2021 Washington Football Team Depth Chart

Position	1	2	3
Quarterback	Ryan Fitzpatrick	Taylor Heinicke	Kyle Allen
Running Back	Antonio Gibson	J.D. McKissic	Peyton Barber
Wide Receiver 1	Terry McLaurin	Cam Sims	Isaiah Wright
Wide Receiver 2	Curtis Samuel	Steven Sims	Kelvin Harmon
Wide Receiver 3	Adam Humphries	Antonio Gandy-Golden
Tight End	Logan Thomas	Marcus Baugh
Left Tackle	Geron Christian	Cornelius Lucas
Left Guard	Wes Martin	Ereck Flowers
Center	Chase Roullier	Tyler Larsen	Tony Bergstrom
Right Guard	Brandon Scherff	Josh Garnett
Right Tackle	Morgan Moses	David Sharpe

Goodbye Kirk Cousins and hello Alex Smith. The Redskins were quick to make NFL headlines with the addition of Alex Smith. This almost simultaneously spelled the end of the Kirk Cousins era in Washington. The team strung out his franchise tag for the past few seasons, leaving Cousins at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of commitment to the organization. The option to bring in Smith would sacrifice a few years of tenure at the quarterback position, but the mutual relationship and his fit within the offense is what ultimately won the team over.

Smith won’t have the arsenal of offensive weapons he had in Kansas City, which is something to keep an eye on. The team shipped off Terrelle Pryor and Ryan Grant, severely limiting the experience at the wide receiver position. To account for these losses, the team brought in Paul Richardson from Seattle. While Richardson is a formidable talent, he doesn’t call for the attention level that Pryor or Grant carried for the team. This could be a good news, bad news situation for the team. They are already struggling at the wide receiver position with Josh Doctson and Jamison Crowder rounding out the list of starters. This collection of players is not going to wow the competition in terms of statistics but pieced together contributions could lead to a sound offensive attack. Smith already has good rapport with tight ends, creating an almost instant connection between him and Jordan Reed. Smith is also reunited with Vernon Davis, a pairing that caused headaches for the opposition in past seasons. Decrease the playmaking capabilities in favor of an increase in the number of targets and you have an offense that could be a handful for the opposition.

The one good thing about the transition for Smith is the strength of the offensive line. Penetrating beyond Trent Williams on the outside is something few ends have mastered, leaving the blind side fully protected. Morgan Moses is another outside talent that has the size needed to create a wall of protection for Smith. Insert Brandon Scherff at the inside and partner him with a few guys that battle out for contention. With that you have a completed line with few holes, leaving a pocket present for Smith to work from and limiting his chances of being pressured. Smith already owns one of the league’s best touchdown-to-interception ratios, which bodes well for his success and the success of others around him.

The team can’t seem to catch a break at the running back position. Samaje Perine spent a majority of the past season on the sidelines with nagging injuries. Rob Kelley was forced into a lead role that saw heavy usage, ruining any prospect to his skill set. Kelley is a larger back that favors short yardage situations. The team had hopes of recovering from injuries and draft picks to bring this core some depth. Derrius Guice was the team’s highly touted draft pick. A pre-season injury would end his campaign before it even began. The team sought answers and their response was Adrian Peterson. Peterson joins a depleted and hurting backfield that is in need of consistency. Peterson has experienced his fair share of injuries, which is why the team isn’t jumping for joy just yet. The Peterson signing immediately places him within the lead back role with a little learning and priming needed to get him up to speed.

The defense was afforded the luxury of some nice additions. Pernell McFee was brought in from Chicago to bolster an edge rushing attack. Orlando Scandrick brings a veteran skill set from Dallas to a secondary that is in desperate need of a leader. The team also plays host to the return of Jonathan Allen and Phil Taylor to the defensive front, rounding out a completion to a core on the frontline. These additions will help create instant impacts on all three levels of the defense. McFee gives the team a complete edge game with partnering him across from Ryan Kerrigan. The team is now afforded the ability to shoot for those flex looks they want to achieve so desperately. Their player pool is strengthened, allowing them to place guys within the correct roles and reducing usage for the bigger guys. This defensive roster looks to rotate players on a consistent, needs basis. They can increase the stamina and production of their players through these number additions, creating a greater presence on the defensive side of the ball.