Skins Stats & Snaps: Redskins @ Bucs (Offense)

Mercifully, the preseason is over, and the regular season is set to kickoff in just 8 long short days from now. But before we dive head first into the real thing we'll take one last look at the games that don't count.

The Redskins' offense, to put it kindly, did not set the world on fire in the team's four exhibition games this year. Here are their final rankings in a few of the top team statistics:

• 28^th in Yards Per Game (272)
• 28^th in Yards Per Play (4.46)
• 26^th in Points Per Game (14.0)
• 29^th in First Downs Per Game (14.5)

Now, perhaps those numbers don't mean anything. Maybe they are not indicative of any future success that the team may, or may not, have in the regular season. But, what if they are?

In the 2015 and 2016 preseasons, the Redskins ranked lower than 18th in one of these statistics just once (22nd). Their average ranking across all of these categories in 2015 and 2016 was 11.8, whereas that number is 27.8 this year.

We'll find out soon if those numbers were harbingers of the things to come in the regular season or not. That much is certain.

Another thing that I'm pretty certain about is the importance of the preseason for individual players. The final outcomes of these contests is absolutely trivial, and as I just stated a minute ago, the team-level stats may be too.

There is, however, definitely knowledge to be gleaned from the usage and production of the player's themselves. And with that, let's take one last preseason look at every offensive player on the team and see what we can learn.

Note: * - Denotes starters in the following tables

QUARTERBACKS

Quarterbacks (3 Players)
Player	Snaps	Snap %		PS Snaps	Snap%
Nate Sudfeld *	76	100%		119	45%
Kirk Cousins	DNP	N/A		83	31%
Colt McCoy	DNP	N/A		62	23%

Nate Sudfeld- In his sixth career preseason game and second start, Nate Sudfeld had what was easily his best performance as an NFL quarterback.

The second-year signal caller out of Indiana posted career highs in nearly every major passing statistic (previous bests in parenthesis): 76 snaps (61), 33 attempts (20), 22 completions (10), 14 first downs, 228 yards (89), 6.91 yards per attempt (5.93) and 6.68 adjusted net yards per attempt (4.85). Sudfeld also tied his career high completion percentage of 66.7% (that came in a game where he threw 18 fewer passes).

Sudfeld needed a strong showing to give himself a realistic shot at making the final roster for the second straight year, but I'm still not sure that he did enough in the preseason as a whole to warrant a spot.

This was the first game in which he completed more than 50% of his passes since his NFL debut in last year's preseason opener, and it was the first time ever that he has averaged higher than 6 yards per attempt. Also, on 119 snaps, which is equivalent to nearly 2 full games, Sudfeld failed to throw a single touchdown pass this August.

If it was up to me, I would keep to keep a player like Brian Quick, Robert Davis, Derek Carrier, Joshua Holsey, A.J. Francis or Joey Mbu over Sudfeld. You know, guys that have a legitimate shot at playing meaningful snaps for the Redskins this year. I think most analysts agree, but this is the Redskins, so don't be shocked if they do the opposite and keep Sudfeld on the active roster for at least another year.

UPDATE: Washington made the right call by cutting Sudfeld.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Wide Receivers (12 Players)
Player	Snaps	Snap %		PS Snaps	Snap%
Brian Quick *	39	51%		99	38%
Maurice Harris *	36	47%		58	22%
Zach Pascal	34	45%		75	28%
James Quick	28	37%		58	22%
Robert Davis	27	36%		84	32%
Matt Hazel	26	34%		82	31%
Jamari Staples	11	14%		11	4%
Jamison Crowder	DNP	N/A		67	25%
Josh Doctson	DNP	N/A		18	7%
Ryan Grant	DNP	N/A		65	25%
Levern Jacobs	DNP	N/A		0	0%
Terrelle Pryor	DNP	N/A		70	27%

Brian Quick- Brain Quick started and led all Washington wide receivers in snaps, with 39 of them. He was targeted three times, two of which he caught for 13 yards and a first down (came on a third down).

Quick's 99 snaps this preseason, which equates to about a game and a half's worth of work, also led the receiver corps. He had every opportunity to prove himself, but I'm not sure that his 7 receptions for 52 yards and 3 first downs against backup-caliber players in that time frame qualifies.

Part of the issue with keeping Quick over Robert Davis, or even Maurice Harris, is that Quick would be the third receiver on the roster that was scheduled to hit free agency next March (Terrelle Pryor and Ryan Grant are the others). I think that is something that has gone consistently overlooked. Quick is also the oldest receiver on the team.

Maurice Harris- Mo Harris didn't do much in his preseason debut against the Bengals, but he certainly showed up this time. Harris got the start opposite Brian Quick and made grabs on 3 of 4 targets for 43 yards and 3 first downs, 2 of which came on third down. He also handled punt return duties for the team, with one return for 8 yards.

Harris has been hurt for the better part of the last month, but he should make this team.

UPDATE: The Redskins have (unwisely, in my opinion) chosen to waive Harris with the hope that they can add him to their practice squad.

Zach Pascal- Pascal did not haul in his only target of the night, but he did take a reverse for 22 yards, the Skins' longest rush of the game.

Pascal finished his 75-snap preseason with 6 targets, 3 receptions, 27 receiving yards, 2 first downs and 49 yards from scrimmage. He also served as the team's primary kickoff return man, with 3 returns for 58 yards.

Pascal is an excellent candidate for the practice squad. That will be his only hope of sticking around, as he was one of the first players on the team to be cut.

UPDATE: Pascal has been waived.

James Quick- James Quick caught 4 of the 6 passes thrown his way for 45 yards and 3 first downs. He dropped one of his two other targets.

Quick is a smallish, uber unathletic receiver who was good, but not great in college. The Redskins have better options for the practice squad.

UPDATE: Quick was cut by the team.

Robert Davis- Davis finished the preseason with 84 snaps, the second most by a Redskins wideout.

He started out hot with strong showings against Ravens and Packers (5 receptions and 67 in Weeks 1 and 2 combined), but has done little since. He caught one of his 2 targets for 4 yards against the Bucs.

UPDATE: The Redskins have waived Robert Davis. It looks like they will head into the season with 5 wide receivers. They must be more confident in Josh Doctson than they have let on.

Josh Doctson Confidence Score- If the decision is between Davis and Brian Quick, it may come down to how much faith the team has in Josh Doctson and his ability to stay healthy.

If they believe in Doctson they shouldn't risk exposing the talented, but raw, Davis to waivers. If, however, they are seriously concerned about the first rounder out of TCU, they may want to hold onto Quick as an insurance policy that could pay immediate dividends if called upon in 2017.

Who knows, if they are very concerned about Doctson's prospects of staying on the field maybe they will keep both Davis and Quick.

Matt Hazel- Hazel had the best game of any receiver on either team. He caught all 4 of his targets and led the game with 4 receptions, 3 receiving first downs and 60 yards. He was also on the receiving end of Washington's two longest plays of the night.

He led the team in total preseason targets (15), receptions (10) and receiving yards (100).

Hazel would make for a nice practice squad stash.

UPDATE: Hazel has been waived.

Jamari Staples- Staples saw his first offensive action of the preseason in this game. He was targeted on consecutive plays in the fourth quarter and converted the throws into first-down receptions of 17 and 13 yards. His 11 snaps in the preseason rank second last among all healthy offensive players on the team (excludes wideouts Kendall Thompson, who he replaced, and Levern Jacobs).

Staples is a decent enough athlete, but he didn't put up numbers at UAB and Louisville that point to a productive NFL career.

UPDATE: Staples has been waived.

Levern Jacobs- The Maryland product was injured for the entire preseason and consequently never made it onto the field. He led the Terps in receiving twice and is a plus athlete. Perhaps, he did enough in OTAs and minicamp to get himself onto the practice squad.

UPDATE: Jacobs has been waived with an injury designation.

Ryan Grant Gruden- Preseason first ballot Hall of Famer, Ryan Grant did not play in this game, because he is considered to be a roster lock by a certain Redskins coach. Scot McCloughan knows what I'm talking about.

Do you mean Ryan Gruden? https://t.co/eTcRfQK3oR

— Scot Mccloughan (@MccloughanScot) September 2, 2017

TIGHT ENDS

Tight Ends (7 Players)
Player	Snaps	Snap %		PS Snaps	Snap%
Jeremy Sprinkle *	54	71%		88	33%
Manasseh Garner *	45	59%		65	25%
E.J. Bibbs	4	5%		10	4%
Derek Carrier	DNP	N/A		66	25%
Vernon Davis	DNP	N/A		63	24%
Niles Paul	DNP	N/A		59	22%
Jordan Reed	DNP	N/A		18	7%

Jeremy Sprinkle- Sprinkle led all Redskins tight ends in snaps against the Bucs and in the preseason overall. His 88 exhibition snaps also ranked second among skill position players on the team.

Sprinkle caught his only target for 15 yards and a first down on Thursday night. It was just his 4th target, 2nd catch and only first down of the preseason. His other catch this Summer was a 5 yarder against the Ravens.

Sprinkle is a good blocking tight end and has decent hands, which is a difficult combination to find in this day and age. Jay Gruden has also stated that he sees Sprinkle having a long career in the league. His spot on the roster should be safe.

Manasseh Garner- Garner started the game lined up as a fullback and went on to play a total of 45 snaps.  He had only seen 20 snaps of action in the first three games.

His 4 targets were tied for the most on the team, but he was only able to convert them into 2 receptions for 14 yards and a first down. In Week 1 of the preseason, he failed to catch his only other target as a Redskin.

Garner doesn't have a shot to make the final roster, but his Niles Paul-esque versatility at tight end, fullback and special teams might lead to a spot on the practice squad.

UPDATE: Garner has been waived.

E.J. Bibbs- Bibbs caught his lone target on the night for 5 yards, it was his first target of the preseason. Bibbs' 10 offensive snaps this August were the fewest by any healthy offensive player on the team.

He is a poor athlete that has seldomly produced in his three years in the NFL. He will most definitely be cut.

UPDATE: Bibbs has been waived with an injury designation.

Derek Carrier- Carrier was not included on the list of players that would sit out against the Bucs, yet he did not play a single snap in the game.

This means that the Redskins probably already knew what they were going to do with him and were trying to keep him healthy for one of two reasons: 1) to attempt to trade him, or 2) to keep him and preserve him for the regular season.

Having five good tight ends is a nice insurance policy when your top guy at the position is the oft-injured Jordan Reed, but if Reed is active then that means you would probably see two tight ends on the inactive list every week.

In my opinion, it might be overkill to keep both Paul and Carrier, who are both subpar blockers, in their late twenties and hitting free agency next year, especially when you already have Vernon Davis and likely Jeremy Sprinkle behind Jordan Reed on the roster. Carrier is a fine player though, so this would certainly be one of the team's toughest cuts to make.

UPDATE: Carrier has been traded to the Rams and his old OC Sean McVay for a 2018 7th round pick.

RUNNING BACKS

Running Backs (6 players)
Player	Snaps	Snap %		PS Snaps	Snap%
Mack Brown	39	51%		77	29%
Matt Jones	13	17%		36	14%
Kenny Hilliard	12	16%		14	5%
Samaje Perine *	12	16%		50	19%
Robert Kelley	DNP	N/A		39	15%
Chris Thompson	DNP	N/A		45	17%

Mack Brown- Mack Brown is the Jim Brown of the preseason's fourth week. For the second year in a row, he played outstanding football in the Skins' exhibition finale.

After pasting Tampa Bay for 149 yards last year, Brown broke an NFL preseason-high 10 tackles en route to 69 rushing yards (2.61 yards after contact per attempt). Per PFF, only two other running backs broke more tackles all preseason long.

Prior to Thursday's game, he didn't get many carries, because a large portion of his playing time came as a receiving/third-down back. Mack Brown appears to have sewn up a spot on the final roster.

Matt Jones- Any hope that the Redskins had of trading Matt Jones evaporated over the past month as he disappointed in every week of the preseason.

Thursday's game against the Bucs was by far his best outing and he only put up a line of 6 carries, 0 first downs, 24 yards, 1 target and 0 receptions.

Nobody in front of Jones got hurt or matched his fumbling prowess, so he's out. Sorry, Scot, but I think you got and still have this one wrong.

UPDATE: Matt Jones has been cut. The only surprise here is that this move wasn't made months ago.

Kenny Hilliard- Hilliard, who had only received 2 offensive snaps, prior to this game, got on the field 12 times against Tampa Bay. He rushed the ball 4 times for 11 yards and 0 first downs. He was one of the first offensive players cut by the team on Friday.

UPDATE: Hilliard has been waived..

Samaje Perine- Perine only played on 2 drives and 12 snaps against the Bucs, but certainly didn't make the most out of his brief appearance. After averaging a yard per carry last week, his average fell to 0.6 in this game (3 yards on 5 rushes).

His long rush on the night was 2 yards and two of his five carries went for negative yardage. He also didn't move the chains for the Redskins for the second game in a row.

Perine looked great in Week 2 against the Packers, but he has cooled off considerably since then. He basically went 1-for-4 in terms of successful games played ratio. That sounds bad, but that's pretty much how every RB on this team, outside of Chris Thompson, fared this preseason.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Offensive Linemen (16 Players)
Player	Snaps	Snap %		PS Snaps	Snap%
Tyler Catalina *	76	100%		135	51%
John Kling *	56	74%		70	27%
Kyle Kalis *	54	71%		124	47%
Vinston Painter *	49	64%		142	54%
Lucas Crowley	45	59%		45	17%
Isaiah Williams	42	55%		88	33%
Ronald Patrick *	31	41%		80	30%
Arie Kouandijo	27	36%		62	23%
Kendall Pace	ST Only	N/A		12	5%
Shawn Lauvao	DNP	N/A		83	31%
Spencer Long	DNP	N/A		43	16%
Morgan Moses	DNP	N/A		80	30%
Ty Nsekhe	DNP	N/A		78	30%
Chase Roullier	DNP	N/A		96	36%
Brandon Scherff	DNP	N/A		83	31%
Trent Williams	DNP	N/A		83	31%

Tyler Catalina- Catalina was one of two Redskins players to stay on the field for every snap of the game (Nate Sudfeld was the other one to do so), and led the game in snaps played. Catalina's 135 offensive snaps in August ranked second on the team.

The Redskins seem to like Catalina, who started every game at left tackles for the Georgia Bulldogs in 2016. Perhaps, it is his versatility that caught their eye. Catalina played at both tackle and guard for the Redskins this preseason.

UPDATE: Catalina has been informed that he has made the 53-man roster.

John Kling- After only earning 14 snaps in the first three games, John Kling got the start at right tackle against Tampa Bay.  At 6'8", 328 pounds, Kling was one of the largest players on the team.

UPDATE: Kling has been waived, but the team is reportedly interesting in signing him to the practice squad.

Kyle Kalis- Kalis started at left guard and continued to show why he was the favorite to earn the team's eighth and likely final offensive line roster spot. Kalis played on 54 snaps and didn't allow a single pressure on 28 pass blocking snaps. He was PFF's highest graded offensive player in the game (83.4). Kalis' 124 preseason snaps ranks third on the offense.

UPDATE: Kyle Kalis has been waived.

Vinston Painter- The team leader in preseason offensive snaps was Vinston Painter (142 snaps), who started at left tackle in this game. Painter was called for holding on a play that would've resulted a first down at the Tampa Bay 20-yard line. The Redskins drive stalled and they were forced to kick a long field goal, which, thankfully, Dustin Hopkins made.

That makes two straight games with a big mistake for Painter. He allowed a sack-fumble on Colt McCoy against the Bengals.

Painter played in 5 games for Washington last year, but he appears to be on the outside looking in for a 2017 roster spot.

UPDATE: Painter has been waived.

Lucas Crowley- Center Lucas Crowley, who the Redskins acquired in a trade with the Steelers (Dashaun Philips), got his first action in a Redskins uniform. He played 45 snaps in the game, which will likely be both his first and last snaps for this team. Crowley was cut on Saturday.

UPDATE: Crowley has been waived.

Isaiah Williams- Williams has operated as one of the team's third-string guards and he stayed in that role on Thursday night. He was also with the Redskins last preseason. He hasn't done much to impress.

UPDATE: Williams has been waived.

Ronald Patrick- With Chase Roullier's ascendance to "roster lock" status, center Ronald Patrick was moved to the second team. He got the start and played on 31 snaps. It would have been more, but he missed some plays due to an injury.

UPDATE: Patrick was waived with an injury settlement

Arie Kouandijo- Kouandijo remained on the third-team offensive line and saw just 27 snaps in the game. His holding penalty nullified a Matt Jones' touchdown run and ultimately cost the Redskins 7 points, as Hopkins missed his only field goal of the Summer at the end of the drive.

Kouandijo is a very poor athlete that was selected outside of the top-100 picks in the draft, so we probably shouldn't have expected much, but I still can't help feeling disappointed that he didn't even turn out to be at least a serviceable backup for this team.

UPDATE: Kouandijo has been waived.

Kendall Pace- Pace only appeared on special teams. His only snaps in the preseason came against Green Bay in Week 2. He saw the third fewest snaps among the healthy offensive players on the team (12).

UPDATE: He was waived by the team today.

ALL OFFENSIVE SNAPS (@ Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Offense (44 Players)				Offense (continued)
Player	Snaps	Snap %		Player	Snaps	Snap %
Tyler Catalina *	76	100%		E.J. Bibbs	4	5%
Nate Sudfeld *	76	100%		Kendall Pace	ST Only	N/A
John Kling *	56	74%		Derek Carrier	DNP	N/A
Kyle Kalis *	54	71%		Kirk Cousins	DNP	N/A
Jeremy Sprinkle *	54	71%		Jamison Crowder	DNP	N/A
Vinston Painter *	49	64%		Vernon Davis	DNP	N/A
Lucas Crowley	45	59%		Josh Doctson	DNP	N/A
Manasseh Garner *	45	59%		Ryan Grant	DNP	N/A
Isaiah Williams	42	55%		Levern Jacobs	DNP	N/A
Mack Brown	39	51%		Robert Kelley	DNP	N/A
Brian Quick *	39	51%		Shawn Lauvao	DNP	N/A
Maurice Harris *	36	47%		Spencer Long	DNP	N/A
Zach Pascal	34	45%		Colt McCoy	DNP	N/A
Ronald Patrick *	31	41%		Morgan Moses	DNP	N/A
James Quick	28	37%		Ty Nsekhe	DNP	N/A
Robert Davis	27	36%		Niles Paul	DNP	N/A
Arie Kouandijo	27	36%		Terrelle Pryor	DNP	N/A
Matt Hazel	26	34%		Jordan Reed	DNP	N/A
Matt Jones	13	17%		Chase Roullier	DNP	N/A
Kenny Hilliard	12	16%		Brandon Scherff	DNP	N/A
Samaje Perine *	12	16%		Chris Thompson	DNP	N/A
Jamari Staples	11	14%		Trent Williams	DNP	N/A

ALL OFFENSIVE SNAPS (Preseason Total)

Offense (46 Players)				Offense (continued)
Player	PS Snaps	Snap%		Player	PS Snaps	Snap%
Vinston Painter	142	54%		Manasseh Garner	65	25%
Tyler Catalina	135	51%		Ryan Gran	65	25%
Kyle Kalis	124	47%		Vernon Davis	63	24%
Nate Sudfeld	119	45%		Arie Kouandijo	62	23%
Brian Quick	99	38%		Colt McCoy	62	23%
Chase Roullier	96	36%		Niles Paul	59	22%
Jeremy Sprinkle	88	33%		Maurice Harris	58	22%
Isaiah Williams	88	33%		James Quick	58	22%
Robert Davis	84	32%		Samaje Perine	50	19%
Kirk Cousins *	83	31%		Lucas Crowley	45	17%
Shawn Lauvao *	83	31%		Chris Thompson	45	17%
Brandon Scherff *	83	31%		Spencer Long *	43	16%
Trent Williams *	83	31%		Robert Kelley *	39	15%
Matt Hazel	82	31%		Matt Jones	36	14%
Morgan Moses *	80	30%		Kevin Bowen	28	11%
Ronald Patrick	80	30%		Josh Doctson *	18	7%
Ty Nsekhe	78	30%		Jordan Reed *	18	7%
Mack Brown	77	29%		Kenny Hilliard	14	5%
Zach Pascal	75	28%		Kendall Pace	12	5%
John Kling	70	27%		Jamari Staples	11	4%
Terrelle Pryor *	70	27%		E.J. Bibbs	10	4%
Jamison Crowder *	67	25%		Levern Jacobs	0	0%
Derek Carrier	66	25%		Kendal Thompson	0	0%

*All statistics are courtesy of CSN Mid Atlantic, ESPN, NFL.com, NFL Gamebooks, Pro Football Focus, Pro Football Reference, Real Redskins and Redskins.com*

Skins Stats & Snaps: Redskins @ Bucs (DEF/ST)

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Special Teams (33 Players)
Player	Snaps	Snap %		Player	Snaps	Snap %
Jehu Chesson	16	80%		Matt Ioannidis	5	25%
Deshazor Everett	16	80%		Tony Bergstrom	4	20%
Ryan Anderson	14	70%		Jonathan Cooper	4	20%
Josh Harvey Clemons	14	70%		Austin Howard	4	20%
Shaun Dion Hamilton	13	65%		Chase Roullier	4	20%
Casanova McKinzy	13	65%		Jonathan Allen	3	15%
Adonis Alexander	11	55%		Michael Floyd	3	15%
Jeremy Sprinkle	11	55%		Mason Foster	3	15%
Dustin Hopkins	9	45%		Ryan Kerrigan	3	15%
Nick Sundberg	9	45%		Stacy McGee	3	15%
Tress Way	9	45%		Luke Bowanko	2	10%
Montae Nicholson	7	35%		Kapri Bibbs	2	10%
Samaje Perine	7	35%		Ty Nsekhe	2	10%
Tim Settle	7	35%		Daron Payne	2	10%
Greg Stroman	7	35%		Brian Quick	2	10%
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix	5	25%		Preston Smith	1	5%
Danny Johnson	5	25%

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