FanPost

Redskins Special Teams Are Bound To Improve

Ben Kotwica is not a big name among NFL assistant coaches. For Redskins fans though, he signals hope. Despite struggles on both offense and defense in 2013, special teams were the weakest unit on the team. In fact, the 2013 special teams unit was by far the worst in Redskins history and one of the worst in NFL history. That is very sad for an organization that prides itself on it's history of great special teams. Kotwica replacing Keith Burns as ST-coordinator is essential to improving the unit.

In walks hope, bringing with him a new punter and maybe even a new kicker. Robert Malone and Blake Clingan will battle it out at punter with Malone the favorite. No matter who wins the job, he certainly will be an improvement over the dismal performance of Sav Rocca in 2013.

Zach Hocker was drafted in the 7th round and many fans were puzzled by the choice. Incumbent FG kicker, Kai Forbath was one of the few bright spots on the Redskins special teams. He set a record for consecutive FGs made at the start of his career in 2012 and had a mostly solid performance in 2013 when he was healthy. Forbath's problem is on kickoffs. He was among the worst players in the NFL kicking off. This led to a very poor performance by the Redskins kickoff coverage units. The Redskins are obviously looking for an upgrade in the kickoff department and if Forbath hasn't improved enough during the off-season, Hocker may take his job. Redskins HC Jay Gruden may choose to keep 2 kickers but with roster space needed in other areas, that is not likely.

Kickoff and punt coverage units were very poor for the Redskins in 2013 and ranked among the worst in the league. ST captain Reed Doughty was not re-signed giving the units a new face. Niles Paul may take over that role but he will have competition. Adam Hayward was signed as a free agent to help improve the coverage units. In fact, it seems that most of the Redskins additions in 2014 have been with a focus on special teams. 2014 draft picks, Trent Murphy, Bashaud Breeland, Ted Bolser, Ryan Grant and of course Hocker, all have a college history of good special teams play. Other additions such as Daryl Sharpton, Akeem Jordan and Akeem Davis all must show that they will perform well on special teams or they won't make the team. Other holdovers such as Trenton Robinson, Will Compton and EJ Biggers must perform on ST as well to make the team.

The Redskins kickoff and punt return units were also among the worst in the NFL. Josh Morgan was not re-signed and Niles Paul will presumably return to being a primary blocker on the return units. Free agent addition, Andre Roberts is the leading candidate to take over the return duties. He will have competition from Chris Thompson, who returned a punt for a TD in the 2013 pre-season but looked tentative during a short stint in the regular season. Desean Jackson will be available for punt returns if Gruden chooses to risk him there. Santana Moss is available but would be one of the oldest returners in the league. Richard Crawford had good success as a punt returner in 2012 but missed the 2013 season due to an injury. Nick Williams was added to the roster late in 2013 and was adequate as a returner. Lache Seastrunk may have the ability to be a dynamic returner. UDFAs Rashad Ross and Rashad Lawrence will also be given a chance to be the primary return man for the Redskins.

With all of the new additions, the Redskins Special Teams Units have options to improve upon their 2013 performance. It will be up to Kotwica to put them together as a team.