Redskins Position Group Breakdown: Defensive Line

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May 16, 2018

by Jamual Forrest

The Redskins defensive line has been the talk of the town for most of Jay Gruden’s head coaching tenure. Not for the fact that it has been great, but because it was just the opposite. The defensive line has had its issues for a few consecutive years now: a lack of depth and stop-gap players constituting a makeshift line. Things have changed over the past three off-seasons. In 2016, Washington selected Matt Ioannidis in the fifth round, and while he did not have an impressive rookie year, he took significant leaps in his sophomore season to become one of the top two defensive linemen on the team. In the 2017 offseason the Redskins continued their newfound commitment to developing a young and stout defensive line by drafting Jonathan Allen in the first round, and again repeated the process this offseason drafting defensive lineman Daron Payne. Allen and Ioannidis were the difference makers amongst the defensive line for Washington in 2017; they were physical in the run game while also applying pressure rushing the passer.

The defensive line this year is in good shape. The youth combined with one of the best position coaches in the NFL in Jim Tomsula creates potential and high expectations for this position group that has not been attainable in previous years. The members of the defensive line expected to be on the roster when the season starts include Jonathan Allen, Tim Settle, Daron Payne, Anthony Lanier II, Matt Ioannidis, Stacy McGee, and Ziggy Hood. Those players have an average starting age of 24 years old. The group has a chance to blossom and grow into one of the better lines in the NFL, and it may not take long to reach that level.

The strengths heading into the season will be their ability to defend the run, and though the season statistics show otherwise, Washington was a solid run defense team before injuries. The Redskins have addressed their lack of depth issue by filling out the position group with top-tier young talent. Tim Settle is expected to become the face of the nose tackle position for Washington. The traditional nose tackle has been hard to find for the Redskins; it was a rotational position for lineman and more recently a position that has been occupied solely by Ziggy Hood. The 20-year-old rookie is expected to develop into the nose tackle Washington is in need of, the Jonathan Hankins or Dontari Poe this defense so desperately needed.

The weakness of the position group is their ability to generate a consistent pass rush. The motor of Allen and Ioannidis is encouraging and contagious; however, the specialty amongst the line is their run defense. Majority of the lineman, outside of Allen and Ioannidis, still need to develop pass rushing skills. However, with good depth, a solid rotation with fresh players can contribute to a better interior pass rush. This is a position where competition for a roster spot will be minimal unless someone drastically underperforms, but the development of the younger players will be far more critical this season.

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