Who are Washington's Blue Chip Players?

[burgold]

In a different thread, it was suggested that we only have two: Daniels and McLaurin. I don't think that's right, but there's a murkiness to grading and we all do it a little differently. So, for this thread I'm asking simply who do you think are blue chip players on this Redskins squad? I think my definition of a blue chip player might be a player who starts and stars for any team. I don't think a blue chip player has to be a Pro Bowler or All Star, but they are game changers and they are consistently great at what they are asked to do.

Here's my list (I hate lists because I always forget someone)

Offense:
Daniels
McLauren
Cosmi (maybe?)
Ertz (probably not on most people's list, but the guy knows how to get open, keeps making important plays, and has incredible hands. Honestly, he's more of a once upon a time Blue Chipper than a current Blue Chipper)

Defense
Luvu (Emotional leader of the team and been a really great player for us.)

Special Team
Tress Way (harder to tell with his limited work this season, but I think Tress has still got it.)

Potential Blue Chippers
Mike Sanristil (needs more seasoning, but I think he could be special especially in the role he was drafted for.)
Chinn (Maybe he's more solid and really good than blue chip. It's hard to tell with a safety since their job is to often supportive)

Okay, that's what I got. Where did I screw up? Who's on your list?

 

[Warhead36]

It was me who I said that. Daniels and McLaurin are the only two guys that opposing teams are legitimately scared of and that can completely take over games.

That doesn't mean our other players all suck. We have quite a few good players. Some very good. But no other true blue difference makers.

Lets look at a team like Detroit, where you have: St. Brown, Jamo Williams, Gibbs, maybe La Porta on offense(borderline) Their OL is also dominant(Penei Sewell could legitimately be the best player in the league). Hutchinson(injured this year but was dominating), Branch, and Joseph on defense.

Or Philly. Barkley. Brown. Carter. Mitchell. MAYBE Davante Smith(he's borderline). That isn't even looking at any of their OL(Mailata and Lane Johnson are studs).

You list some good players like Cosmi and Ertz, and I think Luvu is very good, but none of them are blue chippers. A blue chip OLB/Edge would be Parsons for example. A blue chip TE would be Bowers or prime Kelce(tbh TE play is super down this year). The only blue chipper we might have on defense is Lattimore but he's been too injured. I think Sarinstil can be if he can play slot full time again by next year or the year after.

 

[burgold]

Maybe Biadazz, too?

I think your definition of Blue Chip may be narrower than mine, Warhead36.

If you need a player to be at Parsons' level to be considered Blue Chip then I doubt any time has more than one or two. I think of blue chip like a blue chip stock. There are hundreds of them. They're all great companies, but not every company has to be NVidia to be considered blue chip.

But I think that's part of the fun of these debates. What makes a player a blue chipper is different between posters and a player who is a blue chipper for one team might not be on a different roster where schemes demand different strengths. For example, Parsons is no longer a blue chipper on a team that wants its linebackers to primarily cover tight ends and be pass defenders.

 

[formerly4skins]

Understanding he's a bit long in the tooth, I'd say Bobby Wagner is still a blue chip player.

I want to put Cosmi and Luvu in that category as well, but can't tell if I'm just being a homer.

Also, at one point I absolutely would have included Payne and Allen...but they definitely haven't played up to that type of label this season.

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

I had made a comment earlier that this team lacks blue chip players. I had expected Cosmi to take the next step and be in the conversation but I don't see how anyone can claim Sam Cosmi is a blue chip player right now. Blue chip does not mean Hall of Famer, it an impact player. Right now IMO we have exactly 3: Jayden, Terry and Luvu. 4 if you count a punter and 5 if you count Lattimore who never plays. That is not nearly enough to compete for a title. '

Bobby Wagner is a tougher call. He is an impact player at times and has a ton of tackles. But I can't overlook how this defense at the beginning of nearly every game gets run on at will, a lot of his tackles are 5 yards downfield and he does not cover the pass well.

 

[Warhead36]

Blue chip to me is a guy that opponents look at and say "yeah we have to gameplan specifically for him, he can completely take over a game."

OL in general can be blue chip for their positions but in this context I don't think any are truly blue chip except maybe like prime Trent Williams. Same with DT outside of Aaron Donald last year and Dexter Lawrence this year and maybe one or two others.

Its more QB, skill players, Edges, and DBs. For Special Teams Turpin is probably the only blue chip returner(and I guess Aubrey at K).

 

[Warhead36]

Understanding he's a bit long in the tooth, I'd say Bobby Wagner is still a blue chip player.

I want to put Cosmi and Luvu in that category as well, but can't tell if I'm just being a homer.

Also, at one point I absolutely would have included Payne and Allen...but they definitely haven't played up to that type of label this season.

Prime Wagner was definitely a blue chipper. I don't think he's quite that good now but he's still a damn good football player. Luvu I'd also put in that really good but not elite tier.

I like Cosmi but he hasn't been quite as great this year as last year. And in general Gs aren't needle movers.

2022 Payne was a blue chipper. Allen has had a real good career but I don't think he was ever elite.

 

[KDawg]

We have two. Daniels and McLaurin. Biadasz is close. Wagner would be if he was younger. Luvu disappears too often.

Potential blue chips:
Luvu
Sainristil
Lattimore (if healthy which is a large if)

I think of it like college recruiting. Your 5 stars are your blue chips…

McLaurin and Daniels fit that bill.

4-stars are potential 5-star guys or guys that were once 5 stars.

Sainristil, Luvu, Wagner, Biadasz, Lattimore, Newton fit here.

3 stars are guys who could go either way with time but right now are looking solid/have a body of work that gives them some leeway:

Chinn, Fowler, Payne, Armstrong, Cosmi, Coleman, Noah Brown, Quan, Brian Robinson, Austin Ekeler, Allegretti, Ertz are those kinds of guys

2-star are guys where we have hope for their future but need more or who were once higher and on their way down:

Allen, Ferrell, Sinnott, McCaffrey, Noah I, Dyami, OZ, Crowder, McNichols, Rodriguez, Bates

1-stars are guys who aren’t great but aren’t hurting anything and can contribute and may still grow or have a very specific defined role:

Most of our DL rotation, Magee, Forrest, Butler

The rest are guys who probably don’t fit.

I did this off the top of my head so it’s likely I left a few guys off of the higher tiers. But this is the way I think about it.

 

[Commander Wraith]

For me, a blue chipper isn’t necessarily elite/All-Pro/top 5 at their position, but rather “just” a very good player. I’d also say that more than just production should be factored in. Football IQ and how they affect the guys around them plays in as well, IMO. A kicker could be a blue chipper but even if they’re not a guy that keeps coaches up at night or takes over games.
As an aside - I interpreted Scott McGlouhan’s “reds” as players that are solid-good; the glue guys.

Blues:
Daniels
McLaurin
Luvu - too many examples of him being a game-wrecker to leave him off.
Wagner - high-end ability to shed/avoid blocks, along with great leadership - getting guys lined up, keeping guys steady, etc.
Lattimore - very good in terms of talent level, though I would consider “demoting” him due to availability issues.

Borderline:
Biadacz - a good (arguably very good) player that helps the guys around him via leadership and a “dog” mentality.
Chinn - pretty high end play combined with tone-setting plays, leader of the secondary.
Way - a good player (he’s had plenty of very good seasons as well) that helps welcome ST guys, and make guys feel connected.
Cosmi - high end talent who’s play seems to bounce between good and very good.
Reaves and Belore - ST captain types.
Butler and Owens - elite speed makes them difference-makers on ST.

Shout out to Fowler. I wouldn’t put him in either category, but he’s played quite well and had some big plays for us.
Sad that I never even considered Payne or Allen. Here’s hoping Newton can get there.
Before this season, I may have thought about mentioning Bates - he’s been a really high end in-line blocker.

Going through this excercise, a few things stand out:
No dlineman on the list.
No receiver that is better than a low-end red (ie better than solid).
No tackle that is better than a low-end red (ie better than solid).
No running back, even though I like the group.

 

[burgold]

I actually appreciated your definition of one-star players. One star-players can be useful and important. They're just limited. They're not one-star movies that you want as far from the field as possible.

 

[burgold]

One of the reasons I counted Luvu as a blue chipper is he seems to becoming the heart of the defense. The way he rallies and pumps them up. Those videos of him make him seem like a leader and the guy who lights the fire. I think his play warrants consideration, too, but he's the guy who gets this defense going.

 

[method man]

What's interesting is that PFF does not seem to like Luvu much. I believe his grade last season was higher than his grade this season. We see the big plays from him but the misses that don't pay off when he gambles don't seem to resonate as much. I still love him as a player and I think he is in the same pantheon of off ball linebackers league wide as Terry is amongst receivers.

Wagner is still a blue chip at off ball linebacker

Biadasz is probably a top 10 center in the league. We all hoped Cosmi would become a top 10 guard but the penalties ding him - hopefully next year.

Lattimore, injuries and all, is still a blue chip in this league

 

[Neophyte]

Controversial take - I'm not sure McLaurin is one of those guys.

He was completely neutralized by a single CB Sunday night. Not a scheme designed to take him out of the game, just a single CB.

I'm not saying he should be able to put up a career night against another great player but he shouldn't totally disappear either.

 

[KDawg]

Controversial take - I'm not sure McLaurin is one of those guys.

He was completely neutralized by a single CB Sunday night. Not a scheme designed to take him out of the game, just a single CB.

I'm not saying he should be able to put up a career night against another great player but he shouldn't totally disappear either.

I don’t think this is that controversial. I have McLaurin as a 4.5 star guy. So, rounded up blue chipper. He’s not a pure 5 because he has disappearing moments. But he’s not a 4 because of his consistency and impact.

 

[Warhead36]

There are building blocks and there are blue chippers.

Guys like Luvu, Biadasz, etc. are building blocks. Real good football players. But they aren't game changing give the opponent nightmare types.

 

[Neophyte]

Biadasz might not be a "give the opponent nightmare" type of guy but he raises the level of the whole offensive line. We all watched the drop-off the other night when he left the game. Allegretti stepped up and helped reverse some of it but the line still didn't play as well as it would have with Biadasz in the game.

I think there are different ways to be a "blue chip" player. One is an individual impact (Barkley, Parsons, Hutchinson, etc) and the other is as a force multiplier (think Wagner, Biadasz). These are guys who raise the level of a whole unit through their leadership and football IQ. Looking at it that way, I think you have to consider Wagner and Biadasz as blue chip player.

 

[Commander Wraith]

Controversial take - I'm not sure McLaurin is one of those guys.

He was completely neutralized by a single CB Sunday night. Not a scheme designed to take him out of the game, just a single CB.

I'm not saying he should be able to put up a career night against another great player but he shouldn't totally disappear either.

Three thoughts here…
Some positions heavily feature one on one battles, mainly corner and receiver, though Tackle/DE can fit that bill.

One blue chip player limiting another blue chip player shouldn’t negate the body of work.

A receiver is dependent on the qb, scheme, and pass pro. And of course a corner can play differently if he has quality safety help, a well positioned underneath defender, and/or a pass rush that gets home quickly. So, even while it might seem a pure one-on-one matchup, there’s more nuance than that.

Sidenote: Terry was on the injury report with an ankle apparently

 

[Knightingale]

Controversial take - I'm not sure McLaurin is one of those guys.

He was completely neutralized by a single CB Sunday night. Not a scheme designed to take him out of the game, just a single CB.

I'm not saying he should be able to put up a career night against another great player but he shouldn't totally disappear either.

I wonder how healthy Terry was on Sunday. He’d been nursing an ankle injury all week so likely wasn’t at top speed. I’m feeling, post game, like they actually used him more as a distraction to take the Falcons top CB out of the game and free up space for our other receivers. Wouldn’t surprise me if we found he was limited this past week

 

[burgold]

If he is limited like that I wouldn't mind if he was made inactive against Dallas.

 

[Knightingale]

If he is limited like that I wouldn't mind if he was made inactive against Dallas.

This wouldn’t surprise me at all.