The 53-man roster is anything but set for the Washington Redskins, and there are still a million things that need to happen before the coaching staff can have a solid idea of the guys they have on the team going forward. Beyond just setting the final roster, it will be even tougher to figure out who the starting unit is on both offense and defense, weighing the top position battles and figuring out who is most worthy of playing time.
Will Dwayne Haskins or Kyle Allen be named the starting quarterback? Will Derrius Guice be healthy enough to take the RB1 role away from Adrian Peterson? Who is going to start alongside WR Terry McLaurin? Let’s get down to our offensive predictions, starting with the backfield.
QB — Dwayne Haskins
It will be an interesting battle for the QB1 spot between Haskins and Allen, but in the end, I think that Haskins is a more talented player, and he will likely get the nod. He’s been working hard this offseason, trying to improve on a frustrating rookie season, and I believe a lot of that work will pay off. Slot him in for the start in Week 1, and hopefully watch him go to work.
RB — Adrian Peterson
A tough call between Guice and Peterson, but I think the stability that AP provides will give him the nod here. There’s no certainty that Guice will be 100% by the time the season rolls around — though it is expected — so I think that Peterson will end up getting the first reps in Week 1. That doesn’t mean Guice won’t get his fair share of reps though. If he can stay healthy, the RB1 job will be his by the time the season is over.
Now for the outside skill positions:
WR — Terry McLaurin
An easy call here. McLaurin is the most captivating player on the Redskins roster, and his incredible rookie season has everyone on the edge of their seats to see what he does next.
WR — Steven Sims Jr.
Sims is such a feel-good story that you have to expect his rise to continue. After barely making the 53-man roster, the undrafted rookie elevated from a special-teams role as kick returner to become a dynamic piece of the offense, racking up four touchdowns in 2019. Expect OC Scott Turner to find some wrinkles in the offense to really let Sims shine.
WR — Cody Latimer
Latimer was the Redskins highest-profile WR signing this offseason, which leads me to believe that he will see some solid playing time. He will be competing with Kelvin Harmon for this role, on top of whatever WR the Redskins draft, and I think that his experience in the league will give him the upper hand.
TE — Adam Trautman
Washington signed several free-agent TEs, but none of them are surefire starters. However, they still have a chance to draft a solid pass-catcher in the third or fourth round of the NFL Draft, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Dayton’s Adam Trautman end up in Washington. If they do draft a TE, he will have a great chance to slot in as the starter on day one.
And now to the offensive line:
LT — Donald Penn
Penn currently isn’t on the Redskins roster, but there have been talks about him returning as the team continues to look for an answer at the LT position. Penn stepped in on short notice in 2019 and did well at the position, so it seems highly possible he does the same thing in 2020 as well.
LG — Wes Martin
As a rookie, Wes Martin played some snaps at the RG spot in the wake of Brandon Scherff’s injury, and he performed very well. The Redskins lost Ereck Flowers in free agency, so they could ask Martin to shift to the other side of the line and provide some help on the blindside.
C — Chase Roullier
Roullier has been steady in his career with the Redskins, and I don’t see anything changing. He will be the starter on day one should nothing go wrong.
RG — Brandon Scherff
You don’t franchise tag a player and stick him on the bench.
RT — Morgan Moses
Moses struggled a bit in 2019, but he is still a solid player, and the continuity on the right side of the offensive line should allow the unit as a whole to improve in 2020.
