New-Look Washington Offense Has High Upside, Playoff Potential

The Washington Redskins finished 2017 with a 7-9 record—the first losing mark for the team since head coach Jay Gruden’s initial year in 2014. where to buy nfl jersey Then, the franchise was coming off a disastrous 3-13 season under former head coach Mike Shanahan, so Gruden’s 4-12 blemish wasn’t quite seen as his fault. A 9-7 campaign in 2015, followed by an 8-7-1 mark in 2016, implied progress.

But there’s no way to avoid seeing regression when looking at last year’s offense. Gruden’s crew finished 16th in both points and yards, its worst standings since 2014 and 2015, respectively. Washington finished 20th in Football Outsiders’ opponent-adjusted offensive rankings, down from fifth the year before.

In the offseason, the team made several significant moves to improve offensively. It traded cornerback Kendall Fuller and a third-round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs for quarterback Alex Smith and allowed Kirk Cousins to become a free agent. Cousins signed a megadeal with the Minnesota Vikings,china nfl jerseys nike  and the Redskins gave Smith a $71 million guaranteed contract extension.women nfl jersey

Then, Washington nabbed Seattle speed receiver Paul Richardson in free agency, signing him to a five-year, $40 million deal with $16.5 million guaranteed. It was a risky proposition given Richardson’s injury history—he’s missed 17 games in his four-year career, mostly thanks to a torn ACL in 2015,women’s authentic nfl jerseys  and 2017 marked his first 16-game season. But when he’s healthy, Richardson has the potential to give this offense a deep threat it hasn’t seen since DeSean Jackson.where can i buy authentic nfl jerseys

Finally, to add to a rushing attack that totaled just 1,448 yards and 10 touchdowns on 401 carries in 2017, the Redskins got what could turn out to be the steal of the 2018 draft in buy nfl jerseys from china LSU running back Derrius Guice. Guice gained 1,251 yards and scored 11 touchdowns on 237 carries in 2017, despite nagging injuries that limited his open-field speed. He fell down (or off) many team boards because of concerns about his temperament, but from an on-field perspective, he was the best pure power runner in the class.