Washington Redskins Should Carry Four Tight Ends
By Andrew Long
The Washington Redskins are in the process of turning one of their weakest position groups from a year ago into one of the stronger, deeper groups on their roster. The position I’m referring to is tight end.
The Washington Redskins were a team stricken by injuries in 2015, with a number of their key players going down with lengthy or season ending injuries. Perhaps the group ravaged the most by the injury bug was the tight end position, which saw players scratched from play on a regular basis.
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Niles Paul, one of two supremely talented pass-catching tight ends in Washington, didn’t see a single start in 2015, while Logan Paulsen, the team’s tight end that was usually responsible for run blocking, also missed the entirety of the season. In addition to those injuries, Derek Carrier, who the Redskins brought in to dampen the blow, also came down with a season ending injury.
The amount of injuries that the tight end position sustained forced Jordan Reed to take on a larger role in the offense, something that, in my opinion, will help his development in the long run. That being said, the Redskins would be unwise to overuse a young talent like Reed, which likely played into their decision to sign Vernon Davis in free agency.
When I first saw the news of Davis’ signing, I wasn’t a big fan of the addition. His age and lack of production in recent years are what brought me to that conclusion. But, after further thought on the subject, I now believe that the signing can be extremely beneficial to the Washington Redskins, and in a number of ways.
While I believe that Jordan Reed and Niles Paul are better pass-catching options and should be viewed as so, Vernon Davis will unquestionably add talent to the unit. His best playing days are behind him, yes, but that doesn’t mean he can’t contribute as a leader and locker room presence.
There’s no denying the fact that Vernon Davis knows the nuances of the position. His knowledge of playing tight end will undoubtedly help Reed and Paul in their efforts to become better and smarter. If the young tight ends pick the brain of Davis, there’s no doubt in my mind that he will help them.
Having a player like Davis around to help Reed and Paul develop is important, and I believe that was a large reason the team brought him aboard. However, I don’t peg Scot McCloughan for a guy that would sign a player for those reasons alone. I believe that the signing was made with the idea of Davis contributing on a regular basis.
For that to happen, Davis will likely have to play the role of a fullback in certain situations – something that Reed and Paul will also be expected to do, as Jay Gruden’s system regularly calls for players to motion out of the backfield. Tight ends will likely line up at fullback and be motioned to the end of the line of scrimmage or split out wide in an effort to create mismatches against opposing defenses.
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With no fullback currently on the roster, I believe that the Washington Redskins should consider carrying four tight ends into the regular season. It is my belief that a combination of Jordan Reed, Niles Paul, Vernon Davis, and Logan Paulsen will turn one the team’s weakest positions in 2015, into one of their strongest in 2016.
The tight end position would be full of depth and varying skills, something that would supply the Redskins with some breathing room if they were to find themselves injury stricken again.