Washington Redskins: Zach Brown needs to be brought back

Zach Brown was terrific until in his first season with the Washington Redskins until injuries hit in December.

The Washington Redskins made several moves in free agency one year ago. Some worked out, others were flat-out miserable and the rest are to-be-determined. One player who hit was linebacker Zach Brown.

After spending his first four seasons in Tennessee, Brown played for Buffalo in 2016 and earned an invite to the Pro Bowl after a strong season. Unfortunately for Brown, teams weren’t quite as impressed and Brown settled for another one-year deal and the Redskins proved to be the beneficiaries.

Through the first quarter of the season, Brown was as good as any inside linebacker in the NFL. A healthy defensive line in front of him allowed Brown to attack the line of scrimmage and wreck opposing running backs. Washington’s run defense was among the best in the NFL over the first half of the season. Then, injuries caused everything to unravel.

Rookie defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, second-year defensive end Matt Ioannidis, linebackers Mason Foster and Will Compton all went down with major injuries. While Ioannidis would return, the defense was never the same. Brown, too, suffered the injury bug as a foot injury ended his first season in Washington after 13 games.

Washington’s final defensive numbers weren’t great. It ranked No. 21 in total defense and dead last in run defense. The Redskins allowed opponents to rush for over 134 yards per game at a clip of 4.5 yards per attempt. Brown’s injuries and subsequent absence greatly affected this unit.

Despite Brown’s injuries and time missed, he still finished inside the top 10 in total tackles. That’s impressive.

While Brown did struggle in pass coverage, he’s the best inside linebacker the Redskins have had since London Fletcher’s first few years in the nation’s capital. The Redskins can ill-afford to have to start over now that they’ve found a solid performer on the inside. Complicating things further, Foster and Compton are free agents, too. While neither of those players is Brown, their presence helped Brown while on the field. Especially Foster. Foster called the defensive signals, allowing Brown to play without having to overthink.

The Redskins tried to get Brown locked into a long-term deal late in the season, but nothing came to fruition. If Washington can get Brown back, re-sign either Foster or Compton and add one more big piece to the defensive line, this unit could be a top-10 defense. Injuries, of course, could complicate things.

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Quarterback Kirk Cousins is Washington’s most important free agent. Right behind him is Brown. If Washington is ever going to take the next step it must identify core players and keep them. Brown is one of those players and if the Redskins allow him to even test free agency, the 2018 offseason would be off to a less-than-stellar beginning.