How Can Washington Solve Its Linebacker Dilemma?

The Washington defense finished on a very high note in the second half of 2020. It took a few games, but the “potential” of this D finally began to show, and the collective unit finished as a top five group in the NFL for 2020.

Despite defensive guru Jack Del Rio adding yet another notch in his coordinator belt, there are still some areas of concern as Washington now turns its attention to phase two of free agency and April’s NFL Draft.

The most glaring hole?... Linebacker!

---

2020 saw a linebacker-by-committee approach, with Cole Holcomb, Kevin Pierre-Louis, Jon Bostic, Thomas Davis, Shaun Dion Hamilton, Khaleke Hudson and even Lance Kendricks seeing time at the positions. Only Bostic, Holcomb and Hudson return from this unit for 2021.

This was the obvious weakness on what was an otherwise solid defense, and it remains that way as of the writing of this article, Tuesday, March 23rd 2021.

So what can Ron and company do, both now, and in April’s draft, to improve the sieve that is the middle of our defense?

---

Free Agents Still Available:

- Eric Wilson(27) Minn

- Kwon Alexander(27) NO

- De’Vondre Campbell(28) Ari

- K.J. Wright(32) Sea

2021 NFL Draft:

Pick 19 LB Big Board:

- Micha Parsons: OLB/MLB 6’3” 245 PSU

(*he won’t likely slip this far)

- Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah: OLB 6’2” 215 ND

- Zaven Collins: OLB/MLB 6’4” 260 Tulsa

Pick 51 LB Big Board:

- Nick Bolton: MLB 6’0” 232 Missouri

- Jabril Cox: OLB/MLB 6’3” 234 LSU(North Dakota St. transfer)

- Jamin Davis: OLB 6’4” 225 Kentucky

Round 3 LB Big Board:

- Chazz Surratt: OLB 6’2” 228 UNC

- Baron Browning: OLB/MLB 6’3” 241 Ohio St.

- Dylan Moses: OLB/MLB 6’3” 235 Alabama

- Pete Werner: MLB 6’3” 242 Ohio St.

Below are some prospects I would look at in Round 4 or later:

- Tony Fields: OLB 6’1” 222 WVU

- Shaka Toney: OLB/EDGE 6’3” 238 PSU

- Monty Rice: MLB 6’0” 238 Georgia

- Paddy Fisher: MLB 6’3” 240 NW

---