The Redskins envision a dream scenario, one that could bolster their defense. Phillip Daniels and Cornelius Griffin return healthy …. the young tackles progress … the secondary meshes. If that happens, they say, their pass rush, and line play overall, will improve. And it’s why they opted not to address their defensive line in the draft.
The question is, will this work?
While some experts like safety LaRon Landry, whom they drafted in the first round Saturday, they don’t like the idea of improving the back to help the front.
“It’s never worked like that,” one NFL general manager said. “The front four makes the back end, it doesn’t work the other way around. Either you have a rush or you don’t.
“I could see Landry being their No. 1 defensive player on the board, but in terms of need, [Arkansas end] Jamaal Anderson made more sense. It’s too late to address the line now. They had to do that in the draft.”
But the Redskins say they’re satisfied with their line. However, they’re counting on the 33-year-old Daniels to be fully healthy coming off ankle and wrist surgeries. Griffin appeared in 14 games, but he often played with an injured hip.
Also, they’re now relying on the development of second-year tackles Kedric Golston and Anthony Montgomery. End Andre Carter finished with a flourish — with three of his six sacks coming in the final three games.
“If they’re healthy they should be good enough to win,” one NFC scout said. “But I don’t know if they can take the hits.”
The Redskins’ secondary hindered the defense last year as coordinator Gregg Williams appeared, at times, to be more cautious with his calls. Too often attempts at aggressive calls resulted in long passes for scores. A better secondary, in theory, should change that.
“Against any good team that won’t work,” the GM said. “You can get away with it against a young quarterback, but not against a veteran.”
Said one NFC scout, who likes Landry but considers him weak in coverage, “The sooner you put pressure on, the easier it is for the secondary to make a play.”
Making moves
The Redskins signed former Maryland quarterback Sam Hollenbach among their nine undrafted free agents Monday.
They also signed Hollenbach’s former college teammate, offensive lineman Stephon Heyer. The other signees: Connecticut running back Terry Caulley, LSU corner Daniel Francis, UCLA defensive end Justin Hickman, Oklahoma linebacker Zach Latimer, Youngstown State running back Marcus Mason, Boston College receiver Taylor Sele and Virginia receiver Deyon Williams.
They also signed free agent kicker Tyler Frederickson, who has been in training camps with Seattle, Denver and Dallas but has not kicked in a regular-season game. The Redskins will conduct a rookie minicamp this weekend.
