Check out all of our 2009 NFL team previews.
Offseason Additions: Albert Haynesworth (DT); Derrick Dockery (G); Jeremy Bridges (G).
Offseason Losses: Jason Taylor (DE); Pete Kendall (G); Demetric Evans (DE); Ethan Albright (C).
Player to Watch: Albert Haynesworth, DT.
The Redskins paid a hefty price ($100 million over seven years, including $41 million in guarantees to be exact) for Haynesworth, who was the biggest catch on the free agent market this offseason. Haynesworth is a massive (figuratively and literally) upgrade over Kedric Golston and Anthony Montgomery, who split time last year next to Cornelius Griffin. Haynesworth is a ferocious pass-rusher who constantly demands double-teams and who is a beast against the run. He’ll free up fellow Griffin and Andre Carter to make plays because they’ll see a significant amount of one-on-one matchups. The former Titan might take the Skins’ defense to another level this season.
Team Strength: Washington’s secondary stands to be a strength in 2009. While the team overpaid for his services, corner DeAngelo Hall is solid when he’s not in man-to-man. He’s at his best when he plays in space and can react to the ball, which is what Washington will allow him to do. As long as he stays motivated, the Redskins will cash in on Hall’s terrific athleticism. On the other side, Carlos Rogers continues to battle a calf injury and was benched after the team rushed him back from ACL surgery last season, but he’s an instinctive player when healthy. At safety, Landry is a flat out playmaker and while he still is learning how to read offenses, he’s always going at full tilt and is a missile against the run and in coverage. While some expected Horton to be pushed by Reed Doughty, head coach Jim Zorn anointed Horton the starter at strong safety back in OTAs. He might not be the most athletic player on the field, but he’s incredibly smart and always gets the most out of his abilities.
Potential Weakness: The Skins’ weaknesses are sporadic on both sides of the ball. Young receivers Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly have been incredibly slow in their development, which could be a problem if Santana Moss and/or Antwaan Randle El suffer injuries. The end position opposite Carter could also be concern in terms of generating a pass rush, because both Phillip Daniels and Renaldo Wynn are essentially just run-stuffers. While the signing of Haynesworth should help in that area, the Skins really need first round pick Brian Orakpo to learn quickly and get after the quarterback the way he did in college. On the offensive line, it’s vital that Chris Samuels and Randy Thomas stay healthy because there’s not a lot of depth behind them outside of Jeremy Bridges.
Outlook: Washington’s success this season will revolve around quarterback Jason Campbell. Now that his quarterback is in year two of running his offense, Jim Zorn has to allow Campbell to throw the ball vertically more. The Skins essentially dink-and-dunked their way down the field last year, which was fine at first but opposing teams eventually caught on. The fact that the team was seriously considering trading for Jay Cutler and signing free agent Byron Leftwich doesn’t give Campbell a vote of confidence. That said, Campbell is surrounded by solid playmakers in Moss, running back Clinton Portis and tight end Chris Cooley. And as long as the line stays healthy, the Skins will move the football. Defensively, the additions of Haynesworth and Orakpo were key, as was the re-signing of Hall. London Fletcher will once again be the backbone of Washington’s defense and the entire unit will be freed up to make more plays now that Haynesworth is in the middle.
This isn’t a bad team by any means but again, the key is the development of Campbell in Zorn’s offense. Will his head coach take the training wheels off and let his quarterback throw down field more? Or will Campbell once again be limited to the dink-and-dunk? Can Haynesworth stay motivated now that he’s cashed in? The Skins will be competitive, but they’re in a tough division and won’t challenge for a playoff spot if the offense remains vanilla.
2009 Prediction: Fourth, NFC East.
