Ranking the top needs for Washington to address in 2021 offseason
Now that the 2020 season has officially ended for the Washington Football Team, the offseason can get underway. Every year this is a major time for teams to address their needs and figure out how they can better their roster, and for Washington, this may be one of the most important offseasons they’ve had in years.
The current iteration of the roster is talented, there’s no denying that. The players in Washington know how to win, and they have a desire to be one of the best teams in the NFL. However, this team is about 1-2 pieces short of being a playoff contender, and maybe 3-4 pieces short of being a real Super Bowl threat. The core is there, but a few major holes need to be filled. Here are the top things for Washington to take care of and address over the next several months.
Find your QB of the future
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With as good as the Washington defense is, all you need is even a little bit of success on offense to make some noise in the NFL. The biggest thing standing between them and a legitimate playoff run is a guy on offense who can give the fanbase some confidence. We saw what Washington did on Saturday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Taylor Heinicke under center, and while that may not be something they can rely on going forward, it's at least a step in the right direction. With all of this being said, the biggest thing that Ron Rivera and his team need to focus on this offseason is finding who their QB will be in 2021. It may not be an easy question to answer, but the team has a number of different options at their disposal. We all know how much Rivera likes competitions in camp, so there's a very real possibility that he brings players like Heinicke and Kyle Allen back, letting them compete for the starting job while throwing in another guy in there, be it someone they get in the draft or in free agency. Washington is going to have some money to spend, so they could go after a few guys who hit the open market, or look to trade for a solid veteran as well. In the draft, Washington holds the No. 19 overall pick, so it's unlikely that a surefire starter will fall to them in the first round, but they might be able to get someone who can compete for the job. What Rivera can't do is waste another year of this defense while trying to figure things out on the other side of the ball. Washington is too good to be scoring 13-20 points per game and hoping that's enough. Getting a guy who is even a B- at the position will be a step up, and something that needs Washington's full attention.
Sign Brandon Scherff to long-term deal
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Washington has done a really good job of creating a solid core on the offensive line that they can feel good about, and there are a couple of players who didn't see the field this year that have high upside as well — see Saahdiq Charles and Keith Ismael. However, the biggest piece that they have upfront — Brandon Scherff — becomes a free agent this offseason, and he could potentially leave if he was so inclined. Luckily, he seems to have no intention of doing so and has been very public about his desire to stay in Washington and work out a new deal. Rivera needs to make that happen as quickly as possible. You could argue that this 'need' should be ranked above the 'QB X' search, but we put it down one because it seems so likely to happen. Still, if Rivera has a 'to-do list' for the offseason, I think that signing Scherff is the first thing he needs to take care of, and likely the easiest task to get done.
Add a playmaking WR
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Now that the season is over, we have the benefit of looking at the 2020 stats as a whole and can try to make some real assessments. This one, in particular, stood out to me: A total of 5 wide receivers in Washington received more than 10 targets this season; 4 of those players were undrafted. Thanks to the injury to Kelvin Harmon, and the slow start from rookie Antonio Gandy-Golden, the only meaningful WR in Washington to actually have a high profile was Terry McLaurin, and he did absolutely everything he could this season, finishing with 87 catches for 1118 yards. That's just not how you make up an NFL roster, especially at one of the most important positions on the field. Now, of course, there are some guys who can progress going forward. We saw some growth from Cam Sims, and there is hope that he can be a WR3 down the road. We also believe that both Harmon and Gandy-Golden can have an impact in the future. Still, though, if Washington were to use that No. 19 pick to grab one of the better WR's in the draft (Rondale Moore, Terrace Marshall Jr., Rashod Bateman?) then it could be huge for this young roster. There are also a handful of enticing names set to be free agents this season that could fit nicely in Washington's offense. The offensive line and running game are pretty solid. The QB needs to be found, and the WR corps needs to be bolstered. Get someone to run alongside McLaurin and Logan Thomas, and you've got an offense that can finally move the ball.
Get a run-stopping MLB
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We've said multiple times here already how good Washington's defense is, but it's really the defensive line that is outstanding, and the rest of the unit is decent. That rings true for the linebacking core, where WFT has a few pretty good players — Cole Holcomb, Jon Bostic, Kevin Pierre-Louis — but nobody that you could classify as great. That needs to change. Rookie LB Khaleke Hudson looked solid in some limited run near the end of the season, and Holcomb has routinely progressed in his two years in the league, but what Washington could really use in the draft or free agency is a stud MLB who can be a rock in the middle of the field. Someone who can plug the running lanes and have a major effect in the trenches. A person who can fire up the defense alongside Chase Young and help grow the gritty nature that this team plays with. The talent is there on that side of the ball, but one more solid player in the middle could put them over the edge.
Add another cornerback
(AP Photo/Justin Berl)
Similar to the LB spot, the cornerbacks in Washington have been pretty good this season, but they are one injury away from having a disaster on their hands. Last offseason, Washington brought in both Kendall Fuller and Ronald Darby. Fuller is locked down for several years, luckily, but Darby is only on a one-year deal, and he might have played well enough to be drawn elsewhere by an attractive contract. With Darby gone, that would leave Jimmy Moreland and Fabian Moreau; both nice pieces, but by no means CB1's. If Washington can use one or two of their mid-round draft picks this year to get versatile DB's with some upside, then it could fix this problem for the time being. They don't exactly need a star like Jalen Ramsey, but they do need depth and reliability if they're going to make a push to be one of the best teams in the league going forward.
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