Torrian Gray is entering his second season as the Washington Redskins secondary coach and he must replace two starters.
Perry Fewell was the Washington Redskins‘ defensive backs coach for two seasons before he and the team parted ways after the 2016 season. Players bristled under Fewell and his communication skills didn’t sit well with several of Washington’s defensive backs.
To replace Fewell, Washington reached into the college ranks and hired Torrian Gray out of Florida. Gray, who was the DBs coach at Florida for just one year, was best known for his long reign as secondary coach of his alma mater, Virginia Tech.
The Redskins had a number of former Hokies on the roster with veteran DeAngelo Hall and youngster Kendall Fuller. So, how did Gray do in his first year in Washington?
Well, judging by Fuller’s progression from year one to year two, Gray was terrific and now, the onus is on him to improve several of Washington’s young defensive backs. Unfortunately, for the Redskins to get quarterback Alex Smith, they had to include Fuller in a trade to Kansas City.
Gray seemed content with his first season in Washington and is ready to build off the success of his group from one year ago, per Grant Cohen of Redskins.com.
"The transition’s been awesome because now obviously you’ve got a year underneath your belt. You understand the defensive system a lot more, you know how to present it, coach it a lot more. Players have heard the terms for all of the guys that are coming back and just the learning curve is so much quicker and now the expectations. So it’s been great from that standpoint."
The good news is there are several young defensive backs already in place ready for an opportunity. Quinton Dunbar is entering his fourth season and just signed a contract extension. Fabian Moreau was drafted in the third round just one year ago after an injury dropped him. Moreau was outstanding on special teams last season and his combination of size and speed is tantalizing.
Outside of replacing Fuller, Washington must also replace four-year starter Bashaud Breeland. Dunbar and Moreau will battle veteran Orlando Scandrick to start opposite of Pro Bowler Josh Norman. Dunbar is expected to start on the outside while Scandrick, at least initially, will start in the slot.
Washington also has another pair of young corners in Joshua Holsey and rookie Greg Stroman. Gray recruited Stroman at Virginia Tech and coached him for two years and obviously played a big part in bringing his former pupil to D.C.
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The Redskins improved the defensive line in 2018 and are counting heavily on their secondary coach to take the play of their young DBs to another level. If that happens, Washington could have an outstanding defense in 2018.