Should Washington make a run at the NFC East or focus on player development?
Normally, when a team is 2-6, they’ve already packed it in and given up any hopes of competing for a division title. The coach change their approach and lets the young guys see the field to see what the team has for the future, rather than focusing on winning games.
The Washington Football Team is in a unique position thanks to playing in the historically bad NFC East. They’re only a game and half back of the division lead, yet are also only two games back in the running for the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The team in the nation’s capital has an odd blend of older veteran players like quarterback Alex Smith and offensive tackle Morgan Moses, and young breakout stars like edge rusher Chase Young and wide receiver Terry McLaurin.
This all begs the question, which approach should Washington take for the rest of this season?
On the surface, the decision to go with Alex Smith at quarterback on Sunday against Detroit says that the team is looking for its best chance to win games and keep pace with the Eagles and the other teams in the division.
The 36-year-old isn’t the future for Washington under center and the team gains nothing long-term by playing him. Second-year signal caller Dwayne Haskins continues to ride the bench, and many fans wonder why the team wouldn’t want to see what they have in the former first round pick instead.
A closer look shows that playing Alex Smith isn’t just a “win now” move. When Haskins played, he was genuinely bad. Not in the way that young quarterbacks are when they make some bad reads, turnovers and rookie mistakes like Daniel Jones of the New York Giants or Los Angeles Chargers’ rookie Justin Herbert.
These are both young players at the position who have made risky plays with the ball, but their offenses are functional and you can see the talent you have with them despite some growing pains.
Haskins has been a different type of bad. The offense was stagnant with him at the helm and he seemed to be stunting the growth of the players around him. It’s difficult to evaluate the other skill players with Haskins struggling as mightily as he did.
Whether Haskins would improve with more reps and elevate his teammates as well remains to be seen, but head coach Ron Rivera and his coaching staff have apparently seen enough in practice not to need to see anymore of him on game days.
As far as the quarterback goes, this is one of the rare cases where the “win-now” move also happens to be the best for evaluating young players.
Defensively, Washington’s best players also happen to be some of its youngest. Rookie Chase Young is already a star, generating heavy pressure and commanding regular double and sometimes triple teams along with his counterpart in second-year pro Montez Sweat.
With the injury to star strong safety Landon Collins, rookie Kamren Curl has stepped in and played a key role in the starting lineup.
Throughout Washington’s defense, this just seems to be the case. The best players on the team are on their first contracts, and despite the growing pains that come with a 2-6 record, they’ll get a rare opportunity to be battle tested in meaningful games as they chase the division crown.
Washington is in a very good position an if the team falls completely out of contention for the NFC East, their record is bad enough to get a good draft pick and they’ll have quality film of their young contributors.
If Washington does manage to make the postseason, they’ll have proven down the stretch that they have the perfect mix of young talent and veteran leadership to put a good team on upset alert and make a run.
