Shawn Springs Has Big Praise For Chase Young

The Washington Football Team is determined to strengthen the bond between franchise and alumni. WFT followers enjoy hearing from former players, so when Shawn Springs joined Travis Thomas on The Team 980 recently, you knew it was going to be a fun conversation. 

A first-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in 1997, Springs joined Washington in 2004 and played for the franchise until 2008. He retired a year later after one season with the New England Patriots.

Sharing his thoughts about the current roster with Thomas, Springs said: "There's (no) real questions around the defense other than who can hold up on the back end. I love seeing Landon Collins coming back so that's a big boost. But on the offensive side, that's the unknown. We have a quarterback in Ryan Fitzpatrick who's an experienced veteran guy and he knows the game of football."

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Springs' defensive love is concentrated up front.

"One thing you know about the Washington Football Team is their d-line is no joke," he said. "(Montez) Sweat, (Daron) Payne, (Jonathan) Allen, (Matt) Ioannidis, and 'The Monster'...'Predator', whatever you want to call him...best defensive player in the league possibly, behind Aaron Donald."

Springs is obviously referring to Chase Young, who many anticipate taking another step towards being one of the NFL's premier defenders.

Like many, Springs is praising the return of Collins through the preseason. There had been plenty of speculation surrounding the safety, with many wondering if the team would move on from him after just one healthy season of play. 

There is still room to grow defensively, and this is where Springs wants to see improvement with the addition of talented players like William Jackson III and rookie Benjamin St-Juste.

"Last year our defense was pretty dominant, but at times people would get us into matchups or take advantage of matchups," Springs said. "Eventually, we would make the adjustment but now...we see how they have the flexibility."

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Flexibility and versatility in the defense are two things head coach Ron Rivera stressed early in the offseason. Through two preseason games, it certainly appears the team has the pieces to reach its desired level of defensive adaptability, and the execution phase is coming along nicely. 

The team has one more dress rehearsal before the regular-season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers. Confidence is running high inside the organization, as it is from alums like Springs.