Category: Latest Washington News

Washington to honor late Bobby Mitchell with No. 49 patches on jersey

The Washington Football Team will wear No. 49 patches on their jerseys this year to honor the late Bobby Mitchell, who died in April.

After the passing of Washington great Bobby Mitchell, the Washington Football Team announced on Friday that they would be wearing a No. 49 patch to honor the former franchise legend in their game against the Philadelphia Eagles this weekend, and it will continue throughout the 2020 season as well.

This isn’t the first thing that Washington has done to honor Mitchell, who passed away on April 5th of this year. The team announced earlier this offseason that they would be retiring Mitchell’s number, as well as naming the lower bowl of seats after him at FedEx Field in Landover, MD. Mitchell is only the second player in Washington history to have his number retired, alongside Sammy Baugh, who wore No. 33.

Mitchell was the franchise’s first Black player after the organization was the last to integrate in 1962. After spending the first four years of his career with the Cleveland Browns, Mitchell was traded to D.C. in 1962 along with Leroy Jackson for Ernie Davis.

Mitchell led the league in receiving in 1962 and 1963 and receptions in ’62. He was named to four Pro Bowls, three with Washington from 1962 through 1964, and was a first-team All-Pro in ’62, when he hauled in 72 catches for 1,382 yards and 11 scores.

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Eagles WR Alshon Jeffery ‘Out’, RB Miles Sanders ‘Questionable’ for Sunday vs. Washington

The Eagles could be without two of their top offensive weapons on Sunday against Washington due to injuries.

While Washington was dealt a blow in the injury report for their Week 1 game against Philadelphia on Sunday, the Eagles shouldered the bigger burden, with both WR Alshon Jeffery and DT Javon Hargrave being listed as out for the game.

Neither of the two players took part in practice this past week, so having them miss the game doesn’t come as a major surprise, but it is still going to be potentially detrimental to the Eagles’ roster. On top of that, there are several key players on the Philly offense who are listed as questionable, including RB Miles Sanders, and T Lane Johnson.

Both Philadelphia and Washington are used to having a long list of injuries to deal with, but it’s a bit tough to see this many players banged up on both squads before the season even starts.

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Will Washington’s defensive line be dominant enough to push Eagles on Sunday?

It’s a long-shot that Washington can find a victory on Sunday, but if they are to push the Eagles, the defensive line will be the key.

Let’s take a second to be real about the expectations for the Washington Football Team on Sunday when they host the division rival Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1. Not many people are expecting it to be much of a contest, let alone have Washington with any chance of finding a victory.

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However, in any NFL game, wild things can happen, and what makes sense on paper rarely takes shape. There are always little nuances that can sway either way and often it’s something that we saw coming at some point before the game.

So what is that thing going into this Week 1 NFC East matchup? What is the one thing that Washington can do to make it tough on Philly, and potentially turn the tide in their favor? As with almost anything in Washington, it starts upfront in the trenches, where they stand the strongest.

“That’s a legit defensive line rotation,” NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Dave Zangaro said. “That’s, honestly, one of the better ones in the league. And the Eagles have some questions on their O-line.”

‘Questions’ on the O-line is a bit of an understatement, considering the Eagles recently moved one of their star guards out to the tackle position less than a week ago in order to fill a hole left by injury. Philly’s offensive front is makeshift, to say the least, and luckily for Washington, the Eagles’ major weakness comes at a place where the Burgundy & Gold stands the strongest. With a defensive line fraught with former first-round picks, Washington has a 6-man rotation of dogs in the trenches that will likely be able to wreak havoc on the line of scrimmage, and hopefully, keep QB Carson Wentz under pressure throughout the game. If all goes right, this can disrupt the run game, and also force Wentz into some bad decisions when dropping back, leaving Washington’s improved secondary to clean up the mess.

It’s going to take a lot for Washington to be able to keep this game close and maybe sneak out of Week 1 with a victory, and the defense is just part of the equation. Washington’s offense, led by second-year QB Dwayne Haskins needs to be calm and collected, able to capitalize on the Eagles’ mistakes and put points on the board when possible.

It’s still going to be an uphill battle, but a victory for Washington is not by any means out of the question. If it’s going to happen, though, it starts up front for Washington, and the supposedly dominant defense needs to be destructive.

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Injury Report: Thomas Davis did not practice Thursday, Kendall Fuller limited

The availability of both Thomas Davis and Kendall Fuller is starting to come into question for Sunday’s opening game against the Eagles.

We are yet another day closer to kickoff, and the injury report in Washington grows more important, with a few key players continuing to pop up on the list.

Most notably, veteran linebacker Thomas Davis did not practice on Thursday due to a calf injury that he has been working with, and cornerback Kendall Fuller only participated in limited work while he nurses his knee back to full strength. Both players were held out of some significant work during training camp, and the hope is that they can return as soon as possible.

Other notes to be made are that both Jonathan Allen (knee) and Antonio Gandy-Golden (concussion) were not limited at all on Thursday, which likely means that they will be full-go on Sunday for the first game of the season.

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Washington signs K Brett Maher to practice squad

Washington signed K Brett Maher to the practice squad, giving them a backup plan in case Dustin Hopkins is unavailable to play.

The Washington Football Team has officially rounded out their 17-man practice squad with the signing of K Brett Maher, who used to play with the Dallas Cowboys.

We got word earlier in the week that Maher was coming to Washington to work out, and a signing to the PS seemed inevitable. This has nothing to do with the job security for K Dustin Hopkins, who has been great for Washington but rather acts as a safety net in a COVID-ridden year where you have to be prepared for anything.

Though the NFL has done an incredible job irradiating the virus within their locker rooms thus far, having a plan going forward in case one of you players gets infected is key.

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Washington names 2020 team captains, including Dwayne Haskins, Deshazor Everett

Washington named their captains for 2020, including Dwayne Haskins, Brandon Scherff, Jonathan Allen, Landon Collins, and Deshazor Everett.

The time has come for the Washington Football Team to name their team captains for the 2020 season, and the list did not disappoint.

Among the five captains are QB Dwayne Haskins, RG Brandon Scherff, DL Jonathan Allen, S Landon Collins, and S Deshazor Everett. Those players will represent Washington in most matters going forward, and will likely be at the center of the field before games for the opening coin toss going forward.

For Haskins, a second-year QB looking to make the leap forward, this was a big deal, as he’s been working to be a better leader for his teammates this offseason. Having him named as a captain is the obvious next step for him, as he looks to take control of the team.

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Injury Report: Gandy-Golden dealing with concussion; Fuller limited with knee injury

The first injury report in Washington shows Antonio Gandy-Golden has a concussion, and Kendall Fuller is dealing with a knee injury.

The first official injury report for the 2020 season is out, and of course with this being Washington, there are a few key guys listed as limited.

The biggest news is that rookie wide receiver Antonio Gandy-Golden has been dealing with a concussion throughout training camp, which would explain some of his absences. He has been full-go at practice as of late, though. It was also reported that Saahdiq Charles, Kendall Fuller, and Thomas Davis have all been limited as well.

Charles, the rookie LT, missed almost all of training camp with a calf injury, but he has since suited up and taken part in some position drills after making the 53-man roster cut. Fuller, the CB who Washington brought back home this offseason in free agency, has missed a grip of time so far with a knee injury, but hopes are that he can suit up for Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

We also saw that Thomas Davis was not listed with the starting linebacker group on the first official depth chart, which can now be explained due to his limited listing on the injury report.

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Peter Schrager says Washington’s defensive line will be NFL’s best in 2020

Washington’s stacked defensive line has a chance to be great in 2020, and now some are predicting they will be the best in the NFL.

We’re now just a few sleeps away from the Washington Football Team officially kicking off the 2020 NFL Season against the Philadelphia Eagles, and the anticipation is heating up to a boil.

It’s not the anticipation that Washington will be able to go on some major run and sneak into the playoffs, but rather that they will be a serviceable team with a dominant defense, capable of turning some heads across the league.

Recently on NFL Network’s flagship show, Good Morning Football, analyst Peter Schrager went on a tear praising the Washington defense, particularly the defensive line, calling them one of the best in the NFL, and claiming that they will be a dominant force in the NFC East.

 

It’s not just Chase Young, it’s other first-round picks as well. It’s Jonathan Allen, it’s Daron Payne, it’s Matt Ioannidis, it’s Ryan Kerrigan, it’s Montez Sweat. These guys are all first-round picks, with the exception of Ioannidis, and they were coming on strong last year. They get Chase Young, who might be the best defensive talent to enter the NFL since Myles Garrett, and they were already really good. I look at it this way: The 49ers last year, no one thought their defensive line was going to blossom, and all of a sudden it was leading them to the Super Bowl. I don’t think Washington is going that far — they don’t have it on the offensive side of the ball — but that front-five, those guys and the rotation that they’re going to have, I think they’re going to be dominant, and they’re going to give the NFC East hell this season.

If Washington is going to win many games, it will be the offense who has to come through late and put some points on the board. But if all goes right, you can at least count on the defense to keep the score manageable for Dwayne Haskins and his fellow skill-position players on offense. If we can rely on Scot Turner’s offense to put up 17-20 points per game, then you might be able to see Washington rack up a few victories.

It all starts with the defense though, and buzz about their ability continues to grow.

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Washington works out K Brett Maher as COVID safety-valve

Washington has its kicker in Dustin Hopkins, but they recently brought FA Brett Maher to work out in case they need a backup plan.

It was reported on Tuesday night that the Washington Football Team had brought in free-agent placekicker Brett Maher, formerly of the Dallas Cowboys, to work out this week ahead of the first game of the 2020 season. Before you read too far into things, questioning whether or not longtime Washington kicker Dustin Hopkins’ job is at risk, remember what year it is, and that we’re in the midst of a global pandemic that could pull any single player out action for a couple of weeks at a moment’s notice.

With that being said, Washington brought in a kicker to work out simply so that they could be prepared for the worst.

There is no word yet on whether the team will sign Maher, or simply keep a close relationship with him, but it’s good to know that Washington has a backup plan, should they need one.

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Pro Football Focus predicts LB Kevin Pierre-Louis to be breakout player in 2020

PFF recently pegged Washington LB Kevin Pierre-Louis to have a breakout season in 2020, which would be huge for the defense.

One of the most notable players thus far the Washington Football Team during training camp has been the newest linebacker, Kevin Pierre-Louis, who signed with the team this past offseason.

After an underwhelming career with several teams in the NFL, KPL has been able to step up and earn a starting spot on the Washington defense, turning a lot of heads along the way. We’ve heard from players and coaches who have marveled at his ability, and now Pro Football Focus is naming Pierre-Louis their breakout star for Washington this season.

Washington’s linebacker unit is a true wildcard, but Kevin Pierre-Louis could help that with a late-career breakout year in 2020. He has been an NFL journeyman, playing a snap for four teams in six years in the league and never seeing ample time in any sizeable stretch until late in 2019 with the Chicago Bears. He entered in Week 4 for the Bears when injuries hit the unit and performed well by producing an 89.8 PFF grade.

He then logged only three snaps until seeing the field for 187 snaps over the final four games. In that span, Pierre-Louis was the league’s highest-graded off-ball linebacker (89.3), as he was productive in coverage and as a blitz weapon. It’s rare to see a player break out in Year 7, but Pierre-Louis might defy those odds, given what he showed last season.

It could be as simple as a coaching change that made things click for KPL this offseason, now playing under Ron Rivera and Jack Del Rio, two former linebackers themselves. What’s important is that Washington’s linebacking unit is in need of some help, and Pierre-Louis seems like the might be the guy to bring it. If he can live up to expectations, the defense only gets more dominant.

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