Of the many glaring deficiencies that plagued the Redskins during their first season in a 3-4 defense, the gaping holes along the defensive line were the most prominent.
In a matter of days, the outlook for Washington’s front three has become a bit rosier.
Stephen Bowen and Barry Cofield join rookies Jarvis Jenkins and Chris Neild as the newest members on the Redskins defensive line. They join Adam Carriker, Vonnie Holliday and Anthony Bryant as the linemen under contract, giving Washington the depth and versatility they lacked in 2010.
The transition to the 3-4 may have been premature as the Redskins were severely limited by the lack of experienced 3-4 linemen. Carriker steadily improved as the year progressed, but neither Ma’ake Kemoeatu nor Albert Haynesworth could make an impact at nose tackle. The Redskins didn’t have the personnel to fill gaps and command double teams, making life miserable for the linebacking corps.
The result was a run defense ranked 26th and surrendering 4.6 yards per carry. The defensive line lacked any sort of elite lineman such as Aubrayo Franklin or another dominating force to make life easier on the rest of the defense.
Adding a power player to the middle of the defense would have made the most sense, but thus far Washington has avoided handing out a big payday to any of the biggest names in free agency. Instead they’ve made several smaller signings, spreading their payroll out among solid linemen in Bowen and Cofield.
With their staggering list of shortcomings, the Redskins needed to avoid throwing all their money in the direction of one or two players. There’s no question there were more exciting defensive linemen available, but Bruce Allen went for the cheaper options, leaving him with cash leftover to bring in Josh Wilson and Chris Chester with room to spare.
The Redskins have done an admirable job upgrading the defensive line. Haynesworth, the team’s biggest headache, is gone as is his $5.4 million cap hit. So are Phillip Daniels and Ma’ake Kemoeatu, two players past their prime. Those cuts saved saving them an additional $3.75 million against the salary cap.
Bowen and Cofield are younger, more durable and more talented as replacements. Bowen can play either defensive end position and Cofield is expected to contribute extensively at nose tackle where Washington was most vulnerable last year.
The Green Bay Packers won a Super Bowl with a large stable of versatile defensive lineman and based on the Redskins’ offseason moves, they will try and imitate that philosophy.
Jenkins, Washington’s second-round pick, is expected to try his hand at both end and nose tackle while Neild is a seventh-round selection who could very well factor in at nose tackle. Carriker and Holliday were the best defensive ends on the roster in 2010 and Bryant flashed some ability as a run-stopping nose tackle.
Unlike last season, the Redskins have some players on the defensive line who will cause matchup problems for opposing offenses. They have several players with enough size and strength to absorb extra blockers, taking some pressure off what could be a very inexperienced group of linebackers.
Year two of the 3-4 scheme certainly appears to be off to a promising start, but it’s success will largely be determined up front on the line, putting plenty of pressure on the unit that underwent the most change this offseason.
How they handle that pressure will prove to be the difference between last season and the defenses which consistently finished in the top ten under Greg Blache and Gregg Williams.
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