The Washington Football Team is coming off of a playoff season in 2020. Regardless of their regular season record a season ago, that statement is a fact.
Washington went from having the second overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and overhauling their entire team, basically (literally from the name of the team on down) to being the NFL’s fourth-ranked scoring defense and actually keeping it close against the eventual Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round.
The playoff appearance by the Washington Football Team in 2020 is proof that Ron Rivera is still one of the top defensive-minded coaches in the NFL today and that this WFT defense is for real.
With one of the most underrated defensive units in the NFL, the Washington Football Team’s 2021 offseason blueprint seemed rather simple — somehow find an upgrade at the quarterback position and get the 25th-ranked scoring offense a little bit closer to the level of that top-five defense.
Picking 19th in the 2021 NFL Draft, Washington had really no choice but to be aggressive on the free agent market at the quarterback position. Although they made the postseason, Washington still had plenty of roster holes to address and areas they needed to fill with starting-caliber players, so just relying on the NFL Draft was never really in the cards.
As might have been expected, Washington was aggressive in free agency and they have made some moves that, on paper, make this team look pretty interesting yet again for the 2021 season. Not only do they return the majority of their top-five defense, but the offense should also be an improved group if their starters can stay healthy.
Let’s take a look through the top seven moves made by the Washington Football Team in the 2021 offseason to get back into the postseason and maybe make a little more noise.
1. Signing QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
The Washington Football Team signing Ryan Fitzpatrick made sense the moment the 2020 season came to a conclusion.
As noted previously, Washington’s draft position sort of dictated that they would need to be aggressive in pursuit of someone in free agency, along with the team’s decision to completely move on from 2019 first-round pick Dwayne Haskins last year.
The decision to move off of Haskins cost Washington dearly in terms of their timeline at the quarterback position, but they are now poised to try to compete with Fitz-magic and re-evaluate and re-assess at the end of the 2021 season.
They currently do not have a long-term developmental option on the roster and went through the 2021 NFL Draft without selecting anyone at the position.
Fitzpatrick was playing really well for the Miami Dolphins last year but the team was intent on getting Tua Tagovailoa reps in his rookie season, so Fitzpatrick was surprisingly pulled from his job with the Dolphins firmly in playoff contention.
Understandably, that did not sit well with Fitzpatrick.
With a defense as good as Washington’s and inarguably better all-around weapons in Washington, the veteran journeyman should be able to get this team at least to eight wins if not more in 2021.
Considering the team’s release of Haskins and lack of other options, signing Fitzpatrick was the most important move this team made in 2021.
2. Signing CB William Jackson III
Although Ron Rivera’s defense has historically been pretty good to cornerbacks, the Washington Football Team needs to replace some top-notch production from Ron Darby, who left to go be with the Denver Broncos in free agency.
Darby, whose reputation is typically of the oft-injured variety, was sensational last season and parlayed his short-term deal with Washington into a three-year pact with Denver.
William Jackson III is a former first-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals who, like Darby, can get his hands on the football.
In his first four NFL seasons, Jackson has 41 pass breakups but only three interceptions. He will be the CB1 in Washington this year, a crucial position for them that needed to be filled. Luckily, this year’s free agent crop at cornerback was pretty deep overall.
It’s hard to say Washington “upgraded” here over Darby because they’re going to have to train another player in their scheme over again, but Jackson is a veteran whose consistency is notable.
He should benefit greatly from the talent on this Washington defensive front.
3. Upgrading the left side of the OL
Although not exactly the sexiest of their offseason moves, one of the most important items on the agenda for the Washington Football Team in 2021 was getting the left side of the line shored up.
The absence of Trent Williams in the last couple of years has hurt, and Washington has had to pretty well make due at left tackle.
Washington’s first move to upgrade the left side of the line was bringing back a familiar face in former first-round pick Ereck Flowers via trade with the Miami Dolphins. Flowers really blossomed in 2019 with Washington and parlayed his performance into a solid free agent contract with the Dolphins.
The Dolphins had what should be borderline considered a fire sale this offseason for some recent free agent pickups and Washington was able to get Flowers back on the cheap.
They followed up that trade by signing Chicago Bears cap casualty Charles Leno Jr., a former Pro Bowl selection who hasn’t missed a game since his rookie season.
The availability of Leno will be perhaps his most welcomed attribute. There is no question that Washington will take both of these players playing at a league-average level or better. They don’t have to go out there and grade out in the top 10 for Pro Football Focus or anything, but if Leno and Flowers can be solid, Washington’s offense should be humming most of the year.
4. Signing WR Curtis Samuel
In addition to signing veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Washington Football Team had to find ways to upgrade their offensive weaponry.
Enter Curtis Samuel.
More “offensive weapon” than just “wide receiver”, Samuel brings another dynamic element of speed and YAC potential to Washington’s offense along with his former college teammate at Ohio State Terry McLaurin.
With McLaurin establishing himself as one of the better young receivers in the game, Samuel should see a lot of one-on-one opportunities and that’s where he can really thrive, making defenders miss in space and using his explosive speed to create in the open field.
Adding a weapon like Samuel gives offensive coordinator Scott Turner a weapon to utilize on the outside and create explosive plays downfield as well. There is familiarity between Turner and Samuel in Carolina and Samuel was utilized on a lot more downfield plays in 2019 than he was last year in Joe Brady’s offense.
Whether it’s deep downfield, after the catch, or out of the backfield as a runner, there will be plenty of opportunities for Samuel to be a major difference-maker in Washington.
5. Drafting LB Jamin Davis (1st round)
Although the defense was clearly the strength of the team going into the 2021 NFL Draft, the Washington Football Team decided to strengthen a strength instead of just going straight for other areas of need.
There’s nothing wrong with that strategy, especially when you’re taking a shot on a player like Jamin Davis.
One of the freakiest height/weight/speed athletes you will see at the off-ball linebacker position, Davis is still in the early stages of what he can become as a football player.
Although he plays fast and aggressive, as he learns the nuances of the NFL game, he has a chance to be an absolute superstar in Ron Rivera’s defense.
We’ve seen players in recent history like Luke Kuechly play at a Hall of Fame level in Rivera’s defense, and a player with Davis’ athletic makeup should be destined for great things.
Playing behind such a talented defensive front, Davis’ job will be easier than a lot of rookie linebackers who have to clean up after poor defensive line play. He is going to be free to go out there and make plays.
6. Drafting WR Dyami Brown (3rd round)
Although Dyami Brown was not Washington’s first- or second-round draft pick, he is one of their most important offseason additions.
Heck, this guy might even finish the year fifth or worse on the team in overall targets, but there’s a chance he absolutely explodes as a rookie if Washington deploys him in three-wide sets consistently.
He has been one of the most efficient, explosive, and downright destructive slot receivers in college football, especially in the 2020 season.
In his last two seasons, Brown caught 106 passes at North Carolina. 20 of those went for touchdowns. That’s a ratio just about any team will take.
Washington WR Dyami Brown: 10 catches of 50+ yards since 2019
— PFF College (@PFF_College) May 16, 2021
Most in college football🔥 pic.twitter.com/B6eTWAmZVO
The addition of Brown in combination with the acquisition of Curtis Samuel and Ryan Fitzpatrick indicate one thing is for certain in 2021 for this Washington offense — Scott Turner wants to get the ball downfield at a high rate.
Brown averaged over 20 yards per reception the last couple of seasons at UNC and now will have a chance to put his dynamic downfield ability to the test in the slot for Washington.
7. Drafting OT Samuel Cosmi (2nd round)
The 2021 NFL Draft had a loaded offensive line class and the Washington Football Team made sure to take advantage of that.
With their second-round pick, Washington was able to snag a player many felt would be off the board in the top 32 in Texas offensive tackle Samuel Cosmi. After drafting Cosmi, the team went out and signed Charles Leno Jr., so Cosmi will be under no obligation to play in 2021 unless Washington envisions something for him that we can’t all see right now.
With that being said, this was a crucial addition to the team because in a 17-game season, you have to expect that your sixth offensive lineman, seventh, eighth — they’re probably all going to have to play at some point.
Cosmi could have the chance to start at either guard or tackle in the NFL and it wouldn’t shock anyone to see him getting trained up at both spots throughout the offseason.
With Cosmi in the fold, Washington has at least an option for the long-term at the left tackle position and a player with a ton of talent and upside who could be a major steal where they got him in the Draft.