Washington Redskins Reality Check Reveals Lack of Depth on Roster

The Washington Redskins look better than they have since their glory days of the 90’s but the team lacks depth at some critical positions.

Every team will enter the regular season with some degree of uncertainty. The Washington Redskins would be well served to take the necessary precautions needed to guard against a catastrophe.

The Redskins made the defensive line a priority and were able to turn one of the team’s glaring weaknesses into one of their biggest strengths. But, one injury to that defensive line and the team would be facing an all too familiar problem. The talent is there but keeping them fresh is the tricky part.

The Redskins need to bite the bullet and commit to keeping seven defensive linemen. Some would question keeping three nose tackles but because of the versatility of Tim Settle and DaRon Payne it makes a lot of sense to keep Phil Taylor as well.

If Stacey McGee were healthy the Redskins would more than likely be keeping seven defensive linemen. So, until McGee is ready to go why not replace him with Taylor. They both go 6’3 340. If Taylor continues to show the skill set that made him a first round draft pick in 2011 they can decide between him and McGee when it’s time to cross that bridge.

LANDOVER, MD – AUGUST 16: Wide receiver Trey Quinn #14 of the Washington Redskins is tackled by wide receiver Charone Peake #17 of the New York Jets as he returns a punt in the third quarter of a preseason game at FedExField on August 16, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /

Secondly, although Trey Quinn has become a fan favorite he belongs on the practice squad. It is not the time to be thinking about how good Quinn could become once he has been sufficiently developed. The Redskins need to think in terms of what they would do if one of their starting wide receivers went down. In that scenario Trey Quinn is not the answer – Brian Quick is.

Trey Quinn was the very last player selected in the draft. It is difficult to imagine another team signing him based on what he’s shown thus far. It would be one thing if he could be signed as a developmental project to be groomed by someone else but that team would have to sign him to their final 53 man roster. I don’t see that happening and because of that, it’s imperative that Brian Quick fills the role of the backup that, forced to step up, could play a major role for this offense. Most would be hard pressed to believe Quinn is ready to do that.

Finally, the current depth in the defensive backfield is not strong enough to afford Troy Apke a roster spot as he develops into an NFL safety. I think Apke is going to be a very good safety for the Redskins. But, much like the situation with the wide receiver group, the team needs depth at the position that could play a significant role if called upon.

The Redskins have players on their roster that could adequately fill in for Swearinger or Nicholson should their number be called. Apke, even with his blinding speed, is not one of them. He needs a year to develop on the practice squad. Another team is not going to sign him to their 53 man roster. They saw him miss those tackles too.