Washington Roster Review: Defense and Specialists

January 31, 2024

by Steve Thomas

Last week, I  published part 1 of a two-part series to review the current state of Washington’s roster.  Since Washington has actually hired a real general manager for the first time in a generation, Adam Peters, and are now waiting on the team’s new head coach, it seemed like a good time to take a deep dive into each position group in order to determine which players will stay and which will go.  Some of Washington’s position groups will need to be totally rebuilt, whereas some are in better shape.  Part 1 last week covered the offense (click here to read), so we’ll now cover the defense, by position group, as well as the specialists.  Let’s get started and jump in.

Defensive line

In this position group, the two leaders, Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, are signed through 2025 and 2026, respectively.  Allen had a bit of a down year by his standards, with 55 tackles and 5.5 sacks in 16 games, but more importantly, he appeared to have less of an impact than in years passed.  He has a cap hit of more than $21M next year, and with a dead cap of just $12M, he can be cut.  Allen expressly dissatisfaction with being a part of a rebuild, but regardless, I doubt the team would trade or cut him.  Payne had a similar season, both statistically and in terms of impact.  His cap hit is also more than $21M, but he has a huge dead cap number and is uncuttable under any circumstances.  The only realistic way for him to be traded would be as a post June-1 transaction.  Therefore, it’s likely that both Payne and Allen will return in 2024.  Of the remaining players in this group, Phidarian Mathis, Andre Jones, John Ridgeway, and K.J. Henry are signed beyond 2023; however, all of them can be cut at a savings.  Mathis was a poor draft pick by Ron Rivera in round 2 in 2022, and has thusfar been a bust, but he might survive one more year by virtue of his draft status; Jones, Ridgeway, and Henry will have to survive roster cuts.  Abdullah Anderson, Jalen Harris, Efe Obada, Benning Potao’e, Joshua Pryor, James Smith-Williams, and Casey Toohill are all free agents.  It’s not impossible to think that one or two of these players may return, particularly Smith-Williams or Obada, but realistically, they’ll probably move on.

The interior defensive line is probably set for the immediate future given the contractual status of Allen and Payne; however.  Washington essentially has no starting-quality edge rushers on the 2024.  It’s therefore highly likely that they’ll spend a high draft pick, or two, on this position.  As a result, we’re most likely going to see at least 4 or 5 new faces next year.  However, until we know whether the team is going to keep its primary 4 defensive linemen scheme, it’s impossible to speculate further.

Linebackers

Washington’s linebacker group is a travesty of NFL justice.  The 2023 group was surely the least talented and effective in the NFL.  2021 round one bust Jamin Davis has one more year on his contract.  All of the rest of Washington’s linebackers are free agents, including Cody Barton, Jabril Cox, David Mayo, De’Jon Harris, and Khaleke Hudson.  Of this group, only Hudson showd promise this year.  Hudson looked like a solid player at times when was given playing time toward the end of year.  I suspect that Davis will probably remain in DC for 2024.  Although he was a total bust at the position for which he was drafted, he showed some promise on the outside.  In 2023, he played and started 13 games and made 89 tackles, including 50 solo, 3 sacks, and 1 interception.  Regardless, those, until we know the scheme, even Davis’ status isn’t certain.  I suspect that Washington’s new coaching staff will probably move on from the prior regime’s starting 2 linebacker set, which was essentially forced on them due to a lack of available starters.

Washington will almost certainly have an entirely new linebacker group next season, with the possible exception of Davis, and the remote possibility of Hudson’s return.  Washington’s linebackers were mostly terrible last season and they should start over.

Secondary

Washington’s secondary is in a much more stable situation than either the defensive line or the linebackers, in that several of the players are signed to multiyear contracts, for better or worse.  Some of these players have lined up at both corner and safety, but of the group who are primarily corners, Kyu Blue Kelly and draft bust Emmanuel Forbes are signed through 2026.  Tariq Castro-Fields and Christian Holmes are signed through 2025, and Benjamin St-Juste has one more year left on his rookie contract.  Last year’s second round pick, Jartavius Martin, who teetered on the edge of “bust” status in a hybrid corner/safety role most of the year but improved somewhat by the end of the season, is on his rookie deal through 2026.  Only Kendall Fuller and Nick Whiteside will be free agents.

Fuller was Washington’s #1 corner last season, but I expect his contract demands to be too high to make him a efficient use of cap space given his performance over the last 4 years, so I think Washington will let him move on.  The problem is that his absence leaves a big hole in Washington’s starting lineup given Forbes’ poor performance.  Therefore, I expect Washington to either spend big money to bring in a top-end starting-quality corner, or spend a draft pick they can reasonably expect to become a starter, which typically means the top 3 rounds.

The safeties on the roster for the 2024 season include Percy Butler and Darrick Forrest.  That’s it.  Pro Bowler Jeremy Reaves, Kamren Curl, the 2020 seventh round pick who dramatically outplayed his draft status, and Terrell Burgess will all become free agents.  As a result, Washington will need to find two safeties, possibly including two starters.  It’s impossible to know whether Adam Peters will pursue either Curl or Reaves; if not one or more of those two, then certainly others either through free agency or in the middle rounds of the draft.  It isn’t impossible to think that Washington has two new starting safeties next year.

Specialists

The NFL’s best punter, and Washington’s most consistent player, punt Tress Way is signed for one more season, through 2024, so he will almost assuredly be back.  The placekicker, Joey Slye, is a free agent, so Washington will need to sign a replacement.  Unfortunately, Dustin Hopkins remains under contract with the Chargers for one more season.  In his Washington career, Joey Slye made a total of 56 field goal attempts in 66 attempts, or 84.8%, including 25 of 33 on kicks of 40 yards or more, or 75.7%, including 8 of 12 over 50 yards, or 66.6%.  Slye had touchback percentages on kickoffs of 57.1% in 2021, 77.9% in 2022, and 88.9% in 2023.  Since he was cut by Washington in 2021, Hopkins has made 60 of 66 field goal attempts, or 90.9%, including 27 of 33 on kicks of 40 yards or more, or 81.8%, including 9 of 10 over 50%, or 90%.  Hopkins had touchback percentages on kickoffs of 71% in 2021, 89.5% in 2022, and 64.9% in 2023.  Of these stats, Slye only beat Hopkins in 2023 touchback percentage.  Hopkins missed a big chunk of the 2022 season due to injury, but their respective total number of kicks were still roughly similar.  Just food for thought.

The long snapper the team signed at the end of the year as Cameron Cheeseman’s replacement, Tucker Addington, is also a free agent, so Washington will be on the lookout for a long snapper as well.

That’s it for our roster review.  Let me know what you think in the comment section below.