possible that you could get a very high caliber LB at #13, potentially even a future Pro Bowler, and still get a starting RT in the 3rd. In a perfect world, I'd even consider taking Orakpo at #13 and try to trade back into the 1st round and take Oher in the late teens or early 20's.

I know you like Fincher and I agree he played fairly well in a few preseason games. But I'm not very confident with him as a full-time starter, and I'm not sure the team is either. After being drafted in the 3rd round by the Saints in 2005, he hasn't done anything since. He's was previously cut by the Saints and the Lions, and if you can't make it with either of those lousy defenses, I'm not sure of his chances in the NFC East.

Fincher is currently a free agent, not even on the team at this time, and it will be interesting to see if the club has any interest in re-signing him. I think he'd be great for depth, but that's about it in my opinion. But we'll see. And as I've said before, Blades is not suited to play the Sam LB position.

A starting RT and a starting LB are both big needs. How the team decides to fill those positions will be interesting and there are several routes that can be taken. And I believe there's a chance somebody could still be signed in free agency. He have decent depth and just need a couple of starters.