/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64661623/usa_today_12832427.0.jpg)
Quite contrary to the old days where overpaid veterans ruled the roost, the Redskins could open this season with one of the youngest starting lineups, on both sides of the ball, in the NFL.
Now, there are some questions surrounding this lineup, such as who will start at quarterback and who will get the nod at running back. If Case Keenum and Adrian Peterson win starting spots, it could push the average age on offense up a bit, but make no mistake about it - Haskins and Guice are the future at their respective positions.
The Defense seems pretty set. There is the possibility that Mason Foster gets beat out by a younger, more athletic inside linebacker, or that, possibly, the team decides to move on from Josh Norman in favor of a younger corner. Both of these moves would only help the defense get younger.
Below are potential starting lineups for the offense and defense, with players ages listed as of the start of the season.
*Keep in mind; these are only projections
Offense:
QB - Haskins (22)
RB - Guice (22)
WR(X) - McLaurin (23)
WR(Z) - Richardson (27)
WR(slot) - Quinn (23)
TE - Reed (29)
LT - Williams (31)
LG - Martin (23)
C - Roullier (26)
RG - Scherff (27)
RT - Moses (28)
Average age on offense: 25.54
Defense:
DT - Ioannidis (25)
NT - Payne (22)
DT - Allen (24)
EDGE - Kerrigan (31)
EDGE - Sweat (23)
ILB - Dion-Hamilton (24)
ILB - Foster (30)
CB - Norman (31)
CB - Dunbar (27)
NB - Moreau (25)
S - Collins (25)
S - Nicholson (23)
Average age on defense: 25.83
Average age of week one starters for 2019 have obviously not come out yet, but if you compare this to last year’s data, the Redskins would have ranked as one of the five youngest teams in the NFL.
It’s also a very good sign that some of the most important positions on a football team - QB, EDGE, CB and WR also have some youth mixed in with experienced players. The only premium positions that are getting a little long in the tooth are LT (Trent Williams), EDGE (Ryan Kerrigan) and CB (Josh Norman) - with two of these three positions having young guys already on the roster who can step into a possible starting role.