Yesterday proved that this team has a long way to go in terms of knowing what it takes to execute and win in the biggest of moments. They were unprepared for a loosey goosey 4 win Panthers team and it showed in all three facets of the game. A hard lesson, but a needed lesson for a growing team. Long term, we will be better off for what transpired yesterday. I personally suspect that the Redskins will be far more prepared for Philly next week, give a good overall performance when people are down on them, and with hopefully a few breaks, win a tight contest on the road.
On another note, yesterday made is crystal clear to me that there is a lot to do in terms of roster construction. Guys like Cam Sims, Reaves, Thomas, etc., are nice stories, but we have several depth players in starting roles right now that just can't be sustained over the long haul. As much as we want to believe we are just a QB away, we really are not. 2022 is a realistic target for this roster to compete in the conference if the defense continues on its current trajectory and the offense spends some time next season catching up to speed.
As we currently stand, if we beat Philly next week, we are no different than any of the past 3 or 4 versions of the Redskins who have made the playoffs - there for the ride but not good enough to win games in the playoffs.
I disagree.
I am often critical of Scott Turner but I think he's calling games like yesterday because he has absolutely no trust in his QB. He gets cute because he's trying to outsmart the defense while trying to limit mistakes from the QB position. Alex doesn't have an elite arm, but we've seen him push the ball down the field into the intermediate zone when necessary. When we have asked Haskins to do that he throws up on himself.
The other part is that I don't think it's crystal clear that there is a lot to do in roster construction. Adding a legit no. 2 wideout pushes everyone else down into a more manageable role.
You mentioned Reaves, but he's still 24 and has appeared in 19 games, most of which were on Special Teams. He's still contributing meaningful minutes because of the fact that we've lost our 2 starting caliber safeties to injury. This defense is even BETTER with Landon Collins and Deshazor Everette.
There are a couple names I fall back to every time I look at our roster and think we're light years away from any talent.
Austin Reiter - Drafted 222nd, 5th pick in the 7th round of the 2015 draft. He jumped up and down between our active roster and our PS never logging an actual snap at C for the team. In September of 2016 Cleveland signed him. In September of 2018, KC claimed him off waivers when Cleveland cut him. Guess who won a ring and started in 15 games last season?
Guess who else won a SB ring last year for the same Chiefs team. Bashaud Breeland. He did it with 2 interceptions.
My point is that you don't need all pro players at every position... you need difference makers that are surrounded by capable players. We have 3 capable WRs on the roster that are good enough to be NFL players and can help you when needed, but don't necessarily need to be starting. Adding Allen Robinson or Corey Davis or Will Fuller (though his injuries worry me) allows the Sims of the the world to be a 3rd / 4th WR facing the 3rd / 4th CB or LB in coverage. They instantly become better because they're not going up against a starting CB anymore. We tried to get Cooper (man you wonder if he's not kicking himself now) and that would have made our WR room arguably top 5 in the league. The whole offense is markedly different with a single piece.
We have been VERY good in the draft lately, so to expect that continue is fair, we have a good amount of money available as far as the cap goes, and that number could very easily go UP if Alex decides to retire. Top 20 QB play and another difference maker and we're talking about a legit team when you consider the injuries and what we have coming back.
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