3 players in the NFC East who would be better on the Redskins

The NFC East has a multitude of dynamic players, but which ones would be better off on the Redskins roster?

Outside of the cut downs that will take place before the 2020 NFL season starts, all 32 rosters in the league are pretty much set, for the most part. As it stands now, the Washington Redskins have some hope for a successful season, but when looking at the rest of the NFC East, there’s little chance that they can make it to the top half of the division, barring an incredible season.

When looking at the other teams in the division, and predicting who is going to finish where, however, it got us to thinking… If the Redskins were living in a world where they could choose one player from each team to add to their roster, who would best suit them? Who would look better in the Burgundy & Gold, and how much better would the team be because of it?

It may never happen, but it’s at least entertaining to think about. Let’s dive in. Of all the Dallas Cowboys players, who would be the best suited in Washington?

WR Amari Cooper — Dallas Cowboys

(AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)

This is an easy one, seeing as the Redskins were seemingly close to actually getting Cooper on the roster in free agency earlier this year. While he ended up turning down a deal worth more than $100 million to stick with the Cowboys, picturing Amari in the Redskins offense — alongside Terry McLaurin and on the receiving end of some bombs from Dwayne Haskins — is intriguing.

It’s fair to wonder if his presence would stunt the growth of McLaurin, but it’s easy to think that Haskins would be far better off with Cooper on the depth chart. His route-running and sure-hands alone would add a viable threat to Washington’s already impressive stack of offensive weapons, and a veteran presence in the receiving corps would be a bonus as well.

First four games for Redskins in 2020 among toughest in NFL

It’s imperative for teams to get out to a hot start in the NFL these days, but Washington’s first stretch of games is no cake-walk.

We all watched as the Washington Redskins schedule was released last week, setting the road map to a potentially successful season — at least in their terms. There are a number of tough road games on the docket, and a few that are extremely winnable here and there. While we may have predicted that Washington will end up going 5-11 on the season, what’s important to note is where those wins might come, and what that means.

Of course, 5-11 isn’t going to get you into the playoffs, but a string of wins at the start of the season, or a couple of victories in December might make the difference between starting and sitting for a couple of key players. With a young QB in Dwayne Haskins and a new coaching staff under the leadership of Ron Rivera, getting out to a hot start can make all the difference. Unfortunately for the Redskins, the start of the schedule is a bit tough, and it might be hard to find a win in the first few weeks of the year.

“New coach Ron Rivera will have his work cut out for him. Washington starts at home against the Philadelphia Eagles, the defending NFC East champions,” wrote Neil Greenberg, on The Washington Post. “Then the Redskins have back-to-back road games against the Cardinals and Cleveland Browns. Capping the four-game stretch is a matchup with the Ravens at FedEx Field.”

It lightens up a bit after that, with games against the NY Giants, the Detroit Lions, and the Cincinnati Bengals coming over the next couple of months, but wins there won’t mean a ton if Washington can’t find a way to steal a victory in the first four weeks. According to the Washington Post, there is a 34-percent chance the Redskins start the season with an 0-4 record and a 77-percent chance they go 1-3. If you look to the larger statistics, teams that start out the season with a 0-4 record have approximately zero chance to make the playoffs, while teams that go 1-3 make the postseason just 13-percent of the time.

The playoffs aren’t a realistic goal this season, but escaping that first stretch with a victory isn’t out of the question. If it happens, the rest of the season will be set up to be semi-respectable.

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Who will start at QB for the Washington Redskins in Week 1?

Projecting the Week 1 starting quarterback for the Washington Redskins.

The Washington Redskins have a new head coach in Ron Rivera and are coming off a terrible season in 2019, finishing 3-13. They drafted QB Dwayne Haskins last year and added Kyle Allen this offseason, but their quarterback situation isn’t necessarily completely set. Below, we focus on which quarterback will be the Redskins’ Week 1 starter tied around NFL futures betting odds from BetMGM sportsbook.

Washington Redskins: QB depth chart

These are the quarterbacks on Washington’s roster and their odds on starting in Week 1:

  • Alex Smith (no line)
  • Dwayne Haskins -176
  • Kyle Allen +150

Two quarterbacks not on Washington’s roster have odds of being the starter in Week 1.

  • Cam Newton +1400 (currently a free agent)
  • Andy Dalton +4000 (currently on the Cincinnati Bengals’ roster)

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Washington Redskins’ Week 1 starter: Best bets

Smith is still on the roster only for salary cap purposes. It is uncertain whether he will ever play in the league again after suffering a serious leg injury in a 2018 game. Haskins was drafted 15th overall in 2019 as a supposed replacement, and Rivera was hired this offseason knowing he was expected to help Haskin develop.

Allen played for Rivera last year with the Carolina Panthers and was very good across his first four starts. He threw seven touchdown passes and zero interceptions with 901 yards while going 4-0. He had 10 touchdown passes and 16 interceptions in nine games (eight starts) after that. His play and the inability to lead the Panthers to more wins contributed to Rivera’s firing. He would be a backup plan Rivera can trust if Haskins plays poorly or gets hurt.

Newton is a wild card in all this. He had an MVP 2016 season under Rivera but there are still too many questions about the health of his foot.

Considering the investment the team made in Haskins, the only way he doesn’t start is if he gets hurt. The best bet is to go with HASKINS (-176).

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MUST SEE: Dwayne Haskins welcomes Chase Young to the Washington Redskins

Chase Young is on his way to the Washington Redskins, and former teammate Dwayne Haskins has already sent out his welcome.

Chase Young is on his way to the Washington Redskins, and former teammate Dwayne Haskins has already sent out his warm welcome via Twitter.

That said, just a year ago, these two were sharing the field. Haskins would lead a dominant offense with an all-time great year for Ohio State, while Young would help tag team with Nick Bosa on the defensive end.

It was a team filled with potential and one that undoubtedly should’ve done far more, as they barely missed the College Football Playoffs. Now, they’ll get a chance to re-write history at the next level and find that success.

The duo will be teaming up with another former Buckeye teammate and speedster receiver Terry McLaurin as well. Here’s how Young’s former quarterback decided to usher him into the Redskins’ family.

Young, who set the Ohio State single-season sack record last season with 16.5 sacks, is expected to make an immediate impact in Washington. The No. 2 overall pick, Young is a dominant defensive end and was college football’s best player in 2019.

That’s our story, and we’re sticking to it.

Three finalists remain for Haskins and ANNIKA Awards

After a shortened college golf season, both the Haskins and ANNIKA Awards will still be presented to the top men’s and women’s college players. Players, coaches, sports information directors and golf media were eligible to vote for the awards. After the voting period, three finalists remain on each side. Haskins finalists include Vanderbilt senior John Augenstein, Pepperdine senior Sahith Theegala and Georgia junior Davis Thompson. Augenstein notched a victory at the Desert Mountain Intercollegiate and had two other top-five finishes, including a runner-up showing at the Nike Golf Collegiate. Theegala finished an abbreviated season as the top-ranked college player in both the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings and the Golfstat individual rankings. Thompson won the Jim Rivers Invitational in the fall for one of four top-10 finishes on the season. ANNIKA finalists are Arizona freshman Vivian Hou, LSU freshman Ingrid Lindblad and Furman senior Natalie Srinivasan. Hou was a collective 17 under in 16 competitive rounds during her freshman year at Arizona. Lindblad won two times in an abbreviated season at LSU. Srinivasan’s season included three individual titles and ended with a runner-up at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate. Award winners for both the Haskins and ANNIKA will be announced May 8.

After a shortened college golf season, both the Haskins and ANNIKA Awards will still be presented to the top men’s and women’s college players. Players, coaches, sports information directors and golf media were eligible to vote for the awards. After the voting period, three finalists remain on each side. Haskins finalists include Vanderbilt senior John Augenstein, Pepperdine senior Sahith Theegala and Georgia junior Davis Thompson. Augenstein notched a victory at the Desert Mountain Intercollegiate and had two other top-five finishes, including a runner-up showing at the Nike Golf Collegiate. Theegala finished an abbreviated season as the top-ranked college player in both the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings and the Golfstat individual rankings. Thompson won the Jim Rivers Invitational in the fall for one of four top-10 finishes on the season. ANNIKA finalists are Arizona freshman Vivian Hou, LSU freshman Ingrid Lindblad and Furman senior Natalie Srinivasan. Hou was a collective 17 under in 16 competitive rounds during her freshman year at Arizona. Lindblad won two times in an abbreviated season at LSU. Srinivasan’s season included three individual titles and ended with a runner-up at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate. Award winners for both the Haskins and ANNIKA will be announced May 8.