2015-16 NFL Preview: Washington Redskins

The Ultimate Sports Blog's

2015-16 NFL Preview

2014-15 Record: 4-12

Last Playoff Win: 2005 Wildcard vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Last Playoff Appearance: 2012 Wildcard vs. Seattle Seahawks

Last Super Bowl Win: Super Bowl XXVI vs. Buffalo Bills (1991)

Last Super Bowl Appearance: Super Bowl XXVI vs. Buffalo Bills (1991)

Head Coach:

Jay Gruden (4-12 all-time in Washington, 0-0 in playoffs)

Offensive Coordinator: Sean McVay

Defensive Coordinator: Joe Barry

2014-15 Team Leaders:

Passing Yards: Kirk Cousins (1,710 passing yards, 61.8% completions, 10 TD's, 9 INT's, 86.4 QB rating)

Rushing Yards: Alfred Morris (265 attempts, 1,074 yards, 8 TD's)

Receiving Yards: DeSean Jackson (56 receptions, 1,169 yards, 6 TD's)

Tackles: Keenan Robinson (109 tackles)

Interceptions: Bashaud Breeland (2 interceptions)

2014-15 Team Rankings:

Passing Offense: 11th in NFL

Rushing Offense: 19th in NFL

Points Per Game: 26th in NFL

Least Points Allowed Per Game: 29th in NFL

2015-16 Potential Starters:

Player Guide:

Purpe - Elite Starter
Blue - Above Average Starter
Green - Average Starter
Orange - Below Average Starter
Grey - Rookie
Red - Disgusting, Awful, Horrible, E.J. Manuel


Offense:

QB: Kirk Cousins

RB: Alfred Morris

WR: Pierre Garcon

WR: DeSean Jackson

TE: Jordan Reed

C: Kory Lichtensteiger

OG: Shawn Lauvao

OG: Spencer Long

OT: Brandon Scherff

OT: Trent Williams


Defense:

DE: Jason Hatcher

DE: Stephen Paea

DT: Terrance Knighton

LB: Trent Murphy

LB: Ryan Kerrigan

LB: Keenan Robinson

LB: Perry Riley

CB: Bashaud Breeland

CB: Chris Culliver

FS: Dashon Goldson

SS: Jeron Johnson

2015-16 Schedule:

(September 13) vs. Miami Dolphins

(September 20) vs. St. Louis Rams

(September 24) vs. @ New York Giants

(October 4) vs. Philadelphia Eagles

(October 11) vs. @ Atlanta Falcons

(October 18) vs. @ New York Jets

(October 25) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

(November 1) BYE WEEK

(November 8) vs. @ New England Patriots

(November 15) vs. New Orleans Saints

(November 22) vs. @ Carolina Panthers

(November 29) vs. New York Giants

(December 7) vs. Dallas Cowboys

(December 13) vs. @ Chicago Bulls

(December 20) vs. Buffalo Bills

(December 26) vs. @ Philadelphia Eagles

(January 3) vs. @ Dallas Cowboys

Final Prediction: 6-10 (2-4)


Overlook: You can say a lot of things about the Washington Redskins, but they definitely aren't a boring team. As a matter of fact, things in Washington lately have been EXTREMELY interesting to say the least. As everyone knows, back in 2012, the Redskins traded away four high-value draft picks (3 firsts and a second-rounder) to acquire the rights to draft Robert Griffin III. While the move was met with a lot of skepticism at first (Washington was giving up a lot for a guy who didn't look like a sure thing), those critics were shut up after RG III had a sensational rookie year where he finished with 3,200 passing yards and 20 touchdown's. And then....it all started slowly falling apart. Here we are three years later and RG III's time in Washington appears to have come to an end. The Redskins have gone ahead and named Kirk Cousins their starter for the future and Griffin is now a fringe roster player who's huge contract could mean he gets cut in the very near future. The Daniel Snyder-era folks. Embrace it.

So, now that we know who the Redskins QB is, what does he have to work with? A bunch of average players that's what. That's not a bad thing, but it's also not a great thing. A player like Cousins is going to need elite players around him to help him succeed, and outside of Trent Williams, the Redskins are seriously lacking those types of players on the offensive side of the ball. Defense is a different story though. I know Washington wasn't that good defensively last season, but I like a lot of what they have. Their front seven should be pretty good this season, which is good because this team is going to have to put pressure on the QB to make up for the weaknesses in the secondary. Still, you should see an improvement from the Washington defense this year. Lots of good players here.

What are the expectations for the Redskins this season? I think somewhere between 5-9 wins is likely a safe bet. There is also a good chance that the wheels could completely fall off the whole thing and it all goes crashing into a wall. If that happens, the Redskins will be drafting in the top 3 again next season (if Daniel Snyder doesn't trade the pick), Kirk Cousins will be looking for a new team, and Jay Gruden will be back to work as offensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars. It may not be pretty this year in D.C., but it's going to be fun to watch.