Roster Review

Looking over the roster and the players we have at each position, most positions seem somewhat set.   There are a few positions that I feel are a bit shaky and need to be addressed.  Here's the breakdown:

Offense:

QB: With McNabb at the helm, QB is set for the win now approach.  Backups? Eh.  Grossman is a capable backup and Brennan should make strides and push Grossman for the backup role.  It'll be interesting to see how the staff plans for the future.  My hope was to get in a young prospect and let him learn under McNabb as soon as possible while he is still here.  I'd look for the front office to put in serious time to scout next year's prospects.

RB:  Portis seems to be the starter in the early stages.  Parker and Larry Johnson will push Portis for time and I think that will be a great motivator.  I know many have expressed that only 2 of these backs will make the opening day roster but I honestly believe all 3 will make it.  Remember these backs were 'feature' backs and generally carried most of the team's load in terms of carries.  They won't have carry load anymore and should be fresh in the late stages of the game.  I envision McNabb and the passing game to flourish this season with Kyle Shanahan on board.  I'll make a bold prediction and say McNabb gets 35+ TDs this season BECAUSE of the running game --- something McNabb didn't have in Philly.  Next to QB, RB needs to be injected with youth.

WR:  Moss and Thomas look to be that starters.  Thomas however needs to elevate his game to avoid being demoted.  There isn't a lot of depth even though we have 8 or so receivers on the roster.  Other than Moss, Thomas, Kelly, and maybe Mitchell and Austin (the 7th round rook), I don't see any impact players.  I've said this before and I'm going to say it again, the Skins should look into 6'5" 215 pound UDFA WR Danario Alexander from Mizzou who is still unsigned.  He led the NCAA with in reception yards with 1700+.  Along with 113 receptions and 14 TDs.  He's fast, hard to take down, and physical.  I see his game similar to Brandon Marshall.

TE:  Probably the most solid position on the team.  Cooley will start but playing team and opportunities should be equal for Cooley and Davis.  We should see a lot of 2 TE sets with the lack of depth at WR.  I guarantee McNabb is thrilled.  Cooley and Davis are big targets and will help Donovan get that 35+ TD season.

OL:  Still needs work but 'Silverback' Williams is our building block.  Rabach is a solid Center and Hicks will battle it out with Heyer at RT.  I think Capers will crack the starting lineup later in the season at RT.  The Tackles should be just fine with 'Silverback' at LT and (hopefully) Capers holding down the fort at RT for years to come.  The interior part of the line needs the most work.  It needs youth but it should hold for now.  I'd look for them to address the interior part of the line next year's draft and possibly going after C/G Mike Pouncey from U Florida who should be the top interior lineman.

Biggest Need(s):  Youth at G/C positions, QB of the future, RBs of the future, depth at WR.

Bottom Line:  Expect more points to be scored this season.

Defense:

DL:  It's hard to tell at this point.  Is Haynesworth going or staying? No one knows for sure although Shanahan said he wasn't.  With a (hopefully healthy) Kemoeatu at NT, and Carriker at RE, the DL is somewhat taking shape.  Besides Jarmon and Golston, our DL needs more depth.  First and foremost, the situation with Haynesworth needs to be sorted out.

LBs:  I'm not satisfied with what we have.  It looks like our OLBs will be Carter and Orakpo, and the ILBs will be McIntosh and Fletcher.  Hopefully McIntosh will receive a long term deal.  Carter isn't a fit in this system and Fletcher will be 35 years old this season.  Maybe rookie Perry Riley will surprise us all and be next in line to fill Fletcher's role once he retires.  Maybe not. We'll see.  An OLB opposite Orakpo that can rush the passer is key and needs to be addressed.  Blades and Henson are the backups but LB is another position that needs a lot more depth.

CB:  Rogers and Hall are the starters.  However, Rogers will be 29 when the season starts even though he is only a 5 year pro whereas Hall is 26 and a 6 year pro.  Tryon played well last season and Barnes is improving but I don't envision any of them becoming a starter in the future.  We still need a solid Nickel CB and someone to replace Rogers in a year or 2.

FS:  Until November 27, 2007, this position was set for years to come with Sean Taylor.  But now I honestly don't know who the starter will be at this point.  With Landry moving back to SS, I can only see Horton becoming our FS....for now.  This is probably the BIGGEST need on the team right now.  A possible stop-gap could be bringing in Darren Sharper who still has some in the tank.  RIP #21.

SS:  Landry is finally back to his natural position.  I'm looking forward for him to used properly and make more plays.  Doughty proved he could be a reliable starter in this league and is underrated.  This position is set.

Biggest Need(s):  FS, depth at CB,  OLB, ILB, depth at all LB positions.

Bottom Line:  I think the switch to a 3-4 defense really caused more needs for this team.  If we had stayed a Base 4-3, Haynesworth would not be complaining, our LBs would be fine with the exception to finding a heir to Fletcher.  We would have only needed to move Landry to SS, find a FS, and continue to add depth.

Special Teams:

K: Gano is the incumbent with Medlock being the competition.  Kickers come and go recently and it's too early to tell but hopefully Gano can retain the job....for more than 8 weeks.  If he can, we'll have a young kicker for years to come.

P:  I really like Hunter Smith.  In fact, I was excited when we brought him in last offseason.  I know he couldn't stay healthy but I thought he was solid when he was.  In my mind he was the Offensive MVP right behind Fred Davis last year.  I don't understand the philosophy to bring in a Josh Bidwell who is older (by a year) than Smith.  If age determines if a punter gets hurt, what does that say about Bidwell?

KR/PR:  First and foremost, Randle El is gone...HALLELUJAH!  We drafted UCLA's Terrance Austin for a reason.  Hopefully what he did at UCLA, he can continue to do here and maybe contribute as a slot receiver as well.  Devin Thomas and Hall are capable to return kicks so these positions look set.  Cartwright averaged 22.3 yards/return on kickoffs.  He might as well just taken a knee for a touchback.

Biggest Need(s):  Punter.

Bottom Line:  Let's hope Gano can be solid.  Look for the return game to improve.  The kick return game should be better with Cartwright gone.  Punt returns should be able average more than 4.8 yards/return last year.