4. An evaluation of the rookie class.
Washington’s rookie class needed time to put together more consistent results. It wasn’t until roster spots freed up, plus the team being eliminated from the playoffs, that some of them got significant playing time. They still have a lot of work to do, but multiple showed growth in the final three games and provided examples as to why they should be part of the team’s future.
Things were rough for Emmanuel Forbes Jr. to start the year. We don’t need to go over all the details again, but a lack of ability to stand up against some of the league’s top receivers, which allowed several explosive plays that gashed the defense and led to him being benched in Week 6.