Rivera touched on a number of important things in his video conference, among them being a fierce RB competition, and lack of depth at WR.
The players are in Washington, and the team is ready to get down to business. They may not end up taking the field for a little bit, but members of the Washington Football Team are surely getting in the weight room and around the facility now, as training camp gets ready to kick off.
To open up the day, coach Ron Rivera sat down with media members on a video call and discussed the upcoming season, talking about where some of the injured players stand in their recovery, and where a lot of the focus is at going forward. Here are our biggest takeaways from that video call.
RB is the position to watch
Bryce Love is someone that the coaching staff wants to watch on the field in the coming days. Especially in that crowded backfield, Ron Rivera said.
News broke on Tuesday morning that second-year RB Bryce Love passed his physical in Washington, meaning that he has the green light in the 2020 season. Love was drafted in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft after an impressive college career, but he missed the entire 2019 season due to a knee injury that he suffered at Stanford.
Now, with Love back in the picture, it becomes clear that the RB room is one of the focal points of training camp. Washington currently has Derrius Guice, Adrian Peterson, Antonio Gibson, Bryce Love, J.D. McKissic, and Peyton Barber all competing for not only snaps but a place on the 53-man roster. It’s hard to believe that Rivera will choose to keep more than four RBs on the active roster, so it’s likely that two of those aforementioned players will get cut. Without a preseason to prove themselves, we’ll see how this competition shakes out in camp.
Washington coach Ron Rivera sat down with media members on Tuesday to discuss the kick-off of the 2020 season and what expectations are.
Washington’s head coach Ron Rivera sat down on a video call with media members on Tuesday to kick off training camp and answer questions about the upcoming season. In an unprecedented year where things are anything but normal, there was a lot to talk about, especially when you consider all of the off-field things that have been going on in Washington over the past month.
In the interview, Rivera discussed the personnel on the team, where he felt the roster could get better, and what some of his expectations going forward were. Here are the best quotes from the meeting.
Neither Alex Smith or Reuben Foster passed the football portion of their physical, Ron Rivera said.
Rivera said the biggest thing about putting Alex Smith and Reuben Foster was that the team wanted to monitor both players on the football side of things. He added that both players have had a good offseason with their recovery.
Ron Rivera says he feels very confident that Reuben Foster and Alex Smith will eventually pass the football portion of their physical. They can be taken off the list as soon as that's accomplished.
Rivera on COVID: I do know that for us to have a successful showing it comes to being disciplined. Says players need to follow protocols. "It's hard to say what it would take to shut everything down"
Rivera believes the ramp up period that will happen before practices this training camp is a good idea. It’ll give the players a chance to get back into football shape gradually rather than jumping into full contact.
Ron Rivera says he's trying to create a family atmosphere, and one thing he learned from Mike Ditka is creating an atmosphere where people take ownership of what's happening in the organization.
Ron Rivera says his relationship with owner Dan Snyder has been good. The two talk almost every day and have developed a good relationship. "I feel comfortable and confident."
Ron Rivera says over the last two months, his relationship with owner Dan Snyder has evolved to where they talk everyday for 30 minutes or so. He says Snyder ask his opinion on topics regularly.
All the excitement on the D-Line usually includes Jon Allen, Daron Payne and Matt Ioannidis but Ron Rivera makes a point to include Tim Settle when he talks about the group
The big question on the defensive side of the ball is about how the cornerback competition is going to play out, and how will the defensive line play impact the coverage, Ron Rivera said.
Ron Rivera said it's going to be "very, very difficult" to get a sense of his team before Week 1. The team plans on more live practices during the preseason, he added.
The Washington Football team placed both Alex Smith and Reuben Foster on the PUP list ahead of training camp, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
The move was expected for Smith, who is still working his way back from a gruesome leg injury suffered near the end of the 2018 season. However, this is a new development for Foster, who injured his knee in the spring of 2019 in a practice. The severity of the injury was not always known, but when word got out earlier this year that Foster was finally regaining some feeling in the lower part of his leg, it was apparent that significant damage was done. However, there were still some hopes that he would eventually be able to play in Washington, especially after a video of Foster working out emerged over the weekend.
By placing him on the PUP list, it doesn’t mean that Foster will be unable to play going forward, as Washington can add him to the active roster later in the season. Here is an explainer of the active PUP list in the NFL.
Players on the PUP list may not practice or play the first six weeks of the season. After the sixth week, the player must be allowed to return to practice, placed on injured reserved or released within five weeks.
If the player returns to practice, the team has three weeks to decide to place him on the active roster or on the injured reserve list.
Players on the PUP list do not count aginst the 53-man roster, but do count against the 90-man roster limit.
There is still a chance that we see Foster suit up at some point in the future for Washington, but it won’t be before Week 6 of the 2020 season, at the earliest.
The NFL Network is unveiling their Top 100 players as voted on by the athletes. Here is a running tracker of each selection.
As they do every year, the NFL Network is rolling out their countdown of the Top 100 players in the league, as voted on by the players themselves. On Sunday night, the league unveiled the first 30 players, and here is a running tally of the selections to date.
100-91
(Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
100. Lavonte David, LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
99. Darren Waller, TE, Las Vegas Raiders
98. Brandon Brooks, G, Philadelphia Eagles
97. Budda Baker, S, Arizona Cardinals
96. Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks
95. Frank Clark, DE, Kansas City Chiefs
94. Jason Kelce, C, Philadelphia Eagles
93. Allen Robinson, WR, Chicago Bears
92. Darius Slay, CB, Philadelphia Eagles
91. Grady Jarrett, DT, Atlanta Falcons
Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David returns to the Top 100 after missing out the previous four seasons, kicking off the list. David is a force in the interior of the Tampa Bay defense, which has vastly improved over the course of the past two seasons. David cracked the Top Five in Touchdown Wire’s countdown of the game’s best off-ball linebackers.
In just his first season as a starter, Darren Waller produced at a high level for the now-Las Vegas Raiders. Waller led the team in receptions (90) and receiving yards (1,145). He is a true mismatch type of player, with the athleticism to run away from linebackers but the size to create space against defensive backs. With the addition of Henry Ruggs III this off-season, Waller might find even more space to operate in 2020.
The Philadelphia Eagles got some difficult news in the past few weeks when Brandon Brooks suffered a torn Achilles, sidelining him for the entire 2020 campaign. Brooks is one of the game’s best interior offensive linemen, and the team was forced to bring back Jason Peters and move him to guard to replace Brooks on the inside. His combination of power and technique make Brooks one of the league’s best guards.
Hybrid defenders are all the rage in today’s NFL, particularly at the safety spot. Budda Baker is a player in such a mold, who led the NFL in solo tackles last season with 104. Baker has the ability to play free safety, box safety and even as a slot cornerback, and that versatility makes him a special player for the Arizona Cardinals.
Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson cracks the Top 100 for the first time in his short career. Carson notched his second 1,000-plus season last year, and also contributed to the Seattle passing game. Carson set career high marks in targets (47), receptions (37), yards (266) and first downs receiving (10). His growing ability to contribute in both the passing and the running game marks his entry into the Top 100.
Sure Frank Clark might have dropped some spots in this year’s version, falling 11 spots from the 2019 edition of the Top 100, but you can be sure the pass rusher would gladly take such a fall in exchange for a Super Bowl ring. Clark was impressive during Kansas City’s run to a title, tallying five sacks during the post-season.
The Philadelphia Eagles are the first team to see two of their players crack the NFL Network’s Top 100, as center Jason Kelce joins guard Brandon Brooks. Kelce has been a mainstay in the heart of the Eagles’ offensive line for years, and shows both the processing speed as well as the technique you need to dominate in the interior. Oh, and he gives a great rally speech…
Allen Robinson cracking a list like this is not a surprise to us here at Touchdown Wire. Robinson produced at a high level in 2019, leading the Chicago Bears in yards and touchdowns, despite seeing inconsistent play from quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. His traits as a receiver saw him land in our Top 11 outside wideouts, and if the Bears can get improved QB play in 2020, Robinson might climb even higher in the season ahead.
Darius Slay made the NFL Network’s Top 100 for the third-straight year, and he is poised to make it yet again after this upcoming season. Slay moved to the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason, and playing under Jim Schwartz he will be in a scheme very conducive to what he does best. Schwartz often tasks his defenders with playing off coverage, which taps into Slay’s ability to decipher a route and close on the football. This could be a great landing spot for him.
Grady Jarrett makes his debut on the Top 100 after a season where he set a career-high number in sacks with 7.5. He is the kind of dominating interior presence that defensive coordinators covet, and his ability inside landed him in our list of the Top 11 interior defensive linemen. Jarrett has the power to speed ability that you see from edge rushers, but he does that on the inside.
Washington’s WR Cody Latimer was placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List on Monday after facing eight charges following arrest.
Latimer is facing eight charges (four of them felonies) stemming from his arrest in May. He has a virtual hearing in Douglas County (Colo.) Court on Aug. 20.https://t.co/o2aVNi33vx
Cody Latimer, a wide receiver for the Washington Football Team, has been placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, which will hold him out of team practices going forward.
While on the commissioner’s exempt list, a player is paid as if he were on the active roster, yet he does not count against his team’s 53-man active roster limit. A player on the exempt list is not allowed to practice or attend games, but he is allowed to be present at the facility for meetings, to work out, and to receive treatment.
The incident that led to Latimer being placed on the list came back in May, where he is facing eight charges, four of which are felonies, for a scuffle that broke out during a poker game where a gun was reportedly drawn.
Latimer was signed by Washington earlier this offseason after playing with the New York Giants, and he was expected to step in as a second or third option for QB Dwayne Haskins.
It was announced on Friday night that Alex Smith had been cleared for full football activity, which could raise questions in Washington.
Another big story came out of Washington on Friday night when it was announced that quarterback Alex Smith was cleared by his doctors to return to full football activity after over a year of rehab following his gruesome leg injury that broke both his tibia and fibula, and forced him into a subsequent countless surgeries to repair it.
So now that Smith is back in the picture, does that mean that he will start playing in Washington again? More importantly, does that mean that Dwayne Haskins’ job is at risk?
To put it simply, no.
A clear distinction was made on Friday that Smith had been cleared by his doctors, though the Washington training staff and the medical team had yet to sign off on his playing. That won’t happen until the end of July, and even then it is unclear how much opportunity to train he will get, as COVID-19 has decimated training camp rules and there is little confidence that 11v11 scrimmages will take place for quite some time.
On the contrary, Smith’s return to football activities may be beneficial for Haskins, as he has one of the more prominent mentors back at his side on the practice field. Haskins went through his trials and tribulations during his rookie season in 2019, and several claims were made that Smith’s guidance and leadership helped Haskins along the way. It’s important to note that Smith was one of the players who NFL-star Patrick Mahomes credits for some of his early success as well.
Going forward, there are several ways that this can play out. If it becomes clear that Smith is ready to actually play within the near future, it’s very possible that Washington looks to either release him — saving them $14 million against the salary cap — or trade him to another team where he has a better chance to play. There has also been a notion that more NFL teams might choose to carry three quarterbacks on the roster instead of two, likely because of the coronavirus threat. If this were the case in Washington, Smith could stay put for the season and then re-evaluate going forward.
Long story short, everyone should be ecstatic about Alex’s return to football, and celebrate it for the monumental achievement it is. His return after such a horrific injury is nothing but a complete miracle, and it was undoubtedly harder than any of us could imagine. We can figure out the football side of things later, right now we just want to celebrate Alex.
This might be the Golden Era of wide receivers in the NFL. Who are the best of the best?
Prior to the 2020 NFL Draft, Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network shared some old scouting notes from New England Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick, dating back to Jeremiah’s time as a scout with the Baltimore Ravens. The notes, dated from 1991, provide tremendous insight into how the coach views the offensive positions:
I think you’ll enjoy this… We were given this handout during a scout school from my time with the Ravens. Coach Belichick has held true to almost all of this over the years. pic.twitter.com/pWB3oqo5JU
Given the proximity to the draft – and the fact that Tom Brady had just decided to leave New England for Tampa Bay – many focused on the quarterback section of this scouting sheet to try and ascertain what Belichick might do about the quarterback position.
But take a look at the wide receiver notes, and see how many of those still hold up today. Winning at the line of scrimmage; hands; route-running; discipline; ability after the catch, and more. Speed? Well that enters the equation “only…in relation to players’ ability to escape the [line of scrimmage]. Good leap and timing are more important than speed.”
Keep those traits in mind when you work through this list of the game’s best boundary wideouts.
Best Wide Receiver Duo
(Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports)
There are many potential choices for the best receiver pair in the game today. You could make a case for what the Dallas Cowboys are building in the NFC East, with Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup. Oh, and adding CeeDee Lamb to the mix certainly does not hurt. The New Orleans Saints have another great pair now, between Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. You could also make a case for Sammy Watkins and Tyreek Hill in Kansas City, or even Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry in Cleveland. I, for one, am very excited to see what Justin Jefferson does as a rookie with Adam Thielen alongside him.
But it is hard to bet against what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have in place this upcoming season. Yes they added Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, but shift your eyes towards the boundaries and you’ll find a pair of tremendous receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. They combined for 153 receptions, 2,490 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, and they did that with a quarterback throwing 30 interceptions. With Brady now under center, those numbers could skyrocket.
Honorable Mentions
(Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
When I was given my assignments for this Top 100 project, there were two lists that I knew would be next to impossible to put together. Quarterbacks was the first that came to mind, since everyone has a quarterback take. I mean, everyone. But I also knew that whittling a list down to the Top 11 boundary WRs was going to be a tall task. I’d rather spend a day at the dentist atop a skyscraper. That sounds silly but I get queasy on a stepladder so…
Conservatively, you could make a case for around two dozen players to be included on a list like this. In a passing league dominated by 11 personnel, you are going to generate a ton of choices for inclusion. How can you take off a player like Terry McLaurin, who put up impressive numbers as a rookie, and as basically the main option, in a struggling offense? Or Kenny Golladay, who looks to be the next in a long line of tremendous Detroit WRs? Stefon Diggs is an incredible route-runner and an elite-level downfield target, how can he not make such a list? A.J. Green usually shows up in these pieces, but missing all of 2019 made him ineligible. What about other younger players such as A.J. Brown, who was tremendous last season for the Tennessee Titans, or Courtland Sutton with the Denver Broncos? Every single one of those wide receivers is worthy of inclusion. T.Y. Hilton? Emmanuel Sanders? DeVante Parker, who seems to be living up to the expectations coming out of college? Parker posted 72 receptions for 1,202 yards last year and nine touchdowns, and had a heck of a game against Stephon Gilmore in Week 17.
You know, the Defensive Player of the Year and a new member of the “Madden 99” club?
And yet, here they are, on the outside looking in.
That just speaks to the level of talent at this position in the NFL today.
This list was tough to put together. If your favorite player or your team’s best receiver did not make the cut, I apologize. Dock me ten thousand internet points and pray for my soul.
The Washington Football team will officially be the new moniker until a name is chosen going forward, doing away with the ‘Redskins’ name.
Effective immediately, Washington will call itself the “Washington Football Team”, pending adoption of a new name, sources tell ESPN.
This is not a final renaming and rebranding for team; this is the name it wants to use until pending adoption of a new name in the future. pic.twitter.com/sBs0Uo0ICm
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the team formerly known as the Washington Redskins will be known as the Washington Football Team going forward, until a new name is chosen.
This announcement does not mean that there won’t be a new name chosen in the future, but it does mean that the team will be officially doing away with the ‘Redskins’ name going forward, though they’ve been using it still since the announcement of a future name change.
While fans still vote for their favorite team names on social media, we will see when an official change is made in the near or distant future. For now, it seems that Redskins is officially a thing of the past.
A majority of Washington’s rookies have finalized their deals with the team, allowing them to now get to work and play some football.
With players starting to report to camp and training camp just on the horizon, the feeling that football is returning is finally starting to feel real. For the rookies in Washington, this is incredibly exciting, as they get to start their journeys into new careers that could prove incredibly exciting.
Before they get onto the field and prove what they’re worth, however, all of the rookies must finalize their contracts with the team and get the financials in order. Across the league this has been taking place throughout the summer, but it wasn’t until Wednesday that it started happening in Washington.
So who has signed, and for how much? We keep track of it here.
DE Chase Young
Washington No. 2 overall pick pass-rusher Chase Young has signed his 4-year, $34.56M contract with a $22.697M signing bonus, source said. He receives 100% of his signing bonuses up front. The highest pick yet to sign.
— Antonio Gibson 👑💯 (@AntonioGibson14) July 22, 2020
Contract Terms: 4 years, $4.9 million
Saahdiq Charles
On IG, Washington OL Saahdiq Charles shares he’s signed his rookie contract and that his grandmother passed away this weekend. pic.twitter.com/kcR2AmQk22
This summer at Touchdown Wire we are naming our top players at each position, working towards the Top 100 in the league.
This summer here at Touchdown Wire we are counting down the best players at every position, starting on the defensive side of the football. At the conclusion of these positional lists, we will unveil our own version of the NFL’s Top 11.
For each position, the players are ranked based on both extensive film study as well as taking advanced player metrics into account. Players that appeared for 50% of their team’s snaps at a given position are considered, meaning players that were absent last season for numerous games due to injury are ineligible for inclusion.
In addition, for many positions the “Honorable Mentions” are listed, that include players that just missed the cut or players you might expect to see, but were ineligible due to injuries or other reasons. Some of the best “units” are also discussed for various positions.
Here are the position lists to date. This will be updated as more position groups are announced.
Defense
(Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
Slot Cornerbacks – Given the prevalence of nickel and dime packages in today’s game, the slot cornerback is a starter in the modern NFL. As such, teams need talented players at this position. Here are the best the game has to offer.
Safeties – Offenses in the NFL rely on creating – and exploiting – matchups. As such, defenses in today’s game need players that can handle various responsibilities. That tends to fall on the safeties, where versatility is the name of the game.
Outside Cornerbacks – What players do you trust on an island in man coverage? You could probably start with this list.
Linebackers – With today’s emphasis on getting lighter and faster on defense, linebackers are becoming almost a dying breed. That does not diminish, however, what the players on this list bring to their units.
Edge Defenders – Offensive coordinators face some sleepless nights in the days leading up to playing these pass rushers.
Interior Defensive Linemen – Sure, Aaron Donald is the clear man at the top. What about the rest of the bunch?
