July 1, 2021   4 MIN READ

Inside The Birds: Washington “A Fascinating Team, Actually”

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We’ve entered the month of July, which means the 2021 NFL season is just two calendar months away.

On the latest Inside The Birds, Geoff Mosher and Adam Caplan are again joined by Greg Cosell to continue ITB’s NFC East preview series, this time breaking down last year’s division champs.

Washington Football Team DE Chase Young leads arguably the NFL’s best front four.

Washington’s Defense

Cosell: “I think for the most part they play to their strengths, they know that their defensive line is really good. I think they were effective in blitzing selectively. [A player who] I really liked and he became a major part of what they did [was] Kamren Curl, who replaced the injured Landon Collins, and quite frankly I thought he played better than Landon Collins. I thought he was a really effective player. Before Collins got hurt, they often used Curl as a slot corner, and then when Collins got hurt they moved Curl to the safety spot and he played safety. So I don’t know what their plan is this year. Collins is back, they could play Collins and Curl at safety and be their starters because Curl showed a ton of versatility and the ability to do a lot of things.”

Jamin Davis, rookie linebacker

Cosell: “He’s 6-foot-3-plus, he’s 235 pounds. He’s a very good athlete. He’s long, he’s rangy, he can play in your sub because he can play pass defense. I would expect him to be a starter, and I think he’ll play in the base and the sub and he’ll be a stack backer, I think that’s what he is. He’s just a different kind of player because of his size and his length. There’s not many 6-foot-3-plus linebackers like him in this league, and he’s a very athletic guy.”

Edge Rush

Cosell: “Chase Young just really looks the part. I think Chase Young has every trait you would look for in an edge player. He’s just a dominant, dominant player, what more can you say? I mean, he’s got every trait you would want. I don’t want to say Sweat is stiff because that is too negative, but he’s not quite as loose as Young is. He’s a great athlete, though. I mean, if you recall Sweat tested exceptionally well at the Combine, almost off the charts. He’s long, but I would say he’s not quite as loose and flexible as Young.”

Ryan Fitzpatrick

Cosell: “My guess is they are working very hard with him this offseason – with Scott Turner, with a veteran QB coach in Kenny Zampese, who’s been around for a long time – to really play within the structure and the belief that you don’t have to [make unbelievable plays]. We don’t know how that will play out, but he’s not going to have to make unbelievable throws all the time. The defense will keep the game close, they’ll run the ball […] let the system work.”

The Blindside

Cosell: “They’ve made some changes [to the offensive line]. Charles Leno, who the Bears cut, did not have a good year last year, but has played well in the league. Obviously, their feeling is a new environment, maybe coached differently, and maybe he can line up and play. I mean even at his best he’s not a top three or four tackle in the league, but at his best, you can line up and play with Charles Leno. The question is can he get to that point again?”

Logan Thomas

Cosell: “They really like [tight end] Logan Thomas. They think that this year he’ll be even better, again the blocking part, obviously he doesn’t have a whole lot of experience doing that because he was a quarterback growing up, but they feel that Thomas can really take another step forward. For a tight end he’s pretty athletic, he’s big. I think they see him as a really important part of this offense going forward.”

Curtis Samuel

Cosell: “I think he’s a versatile piece. While he’s not a burner I think he can run vertical routes. I think you can line him up anywhere and I think that’s the plan. Again, you’re trying to put pressure on the defense, you’re trying to make the defense locate and identify and decide how they want to play him. So I think that’s clearly what you want to do and obviously Scott Turner is familiar with him, he was in Carolina with him for a year or two.”

– Justin Morganstein (@jmotweets_) is a staff contributor to InsideTheBirds.com

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