It was a surprisingly quiet offseason for the Washington Redskins, but there's still plenty of intrigue surrounding the team. Here are three things to look for this week ahead of their second preseason game:
Will Robert Griffin III continue to show progress?
RGIII's growth as a quarterback will be a process, but ESPN's John Keim said that while he's still inconsistent, Griffin has made progress:
"In the 11-on-11 portion, Griffin and the offense got off to a tough start when end J.J. Watt did what he does best. He batted a pass down after pushing guard Brandon Scherff back. The same thing happened the next play when end Jared Crick moved guard Shawn Lauvao back and batted down a pass. But Griffin completed an out pass to Andre Roberts on the next play. Later, Griffin was short on a pass to receiver Ryan Grant."
In their preseason opener against the Browns, Griffin completed four of eight passes for just 36 yards. However, he had a couple of long passes that should've been caught but were dropped. It was an encouraging sign for Redskins fans, but we'll see if that continues.
Dominant defensive line
Washington was praised for bringing in defensive tackle Terrance Knighton this offseason from the Denver Broncos, and his presence has had a hugely positive impact on the Redskins' front four. Their improvement was shown in their performance in practices against the Houston Texans, as Texans running back Alfred Blue told Gene Wang of the Washington Post:
“They have a lot of presence up there, their front four. You’ve just got to read those keys and just be patient and let it come to you. Don’t force it.”
ESPN's John Keim also singled out the line for positive reviews:
"They definitely had moments where they looked good and clogged the middle; nose tackle Terrance Knighton drew double teams and on one run, he clogged the middle and end Stephen Paea penetrated to stop the run."
They backed up the praise they've been getting in the opener against Cleveland, holding the Browns to just 45 yards rushing. Expect that to continue.
When Jamison Crowder return to action?
Rookie wideout Jamison Crowder has made the most of his opportunities in training camp, and many thing he's earned a significant role in the offense. The Washington Post's Mike Jones believes that Crowder can be a great slot receiver:
"His speed is hard for anybody to match, and Crowder also runs good routes and finds holes in the coverage."
Rich Tandler of Real Redskins echoed those sentiments and called him "one of the offensive stars of the session. He caught several passes working against the Texans’ first-team defense and he drew a flag when a defender had to grab him on a deep pass."
However, he was held out of their preseason opener against the Browns and may not play in their second game due to a nagging hamstring injury. If he wants to earn significant playing time in the slot, he'll have to return to the field sooner than later.
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