Washington Redskins: Young Players Shine Despite Loss

By Andrew Long | Sep 25, 2015

The Washington Redskins fell to the New York Giants in what was an ugly game for the team. The boys in the burgundy and gold struggled throughout the contest; early miscues made for a long, grueling game, as Washington never led and often looked unorganized and poorly coached. Still, in what was easily their worst game of the young NFL season, the Redskins had a number of young players provide promising performances.

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Jordan Reed continued to show that he’s capable of being a top-tier tight end in the league, as he hauled in 6 catches for 96 yards on the night. His stat line could have included a touchdown, but Kirk Cousins under threw the 25-year-old in the end zone. The poorly thrown ball by Cousins forced the Redskins to settle for a field goal.

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If the two had connected, Reed would have secured his first 100-yard game of the season. He currently has 19 receptions for 241 yards and one touchdown. Three games into the season, those numbers are very impressive. Especially when you consider the fact that Reed has never compiled more than 499 yards in a season – he’s currently on pace for 101 catches, 1,285 receiving yards, and five touchdowns.

Washington’s shifty tight end wasn’t the only young player to play well in the contest, though. Running back Chris Thompson and wide receivers Jamison Crowder and Rashad Ross also showed that they were more than capable of contributing to the Redskins offensive attack during the Thursday night effort.

Thompson solidified his role as Washington’s pass-catching back. The 24-year-old runner caught eight passes for 57 yards and one touchdown on the night. He was the only player on the Redskins roster to record an offensive touchdown. On top of his impressive receiving numbers, Thompson also carried the ball twice for 29 yards.

The Redskins have been developing Thompson’s skills since adding him to their roster in 2013. And while his first two years in the NFL were nothing to brag about, it appears as if he is finally getting into a groove. I don’t expect him to replicate Thursday’s numbers on a regular basis, but I do think that he has the potential to be a game breaker coming out of the backfield every now and then.

Another young player that showed his worth in the losing effort was Jamison Crowder. The rookie wideout has a very similar build to that of DeSean Jackson‘s. The 5 foot 8, 185-pound wideout managed to get open on a number of occasions, as he registered six catches for 45 yards on the night. It was his first game as a professional that he managed to secure multiple receptions.

Crowder’s role will likely diminish once Jackson returns to the lineup, but it was still encouraging to see the rookie wideout getting open and making plays. The injury to Jackson hurts the Redskins chances of winning games in 2015, there’s no questioning that. However, Jackson missing time helps the development of Crowder and other young wideouts like Rashad Ross.

Ross, who battled to earn his spot on the roster, dealt a majority of his damage on the special teams unit. The pre-season standout was recently promoted to the position of kick returner, and, late in the fourth quarter, he showed why he deserved the promotion. With 3:21 remaining in the fourth quarter, Ross fielded a kick in his own end zone and opted to take it out. Upon doing so, the speedy 25-year-old took the ball 101 yards the other way for a touchdown.

Ross, like the players previously mentioned, performed well in the losing effort. And while the Redskins still have a ways to go until they’re a legitimately competitive team, it’s promising to see their young players perform in such a way.

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