The Washington Redskins are now through the first four days of training camp, and the team is abuzz with compelling position battles and young guns looking to solidify a spot on the roster.
Here are some of the top storylines to come out of Washington in the first stint of training camp practices:
The QB competition is tight
It was expected to be the biggest battle coming into training camp, and rookie Dwayne Haskins and veteran Case Keenum have not disappointed thus far. However, the addition of veteran Colt McCoy after an injury ended his 2018 season has presented another possible outcome for the group.
McCoy has stood out as a legitimate candidate to win the starting job — as some predicted — and he is pushing the intensity of the QB battle forward. Haskins has gotten rave reviews over the first four days, with a growing ability to conduct the offense at the line of scrimmage and recognize what the defense is throwing at him. All the while, Keenum has been steadily doing everything right, and his experience against NFL defenses has him methodically maintaining a slight lead on the competition as a whole.
After the first four practices, it would be extreme to say that the pecking order has changed a whole lot, but one thing is for sure: These three QBs are a lot closer to each other than was once thought.
Related | Dwayne Haskins earns more rave reviews
Related | Colt McCoy is a legitimate candidate for starting quarterback
Tight end Jordan Reed is back
Reed is back to looking like the version of himself that we all saw in 2015, when he burst onto the scene and looked like the second coming of Tony Gonzalez. After multiple nagging injuries kept him off of the field for long stretches in each of the past three seasons, Reed is finally entering 2019 training camp without a red flag next to his name on the injury report. The difference has been noticeable.
Early on in camp, Reed metaphorically planted his flag in the ground and declared that he is still one of the most valuable assets to the team, and he isn’t going anywhere. With a depleted wide receiving corps, Reed’s ability to be an above-average pass-catcher will allow the quarterback — whoever that may be — to use him as a reliable threat over the middle. If he can stay healthy into the season, the return of Reed is better than any free agent signing the Redskins could have made.
Related | Jordan Reed has standout day at first practice
Offensive line looking for an answer
The Redskins’ front five is definitely far from complete. Everyone knows about Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams’ holdout, and how its expected endpoint is reportedly nowhere near. Washington has brought in a couple of players to try and fill the void — it signed veteran tackle Corey Robinson over the weekend — but until Williams makes his return, it’s going to be tough to get a good idea of what this unit can be.
There are a couple of solid options up front – namely rookie Wes Martin – to play the position until Williams returns to the team, but it’s not harsh to say that any fix that the Redskins find is likely to be inferior to optimal form. The team has been relatively open about the situation, and everyone knows that Williams is a highly-valued member of the team whos absence is felt. Until he returns, the team won’t be anywhere near full strength.
