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If there was ever any doubt as to which side of the ball will be the most dominant in the 2020 season, the Washington defense made that answer loud and clear in practice on Thursday.
While the offense was playing with a few men down thanks to a rest day before the five-day stretch of practice that starts on Saturday, the defense was still able to dominate at every level of the field, constantly coming up with big plays and turnovers throughout the day.
So far this week, we’ve focused a lot on the secondary in Washington, as the team tries to find the best group of players to fill out each position. It’s still early on, but the four cornerbacks seem to be set, with Kendall Fuller, Ronald Darby, Fabian Moreau, and Jimmy Moreland standing out. Deeper in the secondary, Landon Collins is no surprise to get the starting nod, but a candidate for starting FS might surprise some people.
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Troy Apke has been consistently slotted in with the No. 1’s on defense, playing in front of guys like Sean Davis and Khaleke Hudson. The third-year safety has been a rotation player in Washington so far, but he might be in for a bigger workload going forward.
“He’s doing a great job,” Collins said of Apke, via WashingtonFootball.com. “He’s understanding what he’s supposed to be looking at. We’re talking all the time on the back end, making sure what he sees. He’s picking my brain on my knowledge about how to play different things and playing within the defensive calls and how we’ve got to see things and see different adjustments. Just being on the same page.”
This early in camp, Ron Rivera has made it clear that the rotation of players will be fluid, and just because someone is starting with the ones right now doesn’t mean that will be there by the time the season rolls around. Still, though, for Apke, it’s all about doing what he can and staying prepared to take the field whenever called upon.
“I’m just trying to go out every day and compete, and whoever I’m out there with, whether it’s Landon or someone else, just getting our communication down and the details of the defense.”
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