With 13 games down and just three left to play in the 2019 regular season, I thought we’d take an early look, and get the fans input, on who were some of the Redskins biggest surprises this season, and who were the biggest disappointments so far.
Below is a list of players under each category.
Please vote in the polls at the bottom.
Surprises:
Terry McLaurin - The third round rookie has been simply dazzling in his first 12 games played(he missed one game due to injury). Over that span, he’s caught 46 passes for 703 yards and six touchdowns. Let’s not even go down the road to how many times he was missed for would-be touchdowns.
Kelvin Harmon - The sixth round rookie has really started coming on as of late, and he’s building chemistry with fellow rookie Dwayne Haskins. He hasn’t had the same impact as McLaurin, but he’s carving himself out quite the niche as an ancillary option in this offense.
Ereck Flowers - No one(well maybe a few, cough, cough) expected the former ninth overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft to come in an preform the way he did throughout the season so far at left guard. He’s arguably been the team’s best lineman through 13 games.
Matt Ioannidis - We knew Matt Ioannidis was good - but this good! He’s currently second in the NFL among interior defensive linemen with 8.5 sacks, and he already has 55 tackles, 10 for a loss and 14 quarterback hits to his name with three games yet to play. He’s well on his way to his first Pro Bowl.
Quinton Dunbar - Aside from some injury issues, Dunbar has been a very pleasant surprise since making the permanent transition from wide receiver to corner. He’s been lock-down most of 2019, and his play may require a new contract in the offseason, despite him having one year remaining on his old one.
Disappointments:
Morgan Moses - I listed him first because he has to be the biggest disappointment on the Redskins, both literally and figuratively, this season. He leads the team in penalties, sacks allowed and pressures through 13 games. He literally looks like he’s playing at half-effort out there.
Brandon Scherff - Scherff hasn’t played bad like the way Moses has played, but because we know just how good he’s capable of playing, he certainly falls on this list. For a guy who turned down a $13 million/year contract before the season started, this is not the type of year most were expecting.
Jeremy Sprinkle - If there ever was a time for Sprinkle to step up and make a case for himself in this league, 2019 was the year. Instead he completely flopped. Starting in place of the injured Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis, Sprinkle has managed just 19 receptions for 196 yards and a touchdown. His dropped passes this year have been a MAJOR issue.
Trey Quinn - Mr. Irrelevant proved his is just that so far this season, catching 26 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown. He was supposed to be the go-to guy in Jay Gruden’s offense this season, but he never materialized in that role, and once Jay was fired, his usage decreased. He’s averaged just 4.9 yards per punt return with a long of 15.
Paul Richardson Jr. - Richardson has played in 10 games so far this season, and has 28 receptions for 245 yards and two touchdowns. The disappointment here is his availability and the contract he has.
Josh Norman - This one really goes without saying. We’ve seen a steady decline from Norman over the last year, but no one expected what we saw this year - including his benching. He’s good enough to go jump bulls in the offseason, but can’t seem to cover a 90 year old lady in a wheelchair. Hummmmmm.
Montae Nicholson - Will this guy ever quite get it together? We’ve seen glimpses of his talent, but we seem to see more lapses than anything. And then there are the off-field issues. Maybe we are just snake-bitten at safety?
Give us your biggest surprise and biggest disappointment so far this season, and why you feel that way in the comment section. Be prepared to discuss...
We’ll re-visit this again at season’s end.
Poll
Who has been the Redskins biggest Surprise so far this season?
This poll is closed
-
50%
Terry McLaurin
-
1%
Kelvin Harmon
-
44%
Ereck Flowers
-
2%
Matt Ioannidis
-
1%
Quinton Dunbar
Poll
Who has been the Redskins biggest disappointment so far this season?
This poll is closed
-
30%
Morgan Moses
-
22%
Brandon Scherff
-
2%
Jeremy Sprinkle
-
3%
Trey Quinn
-
4%
Paul Richardson
-
35%
Josh Norman
-
1%
Montae Nicholson