2014 NFL Preview: Everything you need to know about the Washington Redskins

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Washington Redskins

Schedule | Roster

The Redskins were a circus over the final two months of the season in 2013, as Mike Shanahan seemed to be just daring Daniel Snyder to fire him. Robert Griffin III was deactivated for the last three games and Washington dropped its final eight contests.  

Griffin under-performed after a dazzling rookie campaign and didn't look like he was fully recovered from his knee injury. The only chance the Redskins have at challenging for a playoff spot is if RG3 returns to his 2012 form, where he led Washington to an improbable division title.  

Preseason Power Ranking - #23

DeSean Jackson will help the offense, but RG3 will need to miraculously return to his 2012 form for the Redskins to avoid the conference basement. New head coach Jay Gruden has a monumental task on his hands. More ...

Key Additions/Departures

Key Additions: WR DeSean Jackson, DE Jason Hatcher, WR Andre Roberts, S Ryan Clark, LB Akeem Jordan, OG Shaun Lauvao

Key Departures: DE Darryl Tapp, LB London Fletcher

Jackson was the loudest signing the Redskins made, but they've also added several other key pieces that should help them turn things around. Along with Jackson, Roberts comes over from the Arizona Cardinals and when you add those two to Pierre Garcon (who is coming off a career season), the Redskins suddenly have a strong group of wideouts. 

Hatcher is coming off a Pro Bowl season that included 11 sacks. Clark may be 34, but he is still an intelligent player that Washington desperately needs in its secondary. 

The loss of Fletcher will hurt from an intangibles and leadership perspective only, as he showed how far removed he was from being an effective player in 2013. 

2014 Draft Class 

The Redskins would have had the second-overall pick in this year's draft, but it went to the St. Louis Rams because of the trade that allowed them to move up and select Griffin in 2012. That pick would have helped the roster greatly, but Washington still made some solid selections the rest of the way. 

Murphy is a versatile player that can get to the quarterback, as evidenced by his 15 sacks at Stanford in his senior season. Their next selection, Moses, should help solidify the line in front of RG3 at right tackle. Pairing him with left tackle Trent Williams should alleviate some of the hits Griffin takes all too frequently. 

Seastrunk, like Griffin, is a Baylor product, and would have been a nice change of pace to workhorse Alfred Morris, but he failed to make the team out of training camp. He's not strong with blitz pickups and didn't catch a ton of passing in college, which likely cost him a roster spot on the 53-man unit.

Coaching Staff

Head Coach: Jay Gruden
Offensive Coordinator: Sean McVay
Defensive Coordinator: Jim Haslett

Gruden comes over from Cincinnati where he guided the Bengals offense to a 10th overall rating in 2013. Despite Andy Dalton's struggles in the postseason, Gruden's done a pretty good job maximizing his talents. The Bengals pivot's numbers improved in each of the three seasons they worked together. Redskins fans will be hoping Gruden can do the same for Griffin. 

It's interesting Gruden didn't want his own guy for an offense coordinator and promoted McVay from tight end's coach. However, if the development of Jordan Reed is any indication, he could be a wise choice for the job. 

Haslett is as experienced as they come, but Washington finished tied for second-last in points against, giving up nearly 30 per game. With the talent they added in the draft and via free agency on that side of the ball, though, Haslett should be able to get the Redskins heading in the right direction again. 

2014 Schedule

The NFC East has come down to the final Sunday for three consecutive seasons, and the Redskins will be hoping to make it a fourth when they take on the Cowboys in Week 17. The two preceding games are also against divisional foes, so if the Redskins can keep themselves in contention up until December, they'll have a shot to control their fate. 

The Redskins have the unenviable task of dealing with the NFC West, arguably the league's best division with maybe its best two teams. Although, that balances out somewhat because they also take on the AFC South, possibly the worst division at the moment. 

Washington needs to capitalize on the first nine weeks of the campaign, where there are several winnable games on the slate. They face just two teams with winning records from last year during that stretch, so they'll need to take advantage of that if they hope to earn a playoff berth. 

Bold Predictions

Robert Griffin III will struggle to improve on his 2013 form. The prevailing story around the Redskins this offseason is that Griffin has finally recovered from the knee injury that plagued him last season, and is set to become the electric player he was as a rookie once again. His knee may feel better, but that won’t change the fact that Griffin has developed very troubling habits as a passer. Equally worrisome is the growing evidence suggesting he doesn’t have the right mental makeup to deal with adversity. Don’t call him a bust yet, but some will question whether he’s trending in that direction after the season. - David Woods

Robert Griffin III will pass for over 4,500 yards. Lost in the struggles for Griffin and the Redskins last year was the fact he actually passed for more yards than he did as a rookie despite playing less games. Yes, the Redskins were playing from behind a lot of the time, but that may not be that different this season. What is different is Washington’s head coach and offensive coordinator, who look to be moving away from the zone read and allowing Griffin to air it out more. Add in DeSean Jackson as perhaps the best deep threat in the league and Griffin should have plenty of options to rack up the passing yards. - Mike Dickson

DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon will both surpass 1,000 receiving yards. Garcon had the most productive season of his NFL career in 2013, catching 113 passes – a league-best mark – for 1,346 yards and five touchdowns. Jackson was equally impressive, catching 82 passes for 1,332 yards and nine touchdowns. They’ll be sharing No. 1 wideout duties this season, but are both capable of duplicating last year’s success. - Caitlyn Holroyd