Training Camp news and reports

[riggofan]

Dude could be a beast for us. You just get this feeling that two or three of these McCloughan late-round picks are going to pop and become stars in the league. Could be Crowder, could be Spaight, could be Kouandijo. Or maybe Ioannidis or Daniels.

Yeah I definitely get that feeling. I think Crowder would be a pretty safe bet.

Even if they don't become stars, its so cool to see those names you listed. Guys we drafted, capable of contributing and forming a solid core for the team. Just seems so different from how the teams have been assembled in the past.

[DarthMonk]

RICHMOND — Coach Jay Gruden took it easy on his players for the most part through the first three practices of training camp. He let them ease their way into things during the sweltering opening day of camp, and didn’t get particularly worked up the next two practices despite witnessing a few miscues.

However, as the Washington Redskins returned from their first off day of camp, they experienced a more fiery and agitated Gruden. Monday’s was the second padded practice of camp, and the most physical session thus far, but it also was one of the sloppiest.

A few false-start penalties on both sides of the ball, an offensive holding call or two, pass interference — Gruden let the offenders hear it.

Cornerback Quinton Dunbar drew a flag as he held tight end Niles Paul on a route in the end zone, and Gruden gave Dunbar an obscenity-laced tongue lashing because the second-year pro has made the same mistake a few times now.

Following a false start on the offense, followed by a play that featured both a bad snap and a false start on the defense, a frustrated Gruden cursed and ended that red-zone segment a few ticks of the clock early and directed the units to move onto the next phase of practice.

As the players sheepishly headed to the next segment and another part of the field, safety Will Blackmon lightened the mood and drew some chuckles as he called out, “Tell ’em why you mad, Coach! Tell ’em why you mad!”

Gruden wasn’t alone in his scolding. Veterans such as Ricky Jean Francois, Chris Baker and Trent Williams also got on their teammates for transgressions. Baker even jokingly reprimanded an equipment manager following one play because the guy didn’t realize he needed to swap in a new ball after an errant pass had sailed out of bounds and hadn’t been retrieved.

Gruden wasn’t entirely angry. He did joke around with the officials, who worked camp for the first time.

After one run to the outside by Mack Brown, where Gruden thought he spotted a hold, he looked at the line judge and said, “You didn’t have a hold on that? Wow. All right! We finally got away with one!”

As with the scolding of players, Baker followed Gruden’s lead in ribbing the officials. The same official decided not to throw a flag on a play that looked like offensive pass interference on Jordan Reed. Baker called out, “You would’ve called that on us. You better start warming up your arm, man! Throw some flags!”

Later still, linebacker Carlos Fields made contact with tight end Logan Paulsen on a deep pass, but the official didn’t throw a flag. As he explained to secondary coach Perry Fewell why he didn’t call defensive pass interference, Gruden trotted over and asked the official, “Hey, let me see your flag real quick.” Once the official handed him the flag, Gruden threw it on the ground and penalized the defense with first and goal.

The practice wasn’t all sloppy, however. Some players did stand out for some exceptional plays.

● Cornerback Bashaud Breeland turned in perhaps the play of the day as he made a beautiful interception in the end zone on a 15-yard fade thrown by Kirk Cousins to Pierre Garcon. Breeland, having the best camp of his career, trailed Garcon, perfectly timed the pass, leapt and plucked the ball from the air with both hands.

● Cousins hasn’t looked the sharpest on downfield throws. Aside from Trent Murphy’s interception on a screen pass on Saturday, Cousins’s interceptions have all come on either on deep balls or on a fade like the one to Garcon. He has been really sharp in that short to intermediate range, however.

● Back to the highlights: DeAngelo Hall looked as comfortable and aggressive as he has all camp. Hall on two separate plays crashed the line with a head of steam and popped ball carriers with a thud as they came up the middle. Later, on 7-on-7 goal line drills, Hall read DeSean Jackson on a slant route and would have met the wide receiver with a jarring hit, but he held up and avoided contact and the risk of injuring a teammate. Coaches still rained down praise on the 32-year-old safety for what would’ve been a touchdown-saving play.

● Gruden called cornerback Greg Toler one of the surprises of camp, and the eighth-year veteran turned in another nice play Monday. With Hall and Toler bracketing Jackson, Toler – who played underneath – managed to get a hand up and knock a Cousins pass away just before it reached Jackson’s hands.

● Jackson did have a highlight in 7-on-7 action when he ran a crossing route and made a diving catch despite having Breeland draped all over him.

● Jean Francois, Ziggy Hood and Kendall Reyes all had impressive tackles for losses. The run defense has to improve, and this could be a good sign. Coaches still are trying to settle on the right combination of players, however.

● There’s a bit of jockeying for position on that first nickel line as well. It’s Kerrigan and Smith at the end positions for sure, but at times on the interior, we’ve seen Baker and Golston, Baker and Reyes, Jean Francois and Reyes, and today, Paea and Reyes. Coaches like what they’re seeing from Reyes, both against the run and the pass. He’s not flashy, but gets the job done. It’d be good if they can get something from Paea. He was one of General Manager Scot McCloughan’s first 2015 signings of free agency (Jean Francois signed the week before because he had been cut), but lost his job to Baker a week into the season. Paea certainly has the talent, but thus far, everyone is still waiting for him to deliver. Perhaps this nickel pass-rushing role could be his thing.

● Jean Francois made his stop – dropping Matt Jones behind the line – after knifing past Shawn Lauvao, who practiced for the first time after missing all of last season and the offseason practices while recovering from a season-ending ankle injury and five surgeries to correct the problem. Lauvao got some first-team work and some second-team work. He, Spencer Long and Arie Kouandjio rotated at guard, at times with Long playing center on the first unit. Lauvao initially struggled, but he seemed to catch up to the speed of the game. On another matchup with Jean Francois, Lauvao got good leverage, stone-walled the defensive lineman and won the skirmish. Jean Francois patted Lauvao on the head, commending him on the play.

● Some interesting activity on the depth chart at a couple different spots where there are position battles: Dashaun Phillips opened camp as the top nickelback and routinely worked with the first team both in walk-throughs and in practices, and Kendall Fuller worked with the second unit. For two straight practices, now, however, Fuller has replaced Phillips as the No. 1 nickelback. Toler and Dunbar have gotten work with the first team, spelling Bashaud Breeland and Josh Norman here and there. Phillips stuck with the second unit both on the corner and nickel slots on Monday, however.

● Perry Riley Jr.’s return has put at least a temporary dent in Su’a Cravens’s playing time. Riley and Mason Foster now rotate series at the inside linebacker spot next to Will Compton, and whoever isn’t with the first unit, lines up with the second unit, then they switch. Before it was Foster with the first team and Cravens with the second unit. On Monday, Cravens got work in individual drills, but not in team drills – not on the first, second or third units. Cravens said after practice that he wasn’t injured, just that for the day, he received limited reps and that he was told that will be the case here and there as coaches try to evaluate Riley and Foster, and Martrell Spaight and Steven Daniels and Carlos Fields. Eventually, we’ll see Cravens playing some nickelback and some safety, but not yet. He said he’s been told to expect quite a bit of action in passing situations, but for now, he waits and is trying to learn as much as he can in the meetings and in whatever playing time he gets.

● Another rookie, Matt Ioannidis is learning as well. He needs to learn how to get better leverage off the line. Any time Ioannidis has lined up against Kory Lichtensteiger – whether in team or 1-on-1 drills – Lichtensteiger dismantles the rookie by getting lower and plowing him out of the way. We’ve seen Ioannidis use his strength to his advantage against Josh LeRibeus and Austin Reiter, but strength alone isn’t enough to help him win against Lichtensteiger.

● The Redskins have a number of players sticking around on the field to get in extra work, whether it’s improving their get-offs, passes, route-running or receiving skills. All three quarterbacks linger on the field a good while, as do the linemen. Tight ends Jordan Reed and Niles Paul are regulars on the Jugs machine, as are a number of the defensive backs. Today, an hour after practice ended, Josh Norman was still out there – well after his teammates had all retreated into the building – catching balls on the Jugs machine.

[DarthMonk]

RICHMOND — Kirk Cousins and the Redskins’ starting offense capped Thursday’s practice with an extended scoring drive that could be described as either historically great or plainly fraudulent — depending on the side of the ball you prefer.

Getting the ball at their own 10-yard line to start the segment designated as the “four-minute drill,” Cousins and the offense went 90 yards in 16 plays, scoring on an eight-yard pass to Pierre Garcon.

The possession began in disappointing fashion as Cousins overthrew DeSean Jackson, who had a narrow edge over Bashaud Breeland, on a deep route up the left sideline. But the quarterback settled in after and marched his team downfield by working the intermediate passing attack, completing nine of 12 passes for 63 yards.

As is often the case during training camp practices with no officials — and with Jay Gruden officiating — the defensive players will tell you the offense got a little bit of help. Cousins threw to Garcon on a 15-yard out route along the right sideline, and Gruden awarded the catch, although defensive players on the sidelines argued the receiver never got two feet down.

That pass came one play after Cousins avoided the rush, slid to his left and found Ryan Grant for 15 yards.

The play after the Garcon completion, Cousins completed a four-yard dump-off to Jordan Reed, but defenders argued that the quarterback should have been sacked. Gruden turned a deaf ear.

Josh Norman nearly had his first interception of camp when he jumped a route by Rashad Ross. But he narrowly mistimed the throw, and Ross snatched the ball from the air and picked up seven more yards for a 10-yard gain to the 24-yard line.

But Chris Thompson got stopped for no gain on the next play. Two plays later, Cousins threw to Reed at the goal line. But Martrell Spaight, who played in place of Will Compton, hit the tight end, breaking up the pass and drawing the praise of his teammates.

On third and five from the 7-yard line, Ricky Jean Francois, who watched from the sideline, knew what was coming.

“Jordan Reed! It’s going to Jordan Reed,” he bellowed. Sure enough, Cousins went to Reed, who picked up five yards the first down.

A one-yard loss on a failed Keith Marshall run, then a false start by Shawn Lauvao (jumping on Cousins’s hard count) moved the offense back to the 8-yard line. But Cousins found Garcon in the left back corner of the end zone.

While Breeland signaled Garcon was out of bounds, Cousins ran up and congratulated Garcon. Bruce Allen had signaled touchdown as he watched from the sideline, so Cousins told the arguing cornerback, “Bruce said he’s in! He’s the president of the team! Drive of the century!”

That “drive of the century” brought some much-needed life to what had otherwise been a kind of monotone practice. From the start of the four-minute segment, the players on both sides of the ball came to life.

Gruden did his part to further stir things up late in the drive. As the offense went no-huddle and reached the red zone, and seeing the defense trying to substitute linemen in and out, he called out, “Yeah, keep on subbing, defense. Because all you linemen are out of shape!”

The linemen responded by stopping Thompson for no gain, but the offense ultimately came out on top.

Other observations from the day:

The second team offense scored on a shorter drive that was capped by a toss from Colt McCoy to Vernon Davis, who took advantage of a mismatch with linebacker Terence Garvin. (McCoy and Davis had connected on a 25-yard pass up the seam earlier on the drive).

Nate Sudfeld and the third-team offense also scored to end their day. Sudfeld completed a strike to Dez Stewart to put his team in scoring position, and then found T.J. Thorpe in the back of the end zone the next play.

The Redskins practiced Thursday without running back Matt Jones and left tackle Trent Williams. Thompson replaced Jones as the starter, and Keith Marshall shared carries. Ty Nsekhe filled in for Williams. For much of practice, Cousins appeared to have less time to throw without his Pro Bowl left tackle. But the quick passes on the practice-ending drive served their purpose of keeping the defense off balance and getting the ball out of Cousins’s hands quickly.

Su’a Cravens returned to practice after trainers held him out of the previous practice with tightness in his hamstring. Cravens made a couple of nice plays in pass coverage, and pursued the ball well in run support.

Spaight’s pass breakup at the goal line served as another bright moment for him this camp. Spaight (fifth-round pick out of Arkansas in 2015) looks like a different player compared to last camp. He’s aggressive, understands the defense and has done a good job directing the second unit. Spaight missed all of last season after being placed on injured reserve with lingering concussion symptoms. “He’s having a heck of a camp,” Gruden said.

Breeland also continues to shine. During one-on-one drills, he intercepted an underthrown Cousins pass intended for DeSean Jackson. Make that seven interceptions in seven practices for Breeland. During the team portion of practice, Breeland also had a near-interception that he got a hand on, but couldn’t quite secure.

[cowboykillerzRGiii]

Norman nearly had his first int... Breeland just lost his EIGHTH in 7 practices.. if been a big fan of Breeland. Hope he and JN can be a force to reckon with for years to come!

[Countertrey]

Norman nearly had his first int... Breeland just lost his EIGHTH in 7 practices.. if been a big fan of Breeland. Hope he and JN can be a force to reckon with for years to come!

It would be awesome if they develop into a "pick your poison" duo... The presence of Hall over the top may allow both to be very aggressive.

[cowboykillerzRGiii]

Man oh man haven't we ALL been waiting for Hall to be the safety-net we've lacked back there for all these years???
If the corners and safeties can be in sync, and allow for either or to be aggressive whilst having each others back... we will need to come up with something much cooler then the "legion of boom"

Hall of terror
Taylor's Revenge
Suicide Squad
Capitol Punishments- Lethal Dejection


...errr I guess the whole D is just Capitol Punishment. Ready to see this group live up to it, and cast fear into the opposition. We haven't had the backfield this stacked in a loooooooong time brother!

[mastdark81]

Norman nearly had his first int... Breeland just lost his EIGHTH in 7 practices.. if been a big fan of Breeland. Hope he and JN can be a force to reckon with for years to come!

It would be awesome if they develop into a "pick your poison" duo... The presence of Hall over the top may allow both to be very aggressive.

I agree. To me that is the best scenario for both of them guys anyway. Give them less assignments and better chance at success.

That type of Seattle scheme only don't work when you have a liability at corner on one of your sides and your forced to have your best guy follow the top WR.

[cowboykillerzRGiii]

With Norman having (possibly) a slight edge in man to man over Breeland.. Breeland will likely have more opportunities for ints... at least going from camp, he's up to the challenge!

[SkinsJock]

I thought some of you might enjoy this ...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/r ... ?tid=a_inl

[Irn-Bru]

With Norman having (possibly) a slight edge in man to man over Breeland.. Breeland will likely have more opportunities for ints

I think you are exactly right. Someone's gotta see targets, and I think it will be Breeland this year more than any other player. He's got a real chance to make a name for himself, and I love that he's got Norman to mentor him during this crucial point in his career, to show him what it takes to be the best.

[Irn-Bru]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/r ... ?tid=a_inl

Dashaun Phillips and Kendall Fuller face off in one of Redskins’ few camp battles

RICHMOND — The Washington Redskins have lacked a prominent training-camp battle this year. There’s no drama at quarterback, with Kirk Cousins under center. The Redskins have most of their starters returning from last year’s NFC East division title team as well.

While the few positions up for grabs aren’t appealing to a broad audience, the biggest uncertainty in the secondary heading into Thursday’s preseason opener against the Atlanta Falcons will be at nickel cornerback. The Redskins have narrowed it down to Dashaun Phillips and Kendall Fuller, who both show promise but lack experience.

Redskins Coach Jay Gruden has rotated Phillips and Fuller at the position during the eight full practices Washington has had in Richmond. Fuller received first-team repetitions Sunday over Phillips, who worked with the second team. It will take a few weeks before Gruden makes a final decision, but he said he likes his options.

“They’re going at it,” Gruden said. “Both are doing some good things, and they’re also learning the system. It’s a good matchup, really.”

The importance of the position has grown over the years. NFL defenses are in their nickel packages for much of the game in a pass-happy league. It’s a different challenge than outside cornerback, as nickel cornerbacks don’t have a sideline to help them. Communication and discipline will be crucial for Phillips, who has played six games, and Fuller, a rookie.



Fuller is the latest NFL product from his family. He has three older brothers — Vincent, Corey and Kyle — who have all played in the league. Kendall Fuller missed most of the team’s offseason practices after he was drafted in the third round because of a knee injury suffered three games into his junior season at Virginia Tech.

“Throughout the combine process and OTAs, I was just in the back grinding, working to make sure that I was ready for camp,” Fuller said.

He has fully recovered from microfracture surgery and has been moving well on the field. Fuller brings the versatility to play both nickel and outside, and he has been preparing to play at both positions.

“We didn’t expect to see him this quick,” Gruden said. “But he came back in OTAs, and now he’s really progressing, and he’s making a run for it.

“He was a good football player coming in here, but this is a different system, different terminology. He makes jumps every day that are fun to watch. It’s fun coaching these rookies, but especially Kendall, who’s worked so hard and is really conscientious of what he’s doing mentally. How far he’ll progress and how fast we can get him ready is to be determined. But he’s progressed in every facet from what I’ve seen.”

This is Phillips’s third season in the league, although he didn’t crack a 53-man roster until late last year. The Redskins promoted the Tarleton State product off the practice squad for the last six games of the regular season and the playoff game against the Green Bay Packers. He was mainly used on special teams but added 15 pounds in the offseason to compete for a larger role defensively this year.

Phillips signed with Washington’s practice squad after he was cut by the New York Jets following training camp in 2015.

“You go from the practice squad to activated, you feel like you’ve made it, but really you’re just now beginning,” Phillips said. “The previous year of me being active let me know what I needed to do to actually be able to play in this league. . . . I took what I went through the past season and knew what I needed to get better at. I took that with me and just been working and just getting mentally ready. I was just out there running around last year. Now, I feel different. I feel like I’ve been here.”

Even as he feels more comfortable during his second season in Washington, Phillips said his mentality hasn’t changed. His goal isn’t to win the job, but to do the best he can on the field. It’s a lesson Phillips learned with the Jets when he says he would overthink every situation, mentally placing himself in scenarios in which he made the team or trying to avoid injuries on the field to salvage his shot at making the 53-man roster. That’s not the case anymore.

“Just trying to prove to the new [Jets’] coaches that I can do it, that was stressing me,” Phillips said. “I look back, and I don’t really look in the past like that, but I just know I’ve got to stop thinking so much and go out and play.”

[cowboykillerzRGiii]

Some were knocking the Fuller pick... so of course that means I been rooting for him to go HAM!!!

Can't wait till Thursday!

[DarthMonk]

RICHMOND – The Washington Redskins got back to work after getting the day off on Saturday.

Left tackle Trent Williams returned in a limited capacity after missing the past two practices with soreness in his right knee. Williams took part in individual drills, but didn’t do any of the offensive line or team drills. Williams said he’s feeling good and didn’t rule out playing Thursday at Atlanta. Ty Nsekhe started at left tackle during 11-on-11 action and held up well, surrendering only one pressure to Preston Smith.

Wide receiver Jamison Crowder missed a second straight practice with tightness in his hamstring. Crowder did a series of agility drills and sprints across the back of the end zone. He said that he isn’t concerned, but was just playing it safe and following the direction of the trainers. He didn’t yet know if he’d be ready, or permitted, to play Thursday.

Some observations from today’s practice:

● The inside linebacker competition between Mason Foster and Perry Riley Jr. remains ongoing. Foster seemed to get more first-team repetitions than Riley on Sunday. However, depending on the day, their workloads flip-flop.

● Joe Barry mixed in Trent Murphy and Houston Bates as nickel ends with the first unit a fair bit on Sunday. Those two replaced Smith and Ryan Kerrigan here and there. It’s an interesting pairing. At 290 pounds, Murphy may be a bit oversize as an edge rusher now, and Bates appears undersize. Despite being listed at 6 feet 3, 252 pounds, Bates looks more the size of Will Compton (6-1, 238) and gets dwarfed by tackles like Williams and Nsekhe. At times, the slight build suits Bates well. He’s slippery and quick, which enables him to get around bigger linemen. But other times, if one of those linemen manage to get their hands on him, Bates is in trouble. Today, in 1-on-1 drills, Takoby Cofield got his mitts on Bates, and held him in check despite his efforts to free himself. Nsekhe later did the same during 11-on-11 action. But on another play, Bates faked to the outside and slipped to the inside to get by and into the backfield.

● We saw David Bruton Jr. make some nice plays against the run. On one such play, he did a good job of getting downhill and stringing out a run to the outside, running Keith Marshall out of bounds before the back could turn the corner. The big question remains how Bruton will do in pass coverage. He hasn’t been in a lot of compromising situations thus far in practice. It’ll be interesting to see how he fares in Thursday’s preseason opener.

● Kirk Cousins had a sharp day of practice, particularly while running the no-huddle attack during a segment of practice where his team got the ball at its own 35 with 1 minute 40 seconds left on the clock. Cousins completed 6 of 6 passes, marching his team downfield. Three went to Jordan Reed, two to Pierre Garcon, and then Cousins rifled a 14-yard pass to Ryan Grant for a touchdown with 33 seconds left on the clock.

● In red-zone drills, Cousins was 2 for 4 on scoring attempts, connecting with Vernon Davis for a 16-yard touchdown pass, but then throwing an incompletion to Chris Thompson on a slant into the end zone. Thompson got hit by a defender and couldn’t hold on to the throw. Cousins connected with Niles Paul on a fade route over Foster in the back right corner of the end zone. Lastly, he went for DeSean Jackson in the same back corner of the end zone, but Josh Norman broke up the pass.

● Marshall had a couple of nice runs today, and I’m really curious to see how he does in games, when there’s live tackling, not this mix of thumping and/or tagging backs to avoid injury. He appears to have a good burst, and doesn’t seem to shy away from contact. Today, like other days, Marshall got some work with the first team, spelling Matt Jones. Thompson served as the back on most passing downs.

● Jones had a nice play in pass protection as he stonewalled Duke Ihenacho, who came on a blitz, untouched. Jones slid over to his right, stuck Ihenacho with a thud and kept him from getting to Cousins.

● Speaking of protection, Shawn Lauvao looks like he has knocked off the rust from not having played in almost a year. He continues to rotate with Spencer Long at left guard, so we’ll have to wait a while to see who will win this position battle. But Lauvao looks strong and quick. Today, he won 1-on-1 matchups against Ricky Jean Francois and Kendall Reyes, engaging each on first contact and then fending off their countermoves to keep the defenders at bay.

● The bulk of the wide receiver-related attention has fallen on Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson, and the injured Josh Doctson, and rightfully so. But Rashad Ross has seemed to display signs of growth throughout training camp. Last year, he turned heads with his speed as a return man and deep threat. But he lacked versatility otherwise. Ross spent time in the offseason working on his route running, and the evidence of that work has shown on the field as he has made more plays in the short-to-intermediate game. Today, Ross drew praise from Coach Jay Gruden after catching the ball on a one-yard smoke route and turning it into a nine-yard gain.

Ross accelerated quickly, picking up five yards, made cornerback Greg Toler miss and picked up another four yards before being run out of bounds.

“That was outstanding, Ross,” Gruden gushed as the wide receiver trotted back to the huddle.

Backup cornerback Kendall Fuller watched from the sideline and looked unimpressed, however. So Gruden walked up to him and say, “Fuller, that was a gain of 9.”

“No, sir,” Fuller said. “Our safety was coming.”

“Toler wasn’t making that tackle,” Gruden said.

“But he forced him back to the inside. Would’ve been tackled,” Fuller responded.

“Nah, he got some more before he got there. Gain of nine.”

Gruden is known for his partiality towards the offense. But in this case, his assessment appeared accurate. Ross indeed made a nice play.

[riggofan]

Some were knocking the Fuller pick

Yeah? That surprises me. I thought he was probably our most likely draft steal. Could have been a second or late first round pick if he'd been healthy at the time.

[mastdark81]

Some were knocking the Fuller pick

Yeah? That surprises me. I thought he was probably our most likely draft steal. Could have been a second or late first round pick if he'd been healthy at the time.

I think you can never have enough good cornerbacks but I do understand why people knocked us getting a player that most likely will not start due to Breeland, Norman. So you essentially drafted a part time player with injury history as it seems right now. Maybe a few years from now it is different.

Same with Cravens. These are role / limited players who may never start with this team. I would have personally went after NT Andrew Billings, DT Sheldon Day, and I really like safety Deon Bush but not mad with the Fuller pick especially if Scott had him as a 1st or 2nd rd pick. But then if he did to me you can't just stockpile picks you gotta trade one of your current players to give Fuller some PT.

We go Doctson, Cravens, Fuller. All players that won't help us beat the Packers much this year if we get to the playoffs. Skins have an immediate need at center, de, nt, fs, ss. Skins have been doing alot of drafting to with the idea of being a backup instead of an immediate starter. Just saying.

[DarthMonk]

We go Doctson, Cravens, Fuller. All players that won't help us beat the Packers much this year if we get to the playoffs. Skins have an immediate need at center, de, nt, fs, ss. Skins have been doing alot of drafting to with the idea of being a backup instead of an immediate starter. Just saying.

OTOH, all 3 may be starting in that playoff game. Even if they aren't could not both those defenders help us when the Pac lines up with 3, 4, or 5 WRs? Could not Doctson help us in the red zone at a key moment?

All 3 are extremely talented.

[riggofan]

I think you can never have enough good cornerbacks but I do understand why people knocked us getting a player that most likely will not start due to Breeland, Norman. So you essentially drafted a part time player with injury history as it seems right now. Maybe a few years from now it is different.

Same with Cravens. These are role / limited players who may never start with this team. I would have personally went after NT Andrew Billings, DT Sheldon Day, and I really like safety Deon Bush but not mad with the Fuller pick especially if Scott had him as a 1st or 2nd rd pick. But then if he did to me you can't just stockpile picks you gotta trade one of your current players to give Fuller some PT.

We go Doctson, Cravens, Fuller. All players that won't help us beat the Packers much this year if we get to the playoffs. Skins have an immediate need at center, de, nt, fs, ss. Skins have been doing alot of drafting to with the idea of being a backup instead of an immediate starter. Just saying.

Yeah would be great if more of our third round draft picks were immediate starters.

[Countertrey]

Some were knocking the Fuller pick

Yeah? That surprises me. I thought he was probably our most likely draft steal. Could have been a second or late first round pick if he'd been healthy at the time.

I think you can never have enough good cornerbacks but I do understand why people knocked us getting a player that most likely will not start due to Breeland, Norman. So you essentially drafted a part time player with injury history as it seems right now. Maybe a few years from now it is different.

Same with Cravens. These are role / limited players who may never start with this team. I would have personally went after NT Andrew Billings, DT Sheldon Day, and I really like safety Deon Bush but not mad with the Fuller pick especially if Scott had him as a 1st or 2nd rd pick. But then if he did to me you can't just stockpile picks you gotta trade one of your current players to give Fuller some PT.

We go Doctson, Cravens, Fuller. All players that won't help us beat the Packers much this year if we get to the playoffs. Skins have an immediate need at center, de, nt, fs, ss. Skins have been doing alot of drafting to with the idea of being a backup instead of an immediate starter. Just saying.

woulda, coulda, shoulda... You don't have to buy into "best available" but, that's what our FO believes. Bottom line is that our GM sticks to his chart... if Cravens is at the top of his chart, Cravens is his pick... Overall, he seems to do pretty darned well sticking to his principles... Taking a "position of need" player whom is rated 7 or 8 picks lower than the player at the top of your chart, becomes a reach in a "best available" scheme...

[DarthMonk]

Alex Smith, Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, Delanie Walker, Patrick Willis, Dashon Goldson, Michael Crabtree, Rickey Jean-Francois, Russell Okung, Earl Thomas, Golden Tate, Kam Chancellor, Richard Sherman, Byron Maxwell, Bobby Wagner, Russell Wilson, Brandon Scherff, Preston Smith, Matt Jones, Jamison Crowder, Kyshoen Jarrett.

Something tells me this year's class will be OK.

[DarthMonk]

Seventh-round RB Keith Marshall is "firmly entrenched" as one of the Redskins' top-three running backs.

Redskins OC Sean McVay said Marshall has shown "encouraging maturity for a rookie running back," while Marshall has also drawn glowing praise from GM Scot McCloughan, who went as far as to suggest he could have a significant rookie-year role in a "two-headed monster" with Matt Jones. While Marshall is far from a sure thing, he is more physically gifted than Jones and should be taken seriously as a threat. Chris Thompson is a one-trick satellite back.

Aug 9
- 8:00 PM
Source: ESPN.com

[Irn-Bru]

RB is one of the positions where rookies can occasionally step in and be a big threat immediately even without NFL experience. (Most recently, for example, Thomas Rawls in Seattle.) I remember discussing on THN whether the team could afford to stash Alfred Morris on the practice squad a couple of weeks before the season began with him as our starter. I'd be a little surprised if Keith Marshall became a major player for us this year, but not shocked. He was a risky pick but has an incredible amount of upside with his size/speed combination — he's the size of Marshawn Lynch but has the speed of a scatback. Oh, and he can catch.

[Burgundy&GoldForever]

Seventh-round RB Keith Marshall is "firmly entrenched" as one of the Redskins' top-three running backs.

Redskins OC Sean McVay said Marshall has shown "encouraging maturity for a rookie running back," while Marshall has also drawn glowing praise from GM Scot McCloughan, who went as far as to suggest he could have a significant rookie-year role in a "two-headed monster" with Matt Jones. While Marshall is far from a sure thing, he is more physically gifted than Jones and should be taken seriously as a threat. Chris Thompson is a one-trick satellite back.

Aug 9
- 8:00 PM
Source: ESPN.com

I'd like to know where they get this stuff since Jay Gruden just said you can't tell anything about a running back from OTAs because there is no actual contact and that those positions would be determined from the preseason games.

[OldSchool]

The 2015 Skins didn't run that well. Tough to say as a fan watching the games once if it was the OL the backs or both but I do know after some deceptive success on the ground in the first couple of games the Skins running game was so-so. If the new back can help great the Skins need the help.

[cowboykillerzRGiii]

I think we will see a much improved running game. The blocking scheme and qb didn't suite a slower rb like almo.. NOW our top 3 rbs are much faster, 2/3 being lightning fast.
If Jones cleans up the fumbles he's a beast... just watch him go HAF this year!
I think with our attractive WR/TE threats we may be able to flip the table and use the pass game to open up the run instead of vice-versa.

I watched Marshall's per draft bio thingy before we nabbed him.. he was pushing Gurly for reps, and is a total workhorse. Him being off the field with injury but already turning heads is just a testament to said work ethic.. it's VERY easy to have self pity and not rebound as well from a serious injury and missing as much playing time.

The Scott way: high character players.. check!

[oj]

Why the off-handed dismissal of Thompson? A 'one-trick pony?' really? along the lines of a Joe Washington kind of 'one-trick pony' is exactly what we need.