For years, I consumed Redskins content from many contributors such as the late, great Rich Tandler, to smaller podcasts and blogs like Burgundy Blogcast. Growing up in the Philadelphia area as a Redskins fan is like torture. Anything you say that is even remotely connected to the Redskins is shut down. The Redskins are not taken seriously up here and maybe for good reason. The Washington Redskins have mustered up a total of one playoff win since 2005. I have annoyed my friends and family countless times, spewing my knowledge of Redskins content that goes in one ear and out the other. I thought it was time to take my knowledge to the people who do care, to Redskins fans. Being a young Redskins fan is not an easy task. It is very hard to support a team that does not win and, quite frankly, hasn’t shown the desire to win in decades. This new regime seems to show that desire and hunger that we as Redskins fans have been yearning for. I want to offer a perspective that tells us to have “skeptic-optimism” (yes I made that word up). Does this perspective mean I have more knowledge than the average Redskins viewer? Probably not, but I think it should serve as a different understanding of how the team is perceived at this very moment in time. So here goes nothing.

With the departures of Bruce Allen and Jay Gruden came a rejoice from Redskins Nation. Ding-Dong the Witch is gone! I followed in that rejoice, but what I’m seeing from Redskins media and twitter these days is a sudden amount of optimism. Don’t get me wrong, I think the Redskins are in better hands than we were, and that is an understatement. Growing up in the Philadelphia area, though, I think I have more of a skeptic mind than the average Redskin fan. Nobody here, and I mean nobody, takes the Redskins serious. The following is a breakdown of the team that comes with that “skeptic-optimism” I mentioned before, and I think it serves a purpose for the team and as a fan moving forward with this Ron Rivera regime.

The Management

    Here’s the part where the optimism comes in. Riverboat Ron Rivera comes in as the Redskins new head coach and I think there couldn’t be anyone better suited to take the reins. He seems to have full control over personnel and staff decisions, a similar role that Bruce Allen had here. Ron Rivera is a winner, and I don’t say that lightly. He is a no-nonsense type of coach, a style that is completely different from Jay Gruden who seemed to have lost the locker room on several occasions as a Redskins Head Coach. He took a 15-1 Panthers team to the Super Bowl with an inexperienced, young quarterback in Cam Newton. He is the type of guy you want leading a young group of men that the Redskins currently have in their locker room. The next notable acquisition from a management perspective is Jack del Rio. Del Rio is another “no-nonsense” type of guy who commanded a top 2 defense in Denver which landed him a head coaching gig with the Raiders. In 2016, del Rio’s Raiders were #1 in Takeaways/Giveaways, something that is a good translation to success in the NFL. The Raiders made the playoffs that year with a young quarterback in Derek Carr and a young receiver in Amari Cooper (similar to Dwayne Haskins and Terry McLaurin). Ron Rivera and Jack del Rio are two guys you want in your corner, especially with a young group of guys who need a little molding. The last guy I wanted to touch on is Kyle Smith. Kyle Smith is not a new acquisition within management, as he has a total of 11 seasons with the Redskins. This is his first year with his new title of “Vice President of Player Personnel”. This position, to me, is a “wait and see” kind of gig. I think if he performs well, which he has so far, he will be promoted to a type of General Manager role that the Redskins as an organization have been waiting to have for some time now. I love the increased role that he has with the Redskins. I loved his style of draft this year, not reaching for big name players as the Redskins used to do in the past. He made the obvious choice of Chase Young in the first round, but the most impressive thing he did was hitting on some key positions in the offense with his next 4 picks. He took Antonio Gibson in the 3rd round, a home run threat that plays as sort of a wild card running back role. He then took Saahdiq Charles and my favorite pick of the draft, Antonio Gandy-Golden, with his next two picks. I think both were good value as they will both compete for starter positions in the 2020 season. His next pick was Keith Ismael who gives the offensive line some depth along with Saahdiq Charles. Management has been the achilles heel for the Redskins franchise for some time, and I think we finally have the blueprint to get out of the gutter of the NFL.

The Roster

Here’s where some of that skepticism comes into play. I know most fans think highly of this young, talented roster, but I have my doubts. At the quarterback position, we have first round pick Dwayne Haskins. I’m more of a Dwayne Haskins believer than most, but I need to see more in the 2020 season. A lot of fans hang onto those last 3 games against the Packers, Eagles, and Giants, and I tend to do that myself, but let’s not get carried away here. The guy was not good for most of the 2019 season and came along slightly, numbers wise, in those three games. I think the most important part of his progression came with recognizing defenses and having a better understanding of the offense in those last 3 games he played. He took a gigantic leap in that regard, but again, didn’t put up the type of numbers you typically want to see out of a first round pick. I do think his struggles can be attributed to a staff that was in turmoil, but these are just excuses. He is a “wait and see” kind of guy in my opinion, though I do love the progress he has made so far this offseason. The wide receiver core is another one of those “wait and see” regimes on the offense. Terry McLaurin is a game-changing type of player, and a guy I want in the locker room for the rest of his career. This is a common theme throughout Redskins nation, so I won’t go into too much detail about that. Steven Sims is a nice slot player with major upside. I want to make it known that he was an undrafted rookie last year for a reason, so the comparisons to Tyreek Hill I’m seeing need to slow down, but I do think he boasts an incredible amount of upside. Antonio Gandy-Golden and Kelvin Harmon will battle it out for the number 2 outside WR position. I predict that Kelvin Harmon will get the nod to start the season, but Gandy-Golden will get his shot as the year progresses. The running back position is the best regime on the offense. The Redskins have a plethora of talent from top to bottom at this spot with Adrian Peterson, Derrius Guice, Antonio Gibson, J.D McKissic, Peyton Barber, and Bryce Love. I have a feeling Ron loves Adrian Peterson, and I hope him and Guice (if healthy) can share a lot of the carries this season. McKissic and Gibson will be your catching backs, with Gibson serving more as a “weapon” type of player in passing plays and some running plays. I don’t know if there is a spot for Barber on this team, and I hope Bryce Love can return to what he was with Stanford so he can show what he’s made of. The offensive line is kind of make-shift at this point in time. There are battles for starting sports across the board. The right side of the line is solid with Chase Roullier, Brandon Scherff, and Morgan Moses. The left side is a little bit tricky, but I think at the end of the day Saahdiq Charles and Wes Martin will round it out. This group has holes and needs proper grooming for Dwayne Haskins to make the leap everyone hopes he does in 2020. Finally, at the tight end position, we have a bunch of nobodies. After the departures of Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis, we have Logan Thomas, Jeremy Sprinkle, and undrafted rookie Thad Moss. Logan Thomas will most likely get the start here (by default), but I wanted to comment on Thad Moss. Thad Moss is the son of NFL Superstar Randy Moss. Yes, he has some upside and has his father’s hands, but he is an undrafted rookie. This guy isn’t Randy Moss as some Redskins fans have come to think he is. He is an undrafted rookie, for now. On the defensive side of the ball, the defensive line group is one of the best in the league on paper. Their front four consists of all first round picks in newcomer Chase Young, Montez Sweat, Jon Allen, Daron Payne and then the only non-first rounder in Matt Ionnidis (who might be the best one). This is a scary group that Ron Rivera and Defensive Coordinator Jack del Rio are probably salivating at. Let me make this clear: Ryan Kerrigan has a place on this team. I mean, come on. This is a guy who will break the Redskins sack record this year and is a leader in the locker room. I’m sure Ron loves a guy with that pedigree in the mix. The linebacker position consists of newcomer Thomas Davis, Josh Harvey-Clemons, Cole Holcomb, Jon Bostic, Ryan Anderson, and Rueben Foster. The first four players mentioned will probably be your main guys for the 2020 season. Reuben Foster will be in there whenever he gets back from his gruesome ACL tear, and Ryan Anderson is a guy with some upside, but might get left out due to the talent we have here. The secondary is the shakiest of them all. Kendall Fuller and Landon Collins are the locks, but after that I don’t have much hope for this regime. Ronald Darby will probably get the start on the other side of Fuller, but he is not good. Philadelphia fans HATE Ronald Darby, as he was at the forefront of most of the Eagles struggles in the secondary in 2019. He might have some upside, but I don’t see him as a starter caliber player. The other notable players include Fabian Moreau and Sean Davis at slot and safety. I like Sean Davis, but am not completely sold on his abilities. Fabian is a guy who had a lot of hope coming into the 2019 season and did not perform well.

In all, new management should give all Redskins fans a lot of hope for the future of this franchise. I expect them to lead in a way we have not seen since the Joe Gibbs era. The depth chart consists of many “wait and see” and “what if” players with some veteran leaders in the locker room such as Adrian Peterson, Thomas Davis, and Ryan Kerrigan. A lot of things need to go right for this roster to make some buzz this season. Vegas has the Redskins listed at 5.5 wins this season, which a lot of fans seem to think we will blow out, but I disagree. I think that is a fair evaluation for this team in the 2020 season, but don’t let that discourage you. With the right management in charge, we will be back. So let’s move forward with some of that “skeptic-optimism”.