2024 NFL Season Preview: Washington Redskins

2024 NFL Season Previews - Choose Team Arizona Cardinals Atlanta Falcons Baltimore Ravens Buffalo Bills Carolina Panthers Chicago Bears Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Houston Texans Indianapolis Colts Jacksonville Jaguars Kansas City Chiefs Miami Dolphins Minnesota Vikings New England Patriots New Orleans Saints New York Giants New York Jets Las Vegas Raiders Philadelphia Eagles Pittsburgh Steelers Los Angeles Chargers Los Angeles Rams San Francisco 49ers Seattle Seahawks Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tennessee Titans Washington Redskins

Washington Redskins (Last Year: 4-13)



Season Summary:
The Redskins had some interesting games with Sam Howell early in the season, particularly against the Eagles. Soon enough, however, it was clear that the rebuilding process had to begin, so the Redskins dealt their two best defensive players in the middle of the season.



2024 NFL Season Preview:

Veteran Additions:
QB Marcus Mariota, RB Austin Ekeler, WR Olamide Zaccheaus, TE Zach Ertz, G Nick Allegretti, C Tyler Biadasz, DE Dorance Armstrong, DE Clelin Ferrell, DE Dante Fowler, LB Bobby Wagner, LB Frankie Luvu, CB Michael Davis, S Jeremy Chinn, K Brandon McManus.
Early Draft Picks:
QB Jayden Daniels, DT Johnny Newton, CB Mike Sainristill, TE Ben Sinnott, OT Brandon Coleman, WR Luke McCaffrey, LB Jordan Magee. Redskins Rookie Forecast
Offseason Losses:
QB Jacoby Brissett, QB Sam Howell, RB Antonio Gibson, WR Curtis Samuel, TE Logan Thomas, OT Charles Leno, G Saahdiq Charles, C Nick Gates, DE Casey Toohill, DE James Smith-Williams, LB Cody Baron, CB Kendall Fuller, S Kamren Curl, K Joey Slye.

2024 Washington Redskins Offense:
The Redskins experimented with Sam Howell last year, but that ended up being a failure. It seems as though it was for the best, however, as Howell allowed the Redskins to lose enough games to draft Jayden Daniels No. 2 overall. Daniels is a very talented passer and an even better scrambler. Some Washington fans may worry about a repeat of the Robert Griffin III episode, but Daniels has immense upside and could become a perennial Pro Bowler.

Daniels will have some talented players at his disposal as well. Some may forget because he’s coming off a down year, but Terry McLaurin is a very talented receiver. He struggled with Howell, but looked productive in the brief moments when Jacoby Brissett took over at quarterback. McLaurin figures to rebound with Daniels, as should Jahan Dotson, a 2022 first-round pick who showed potential as a rookie, but did nothing in his sophomore campaign. This was also likely as a result of Howell’s incompetence. Curtis Samuel was a key contributor at receiver last year, but he signed with the Bills. He’s been replaced by Luke McCaffrey, the brother of Christian, who was chosen in the third round.

Another key receiving threat for Daniels will be the newly signed Austin Ekeler. The former Charger had a great 2023 debut, but suffered an injury and then performed poorly the rest of the year. Ekeler should be 100 percent heading into 2024, so he’ll serve as a dynamic pass-catcher out of the backfield. He’ll share carries with Brian Robinson, who accumulated more than 1,000 all-purpose yards last year despite handling just 178 carries.

Daniels will be protected well aside from one spot on the offensive line. The front office did well to obtain quality blockers ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, signing Tyler Biadasz and Nick Allegretti. Both will provide huge upgrades compared to what the Redskins had in their blocking interior last year. Biadasz is an excellent safety, while Allegretti did a great job replacing Joe Thuney during the Chiefs’ Super Bowl run. They’ll join guard Sam Cosmi, who was one of the top players at his position this past season.

The tackle situation isn’t as promising. Andrew Wylie, stationed on the right side, is a passable starter. Then, there’s the huge hole at left tackle. Cornelius Lucas is the projected starter at the moment, which sounds like a disaster. The Redskins will be hoping that third-round rookie Brandon Coleman is good enough to surpass Lucas.



2024 Washington Redskins Defense:
Washington’s front office made numerous sharp moves during the free agency period this offseason. Obtaining Tyler Biadasz, Nick Allegretti and Austin Ekeler was already discussed, but there were several key defensive pieces that were added as well.

One area the Redskins focused on was bolstering the linebacking corps. This area had been a massive problem for years, but that likely won’t be the case in 2024, thanks to the additions of Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu. Wagner isn’t the player he once was, but he was still a solid defender for Seattle this past season. He has experience in new head coach Dan Quinn’s system from their days in Seattle, so he’ll have a natural transition to his new team. Luvu, meanwhile, is a do-it-all linebacker. When he was out of the lineup last year, Carolina’s defense played far worse than it did otherwise.

The Redskins also signed another player away from the Cowboys. This was Dorance Armstrong, who logged 7.5 sacks last year. Armstrong was a needed piece because Montez Sweat and Chase Young were dealt at last season’s trade deadline. The Redskins finished 2023 with the worst pressure rate as a result, so Armstrong will certainly help improve that area. Washington, however, doesn’t have much else as far as edge rushers are concerned. Clelin Ferrell, one of the most infamous first-round busts over the past decade, is currently the favorite to bookend Armstrong. There’s also Dante Fowler, another former Cowboy, who had four sacks last season.

Aside from Armstrong, the Redskins will get most of their pressure from the interior defensive line, as Da’Ron Payne and Jonathan Allen will continue to start. The duo combined for 9.5 sacks in 2023, though they strangely handled the run poorly. Allen was especially disappointing, but he’s talented enough to bounce back with a strong 2024.

The secondary will need all the pass-rushing help it can get. Top cornerback Kendall Fuller is gone, so the projected starters will be Benjamin St-Juste and Michael Davis. The former had an inconsistent 2023, while Davis struggled with the Chargers last year. Washington drafted Mike Sainristil in the second round, though he’s expected to contribute in the slot.

Washington also lost a talented safety in Kamren Curl, so there will be a three-way competition for two spots between Quan Martin, Darrick Forrest, and newly acquired Jeremy Chinn. Martin has the most upside as a recent second-round pick. Forrest and Chinn both had mediocre 2023 campaigns.



2024 Washington Redskins Schedule and Intangibles:
The Redskins’ rich fan base doesn’t show up to games because they’re too busy dining at fancy restaurants and passing bills that only enrich themselves and extract wealth from future generations. This would explain why the team is just 47-77 as a host the past 14 years. The Redskins were 1-7 at home in 2023.

Brandon McManus was 30-of-37 last year. Five of his seven misses were from 50-plus, as he went 5-of-10 from that range. McManus, however, was accused of sexually assaulting a pair of stewardesses on one of the team flights. He was released as a result. His replacement is someone named Ramiz Ahmed, an undrafted rookie free agent.

Tress Way was in the middle of the pack as far as net average is concerned, but he was one of the best punters at pinning the opposition inside the 20.

The Redskins have a fairly easy schedule, outside of a few games against the AFC North and a pair of battles versus the Eagles. They get to take on the NFC South, as well as last-place teams in three other divisions.



2024 Washington Redskins Rookies:
Go here for the Redskins Rookie Forecast, a page with predictions like which rookie will bust and which rookie will become a solid starter.

2024 Washington Redskins Positional Rankings (1-5 stars):

Quarterbacks		Offensive Line		Secondary
Running Backs		Defensive Line		Special Teams
Receivers		Linebackers		Coaching