Washington Football Team: Takeaways from preseason loss to Patriots
By Hunter Noll
Washington actually has a number of weapons
It has been so long since this could be said about the Washington Football Team, but they actually have weapons. Not “weapon” but “weapons” plural. Usually, Washington has one star (maybe one star and one or two really good players) on offense but that’s it. This year, they have depth.
Antonio Gibson is a stud running back, and J.D. McKissic is a phenomenal playmaker at the position. Jaret Patterson looked great too, but we won’t call him a true “weapon” yet — it’s unclear if he’ll even make the roster (after that performance, his chances drastically went up though).
The big difference is in the passing game. Washington has a lot going on there. Terry McLaurin is a superstar, we know this. Now he’s joined by Curtis Samuel though, a wide receiver who can do it all and put up massive numbers. Then they added Dyami Brown in the draft and Adam Humphries in free agency.
What about Kelvin Harmon though? And Steven Sims Jr.? And Antonio Gandy-Golden? They actually have depth, it’s a nice change.
Meanwhile, at tight end, Logan Thomas is looking to build off his breakout year of 2020. And in the first game of the preseason, he reminded everyone that he can make big plays.
I should clarify that I wrote an article calling him the biggest wild card on offense. That wasn’t an insult. Yes, he’s a wild card because he’s had one good year and might get lost in the shuffle of the talent this year. But he’s also a wild card because he could build off that year and become a bonafide superstar.
Behind him there are talents like Sammis Reyes, John Bates and Temarrick Hemingway who will be fighting for playing time.
Washington does not have the best set of weapons. But they are actually up there. They have two legitimate star wide receivers and a rookie who could easily turn into one. They have players that were sure-fire roster spots (and even starters) last year that are on the bubble this time around.
Seeing so many different players contribute against New England only helped hammer home the fact that this is a different Washington roster than we’re used to seeing.