Saturday Slop: Getting ready for week 1

NFL QB confidence index | ESPN

This team is confident Kirk Cousins can perform in spite of the continued absence of a long-term contract, because he has exceeded 4,000 yards in each of the previous two seasons while in that exact situation. But Washington (A) has no idea whether it will have Cousins for more than one more year, (B) lost its top two receivers to free agency, and (C) former offensive coordinator Sean McVay, with whom Cousins had an excellent rapport, left to go coach the Rams.

Jamison Crowder says of hip “no concern, I’ll be ready” | ESPN

Crowder is a key part of the Redskins’ offense, having caught a combined 126 passes the last two years. They also have Terrelle Pryor and Josh Doctson, but Crowder is the one who has worked with quarterback Kirk Cousins the most. He also returns punts. If Crowder can’t play, Ryan Grant would handle the slot receiver duties.

Jonathan Allen offers potential impact, but when? | ESPN

Defensive end Jonathan Allen: He hasn't done it before. Allen, the first-round pick, showed flashes in the preseason, whether in games or practice. The Redskins anticipate him making a big impact at some point. But when? He'll get a lot of work as a nickel tackle.

"I'm excited to see Jonathan Allen play," Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. "We haven’t had an interior pass-rusher like that, or an impact-type player like that in a long time and I feel good about what he can do."

Terrelle Pryor not worried about timing in the passing game, but should he be? | CSN

After the second preseason game against the Packers, both Cousins and Pryor both talked to the media about staying after practice to work on their timing in a particular pattern. In their final preseason appearance, however, they connected on just one of four targets and even that one didn’t seem to be quite on point as Pryor was knocked around by the defense as he was catching the ball.