ASHBURN — Back in March, a month before the Washington Redskins were scheduled to report for the start of offseason workouts on April 18, outside linebacker Preston Smith was already at Redskins Park preparing for his second season.
Veteran defensive end Ricky Jean Francois, who often worked out with Smith, had a simple message for the young pass rusher.
“I was just telling him, ‘You have no other choice, you did a hell of a job last year and you’ve got to be that guy,’” Jean Francois said. “I said, ‘You have to be that All-Pro guy.