When the Washington Football Team claimed Reuben Foster off waivers in 2018, they were hoping to get a starting linebacker on the cheap. But so far, that hasn’t materialized.

Foster was placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List shortly after Washington claimed him and missed the rest of the 2018 season. He came into 2019 expected to be a starting linebacker for the squad, but he suffered a knee injury at OTAs that sidelined him for the whole year.

Fast forward 14 months and there are still questions about Foster’s health. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, teams haven’t been able to host offseason workouts. So, the updates about Foster’s progress were few and far between.

Currently, Foster is on the PUP list. That said, there seems to be some optimism about him playing in 2020. But there is also concern about his overall health and when he might be ready to see the field.

So, will Foster play? And when may he play? There are a lot of potential outcomes for Foster on the comeback trail. Here’s a look at the possible ways Foster’s season could go and which path seems the most likely.

The post Examining all scenarios for Reuben Foster’s 2020 season with Washington appeared first on DC Sports King.

Over the course of the 2020 NFL offseason, Ron Rivera has had one goal for the Washington Football Team. The coach has focused on adding veteran competition at every position on the team to find the right combination of 53 players to make Washington competitive again.

One area that Rivera’s regime has focused on quite a bit is the offensive line. The team drafted two rookies, Saahdiq Charles and Keith Ismael, to be future starters at tackle and center respectfully.

Elsewhere, the squad loaded up on veteran talent to compete with incumbents for playing time. This has included the likes of Wes Schweitzer, Michael Liedtke, and most recently, Kevin Pamphile. All three players have multiple seasons of NFL experience and will challenge for starting jobs and top depth roles this season.

Still, there is uncertainty on the offensive line both presently and in the future, as Brandon Scherff and Chase Roullier are free agents in 2021 while Morgan Moses will be a potential roster cut barring a bounce-back year. As such, they will be interested in adding any quality linemen to the fold if they have a chance.

That’s why Brian Winters should be of interest to them. The seven-year member of the New York Jets was released on Sunday and will be a free agent. The 29-year-old has quite a bit of experience and could be a quality depth piece at the minimum for Washington.

Winters was a third-round pick out of Kent State during the 2013 NFL Draft. He emerged as a starter in his rookie season and held down a starting role for a majority of his seven years in New York. He made 79 starts in 89 games while playing both left and right guard during his career.

For the most part, Winters has been a solid starter. He allowed just one sack last season and only committed two penalties in nine games. Generally, his blocking has been good and that’s why he has been a starter for so long.

There are some concerns with Winters. He has had some injury issues and has only played a 16-game slate in three of his seven NFL seasons. That said, he has only played fewer than 13 games twice, so that’s a good sign. And at just 29 and with versatility along the interior offensive line, he shouldn’t decline yet and can still be a serviceable starter or solid backup.

Currently, Washington doesn’t have a set starter at left guard. Right now, Schweitzer and Wes Martin are the top competitors at that position. If the team isn’t confident in either protecting Dwayne Haskins enough this season, they could add more competition to the fold. Winters is among the better guard options on the market and would be an upgrade to the team’s depth at the very least.

And if Washington has trouble trying to negotiate Scherff during the offseason, Winters could be a fine stopgap option. So, inking him to a two-year deal with little guaranteed money would make a lot of sense.

As the team exhibited when adding Pamphile less than a week ago, they aren’t afraid to make moves to bring experienced players into the fold. At the right price, Winters would be a solid add for Washington. We’ll soon see if they have any interest in the ex-New York Jet.

The post Washington Football Team should have an interest in OL Brian Winters appeared first on DC Sports King.

Not yet, though. For now, we’re still in the midst of analyzing the Washington football team‘s defensive front, a unit which happens to not only be the team’s best department, but also one of the best defensive line groups in the entire league.

The interior, pieced together from 2016 to 2018, serves as the foundation for the group, but for the first time in a long time, the Washington football team might suddenly have an edge pairing that is similarly well-stocked. Since 2011, Ryan Kerrigan has almost been on his own, but that won’t be the case anymore.

As training camp gets underway, let’s take a look at one of the most exciting position groups on the Washington football team: The edge rushing core.

The post Washington Football Team training camp profiles: Edge rushers appeared first on DC Sports King.

With the vast amount of changes that have come to the Washington Football Team in the off-season, followers of the team will likely direct their attention early in the season on the new-look defense. Fans have been clamoring for years specifically about the need to change from the 3-4 to the 4-3 scheme.

The defensive side of the ball for the Washington Football Team was addressed heavily in the off-season starting with the hiring of a defensive-minded head coach in Ron Rivera. The focus on the stop unit continued with the hiring of defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, and ended with the pick of Ohio State phenom Chase Young in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The additions of proven defensive minds in Rivera and Del Rio, in particular, will be expected to turn an underperforming defense into one that is, at minimum, considered respectable.

Now, whatever the ceiling for the defense will be in 2020 and beyond is obviously unknown at this point. But, the duo of Rivera and Del Rio have been better at coaching and scheming defense in their respective careers compared to previous Washington Football Team defensive coordinator Greg Manusky.

Before harping any further on how challenged the previous regime was when it comes to defense, it is agreed that players must also live up to their end of the bargain. They are professionals and must act accordingly.

Josh Harvey-Clemons is one of those players on defense who may, in fact, be seeing the new staff’s arrival as a breath of fresh air. He has a particular set of skills that are unmatched with what is currently on the Washington Football Team roster. He can be a nightmare against opposing offenses if used correctly.

The former 2017 draft pick from Louisville has the unique ability to serve in a versatile linebacker/safety role. His size and speed allow for position flexibility, and to simplify matchups on defense. Simply put, in theory, he would have a better chance at covering and tackling a bigger faster offensive threat versus a typical linebacker or safety who is either too small or not fast enough.

While Harvey-Clemons has always had the ability to be an effective hybrid type of defender, he has either been used incorrectly or not shown enough to previous decision-makers to get playing time. His production has been minimal to date. But one player he could look to and hope to become under the new regime is current Carolina Panthers versatile defender Shaq Thompson.

Under the tutelage of Rivera and company in Carolina, Thompson steadily improved his production for the Panthers since being drafted in 2015. In 2019, Thompson finished his best year statistically with 109 combined tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks. The Panthers coaching staff, with Rivera at the helm, was able to use Thompson’s speed and athleticism in order to help him become a plus defender rather than a defensive liability.

Harvey-Clemons’ best season with the Washington Football Team in terms of production was 2018 when he finished with 22 combined tackles, 1 tackle for loss and 1.0 sacks. Entering his fourth year, he can only hope to accomplish what Thompson has accomplished since entering the NFL. But, at least he will have coaches that bring with them a track record of using players with this type of skill-set effectively.

At 6-foot-4 245 pounds, and having 4.68 40 speed to go along with it, Harvey-Clemons needs to be given ample opportunity to showcase his potential to the new staff. His immense physical attributes, if used correctly, could make him a game-changer for a defense that needs playmakers to come forward.

What we don’t know about Harvey-Clemons is if he has any issues behind the scenes. What we do know is that in the upcoming season is that he should have the necessary tools at his disposal to become a better football player. He must prove it on the field with quality production.

If Harvey-Clemons can produce like other high-end versatile defenders around the league, then the team might be able to find more than just respectability on defense quicker than we all would have hoped. He might, however, face some competition during training camp from the recently drafted Khaleke Hudson from the University of Michigan.

We’ll soon see what Harvey-Clemons can do. But under a new coaching staff, there’s a chance that he could live up to his potential as a versatile defender.

The post Josh Harvey-Clemons could emerge under new coaching staff appeared first on DC Sports King.

The first line of Washington Football Team gear is live now at Fanatics. While Washington won’t

The first line of Washington Football Team gear is live now at Fanatics. While Washington won’t be finalizing a new name for awhile, this is the first step in a new era of D.C. football.

Check out some of the new items highlighted below, or shop at Fanatics for the full lineup.

The post A New Era: Get your Washington Football Team gear now appeared first on DC Sports King.

And Rivera and Co. are looking forward to seeing Love on the field, per Rhiannon Walker of The Athletic.

Much like Rivera, Washington fans are surely excited to see Love in action as well. The 2017 Heisman runner-up ran for 2,118 yards and 19 touchdowns as a junior before regressing a bit as a senior and then suffering the injury. But he still has a sky-high ceiling and could end up being a contributor in the running back room.

Getting on the field is certainly important for Love. Washington added quite a bit to their running back room this offseason in third-round pick Antonio Gibson and free-agent signees J.D. McKissic and Peyton Barber.

Given those signings coupled with the fact that Love was a selection of the old regime, he isn’t guaranteed a roster spot. But being on the field will give him a chance to win one, provided that he can stay healthy.

Love is going to be one of the biggest Wild Cards of the Washington roster battle. The 23-year-old could emerge as a key part of the team’s running back rotation or Rivera and Scott Turner could opt to go in a different direction at the position. There’s no telling exactly what will happen.

The post Bryce Love passes his physical ahead of 2020 NFL training camp appeared first on DC Sports King.

While there are some intriguing options at the tight end position, all of the players on the roster figure to be role players at best. Vertical threats. Blocking tight ends. Jacks of all trades. Washington has them all.

But a true No. 1 tight end? Or a player that is guaranteed to be a good starter? That’s something that the team lacks.

Barring a surprise transaction before the season — one that would likely have to be a trade — Washington will roll with what they have at the position. They will get by, but there’s no doubt that the position won’t be ideal. Still, they should be able to cobble together a rotation that should work well enough.

Who will make up that rotation? And what options does the team have? Here’s a look at the seven tight ends on Washington’s roster ahead of 2020 NFL training camp.

The post Washington Football Team training camp profiles: Tight End appeared first on DC Sports King.

The Washington Football Team wasn’t in the running for Jamal Adams, but one of their rivals was.

For most of the 2020 NFL offseason, star New York Jets safety Jamal Adams has been demanding a trade. The first-team All-Pro talent became disgruntled with the direction of the franchise and was vocal about his displeasure in the team’s performance under head coach Adam Gase.

It was going to take a big trade to get New York to move on from Adams. But they did, in fact, do just that on Saturday by dealing him to a contender. And the move was a huge one.

The post Jamal Adams being traded to Seattle is good news for Washington Football Team appeared first on DC Sports King.

The Washington Football Team made quite a few transactions on Friday. In the morning, the team made official the signings of their eight rookie draft picks ahead of 2020 training camp. And in the afternoon, they added another more unique rookie to the roster.

Via an official press release by the team, Washington signed German defensive lineman David Bada to a contract. This transaction had already been reported earlier in the offseason, but Bada’s signing was official as of Friday.

The post Washington Football Team officially signs German DL David Bada appeared first on DC Sports King.

Before the 2020 offseason began in earnest, many expected that the Washington football team would be relying on Bryce Love in a bigger role during the 2020 season. After all, the 2019 fourth-round draft pick had once been considered a potential first-round pick before an ACL tear late in his final year at Stanford cratered his draft stock.

Still, the 2017 Heisman runner up is considered talented. And if he’s fully healthy, he could be a major asset at the NFL level. That said, he is facing some obstacles to make an impact in the Washington running back room during his second season.

The first question is obviously about his health. Love will be over a year and a half removed from the ACL tear that sidelined him in his final collegiate season, but Washington won’t have seen him on a field for quite some time due to the ongoing pandemic. as such, it will be important for Love to perform well in training camp to win a spot on the team.

The post Bryce Love is the biggest question mark in Washington’s running back room appeared first on DC Sports King.