As he readies for a switch to the 4-3 defense, Montez Sweat says he’s added 15-pounds to prepare for a classic DE role in Washington.
When it comes to young players on the Washington defensive line, almost all of the attention has gone to Chase Young, who was drafted with the No. 2 overall pick this past year. However, Washington has another young star in the making who was drafted in the first round just a year ago — Montez Sweat.
Sweat had a solid rookie season, working his way onto the stat sheet late in the season where he ended his rookie campaign with 50 total tackles and seven sacks. Going into his second year in the league, there is a great chance that he can continue to dominate, especially now that Young will be detracting a lot of attention on the other side of the line from him. Sweat will also benefit greatly from a switch to the 4-3 defense under Jack Del Rio, where he is preparing to play more of a classic DE role.
Washington Football Team DE Montez Sweat said he ended last season a little under 250 pounds. To prepare to move back to the 4-3, he said he put on weight and is now around 264, 265. The priority for him is maintaining that weight throughout the year.
If both Sweat and Young can prove to be the dominant players that Washington drafted them to be, the defensive line will be something to marvel at for years to come in D.C.
Chase Young is the hot topic in Washington, but we can’t forget about Montez Sweat and the dominance he can bring in his second season.
It’s easy to get swept up in the selection of Chase Young with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, but it’s important that fans of the Washington Football Team don’t let his shine get too bright, especially when there are so many other players that deserve shine on the defensive line in Washington.
It was just over a year ago when DE Montez Sweat was drafted in Washington, another first-round pick to go along with the ultra-talented depth of the defensive front. While much of this summer has been focused on Young, who many expect to be a generational talent at the position, Sweat has been able to fly under the radar. However, with the 2020 season fast approaching, he may pop up and surprise a lot of people who forgot just how good he was.
Asked about Montez Sweat, Ron Rivera breaks out a smile. "It's pretty exciting, he's a tremendously gifted athlete"
When talking to the media on Monday, Rivera admitted that his staff in Carolina was very high on Sweat in the draft, so it’s understandable that the new coach in Washington is excited to get to work with a bigtime player like the former Mizzou star. With defenses focusing on trying to stimy a Chase Young rookie showcase this season, don’t be surprised to see Sweat get off the ball and wreck the opposite side of the line. We saw a bit of what he could do in 2019, and with some diluted attention thanks to additional talent, the sky is the limit for this defensive front.
The defensive line is easily the best position group for the Redskins, and they’ll be playing for cheap in 2020 and the years beyond.
When ranking the position groups across the Washington Redskins’ roster, it’s easy to see that the defensive line is far and away the best on the team. What’s special about that group as well is that they’re not paid like the best group on the team — far from it, in fact. According to Spotrac, Washington is spending just over $21 million in salary to their top six defensive linemen, with $11.5 million of that going to Ryan Kerrigan.
While they may be cheap now, the Redskins also know that there are some needed extensions looming. Jonathan Allen will be up for negotiation this year, with Daron Payne, Montez Sweat, and Chase Young in the following couple of years as well. Matt Ioannidis is signed through 2022 after signing a three-year extension last season.
The Redskins are equipped to handle this, as they are projected to have about $86.8 million in salary-cap space next season, leaving them ample room to negotiate and retain players. So who might sign an extension with Washington, and when are they eligible to do so? Let’s break it down, the best we can.
Jonathan Allen
UFA: 2022
The Redskins exercised their fifth-year option on Allen, who is due over $10 million in 2021 alone. However, the team will likely work to sign him to an extension in the coming months or year, as he stands as one of the main leaders of the defense, and the front line revolves around his production. When looking at the DT market across the rest of the league, it’s not crazy to think that Allen could potentially resign with the team for somewhere around $15 million per season.
With 7-8 players who would start on any other defensive line in the NFL, the battle for a top spot in Washington is going to be contentious.
The Washington Redskins have an embarrassment of riches on the defensive line, bolstering a depth chart that includes five first-round picks. While it will be entertaining to watch that group go to battle once the season finally starts, it is also going to be intriguing to see which players step up in training camp this year, and earn their way into a starting spot.
The fact of the matter is that not all of those players will be able to share the field at the same time, and a few will likely get knocked down a rung in the process and forced to fill a rotational or back-up role. They’ll still have an impact on the game, but obviously not as much of one as they’d like.
Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio’s solution for this is competition.
"You're not going to play all the time, you're not going to always be the starter. Those things are best settled through competition." — Jack Del Rio on having all of these good players, but obviously not everyone will be able to get on the field #HTTR
Asked about Ryan Kerrigan and the depth at defensive end with Sweat, CY, etc, Jack Del Rio says "Were fired up about having all these guys but they can’t all be on the field at the same time”
We’ve projected that the starting front line will likely consist of Chase Young, Montez Sweat, Daron Payne, and Jonathan Allen. However, it’s pretty easy to guess that any one of those spots is up for grabs. Could Ryan Kerrigan show out one again in training camp and prove that he still has some good years left? Absolutely. Will Matt Ioannidis continue to build off of his stellar 2019 season and force Payne or Allen to take a step aside while he stakes his claim on the front line? I’d buy it. In the end, this group of 7 or 8 guys will be pitted against each other early on, forced to grit and grind their way to a starting spot. Because of that, everyone will be better for it, and we’ll get the best product possible when all is said and done.
One position unit where Redskins actually have a lot of confidence going forward is on defense, but some think they’ll be terrible in 2020.
If you were to ask any fan of the Washington Redskins what has them most excited about the 2020 NFL season, the answer would overwhelmingly be something regarding the defense. Whether it is watching Chase Young go to work, or seeing the continued growth of Montez Sweat, Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, the Washington front line is expected to be among the best in the league this upcoming year.
Looking past the front four, you have a linebacking core headed up by Thomas Davis and Cole Holcomb that should be solid, and a secondary led by Landon Collins, with Kendall Fuller and Ronald Darby out on the edges. As is the case with any unit on the Redskins, there is a lot to prove in 2020, but all bets are that the Washington defense will find a way to win a few games this year.
You wouldn’t think that if you asked Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar, however. In a recent ranking of the 32 best defenses in the NFL, the Redskins came in all the way down near the bottom, landing at No. 27 on the list. Washington beat out only the Bengals, Jaguars, Panthers, Texans, and Lions to get to that spot, and they’re ranked behind teams like the Giants and the Dolphins.
With the addition of second-overall pick Chase Young, the Redskins are in the interesting position of having five first-round picks along their defensive line — Young, Jonathan Allen, Ryan Kerrigan, Da’Ron Payne, and Montez Sweat, who was Washington’s first-round pick in 2019. That’s all well and good, and the Redskins did have 47 sacks and 83 quarterback hurries last season, but they also allowed 35 passing touchdowns — third-worst in the league — to just 13 interceptions. In the offseason, Washington traded Quinton Dunbar, the one cornerback who performed at an above-average level in 2019, to Seattle. Dunbar’s subsequent legal issues notwithstanding, Washington isn’t in a better position to stop its opponents from throwing the ball all over the place, even with a front five that rivals any other in potential.
If you were to highlight any weakness on the defensive depth chart, the obvious spot is in the secondary, where Washington has struggled as of late. However, depending on your confidence level in both Fuller, Darby, and Fabian Moreau, the Redskins should be much improved in that area this year around. We can rank teams ahead of the season all we want, but what really matters is where things shake out once the season is going full steam ahead. Let’s revisit these rankings then, and see where Washington lands. I have a feeling it will be quite a bit higher than No. 27 — if not, we have some serious problems on our hands.
Collins has seen the additions that have been made to the Redskins defense, and he doesn’t see why they can’t be among the best in the NFL.
The Washington Redskins may not be set for a worldbeating season as a whole in 2020, but that doesn’t mean that different parts of their team can’t thrive. While the special teams unit is set to soar with the coming out of Steven Sims, and the addition of Antonio Gibson, it is the defense — buoyed by the front line — that could truly have a breakout season this year.
With the addition of Chase Young, Washington now has a front line that will rotate between Montez Sweat, Young, Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Matt Ioannidis, Ryan Kerrigan, and Caleb Brantley. Behind them, in the linebacking core, you have Thomas Davis, Cole Holcomb, and Ryan Anderson waiting, and Landon Collins, Sean Davis, Kendall Fuller, and Ronald Darby are holding it down in the secondary.
If you put all of those pieces together, you may have something special on your hands.
Collins is really looking forward to what the defense can become next season. With the addition of Chase Young and high expectations for the defensive line and Jimmy Moreland, he believes 2020 could be a breakout season. #Redskins
A productive offense is needed to put points on the board and win games, of course, but a dominant defense can definitely help in that latter part. With a shut-down unit that can keep opposing teams out of the endzone, Dwayne Haskins and the offense will have a lot of room for error when possessing the ball.
There were no members of the Washington Redskins on the list.
That’s not incredibly surprising, as the Redskins aren’t very good just yet. If you were to think about who the best players on the team were last season, you might think Terry McLaurin, or Adrian Peterson, or Landon Collins, but they aren’t exactly players whose jerseys are flying off the shelf. McLaurin had a stellar year as a rookie, but even how he isn’t too well known outside of Redskins circles, or the fantasy football world.
Just because Washington didn’t crack to top 50 in 2019 doesn’t mean that it can’t earn some praise in the future. So of their numerous young stars on the roster, who will be the next player to make the list? Let’s rank our options.
Honorable Mentions:
(Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Montez Sweat
Kendal Fuller
Adrian Peterson
Landon Collins
Steven Sims
Let’s be honest, none of these guys are going to crack the top 100, let alone the top 50 any time soon. They may be fan favorites in Washington, but outside of the District, few people could tell you how their season is going.
No. 5 — Ryan Kerrigan
(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Ever since the fall of Trent Williams, Kerrigan probably stands as the reigning fan favorite in Washington, as his career-long run with the Redskins has embedded him deeply in the hearts of many. His iron-man streak of 139 consecutive games was impressive, to say the least, but the knock against Kerrigan is how underrated he has been his whole career. Far be it for an average NFL fan to tell you anything about him. On top of that, he is on the back-nine of his career, so jersey sales will likely start to fall as he ages out.
We know that the Washington Redskins defense is stacked with depth, but who will end up getting the nod to start come Week 1?
The 53-man roster is anything but set for the Washington Redskins, and there are still a million things that need to happen before the coaching staff can have a solid idea of the guys they have on the team going forward. Beyond just setting the final roster, it will be even tougher to figure out who the starting unit is on both offense and defense, weighing the top position battles and figuring out who is most worthy of playing time.
The defensive side of the ball is stacked in Washington. The Redskins have immense depth at both the defensive line and linebacker position, and they will be able to frequently rotate guys in and out to keep legs fresh throughout the game. With Jack Del Rio bringing a 4-3 defense with him, some positions will change this offseason, but the talent remains. At the edge, the Redskins will choose between Montez Sweat, Ryan Kerrigan, and expected draft pick Chase Young; on the inside, Jonathan Allen, Daron Paye, and Matt Ioannidis will battle for snaps; at the linebacker core, Thomas Davis will lead the charge with Cole Holcomb, Ryan Anderson, and Jon Bostic rotating in as well.
So while the snap counts will be fluid, what will the depth chart look like ahead of Week 1? Here is our best guess, starting with the front four:
DE — Chase Young
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
A “generational talent” who is likely drafted with the No. 2 overall pick? Yea, he’s going to make the starting lineup. Everyone will be looking to see what Chase Young does in his first snaps in the NFL.
DT — Jonathan Allen
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Allen is arguably the most consistently solid player on the defensive line, and his knack for plugging up running lanes and collapsing pockets keep him as a mainstay on the front.
DT — Matt Ioannidis
(Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
As the resident senior of this defensive front, we went with Ioannidis for the starting DT spot over Daron Payne, mainly due to his impressive 2019 season. Payne will surely rotate in quite a bit with both Ioannidis and Allen, but I think that those two will get the nod to start.
DE — Montez Sweat
(Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Sweat rounds out the young defensive front, bumping ironman Ryan Kerrigan from the starting lineup. Sweat was impressive in his rookie season, especially near the end, and his size and speed on the edge will bookend the front line very well with Young on the other side. I expect with Sweat and Young getting the starting nods, we can rely on Kerrigan to take a smaller role more as a situational edge rusher as he enters the latter part of his career.
“Last year, this team had three rookie wide receivers who played a tremendous amount in every game. They had a rookie outside linebacker [in Cole Holcomb]. They had a rookie outside rush guy [in Montez Sweat] who played a lot. They’ve got an offensive line that’s got a good, solid young core with guys who have played a lot.”
And this one isn’t just coach-speak.
Defensively, Cole Holcomb looked really encouraging the more he got on the field and that only figures to continue with Jack Del Rio in town.
Sweat was a first-round pick who didn’t always get asked to do what he was comfortable with, yet continues to boast massive upside. He’ll presumably be joined by and get to play off of Chase Young.
While the Redskins might not be considered one of the most talented teams in the league outright, it isn’t hard to see why Rivera isn’t shy about praise.
The Redskins have identified their core set of players that they plan to take into the 2020 season, according to Kyle Smith.
For any team that is starting fresh and working with some new voices at the very top, there is a checklist that you must go through in order to get the ball rolling again in the offseason.
This is very true of the Washington Redskins, who are virtually starting anew at 90 percent of the major positions in the coaching staff and front office this season. Since Ron Rivera took over, and many of the front office members transitioned into their new roles, we’ve been operating in the dark as far as assuming what the Redskins have been up to. However, when Kyle Smith, the VP of Player Personnel, chatted with the media on Tuesday at the 2020 NFL Combine, we got to get a glimpse at what’s been going on behind closed doors in Ashburn.
Near the top of the list of ‘to-do’s’ for the Redskins was determining a core of players that they plan to build around for the future. It could be 20 players, it could be 40 players; what matters is that the coaches and decision-makers are confident that they have a group of Redskins that they can trust will be there come fall, should all go right. Smith said that he’s confident the team has found that thus far.
“We’ve set our core,” Smith said, via Redskins.com. “We’ve identified who our core players are and what positions we’re going to be attacking in the offseason, whether it be free agency or the draft.”
So who is the core of players? That’s still unknown, but we can at least take an educated guess. Obviously, it involves players like Dwayne Haskins, Terry McLaurin, Derrius Guice, Steven Sims Jr., and other productive offensive players. It also is safe to assume that Landon Collins, Montez Sweat, Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen, and Cole Holcomb made the list as well. But what about players like Cam Sims, or Deshazor Everett, or Aaron Colvin? How does the team view Quinton Dunbar or Brandon Scherff? That much is still up for debate.
We probably won’t ever know the exact list, but as the offseason rolls on and more cuts are made ahead of the 2020 season, we’ll get a clearer idea for sure.
