Although since-fired team president Bruce Allen took most of the heat for Washington's personnel decisions during the 2010s, Dan Snyder has continued to play a role in the franchise’s football operations.
Allen was also believed to be on the side of drafting Dwayne Haskins, but John Keim and Jason Reid of ESPN.com write Snyder appeared to lead that charge — even though the owner once criticized for his big-ticket moves has contributed less input on that front in recent years. Some in Washington’s building placed a third-round grade on Haskins, per Keim and Reid. Haskins was viewed as a first-round pick for most of the predraft process.
While Ron Rivera is expected to have more control over Washington's personnel matters than Jay Gruden, sources informed the ESPN duo they still expect Snyder to be involved.
Here is the latest out of Washington:
- New defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio confirmed Washington will shift back to a 4-3 base defense, Les Carpenter of the Washington Post notes. Both Rivera and Del Rio have used 4-3 bases for most of their respective careers, so this should come as no surprise. However, Snyder is believed to have made this a point of emphasis, per Keim and Reid. Washington has not deployed a 4-3 base defense in 11 seasons, though with teams’ increased nickel usage, transitions in front-seven schemes are not as significant as they once were. This will make Washington’s starting lineup interesting, however, with the team having three talented interior defenders — Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne and 2019 sack leader Matt Ioannidis — up front.
- Ryan Kerrigan just completed a down year, registering a career-low 5.5 sacks and missing the first two games of his career. The productive edge defender is going into a contract year, but Keim reports Kerrigan and previous Washington management had engaged in extension talks in 2019. Kerrigan, 31, would like to stay with Washington on a third contract.
- Rather than retirement, Alex Smith will continue his efforts to return to the field. The Washington quarterback has missed the past 22 games because of a gruesome leg injury that required numerous surgeries. “I still have dreams of getting back to where I was and getting back out there,” Smith said, via NBC Sports Washington’s Ethan Cadeaux. “This has been a crazy ride with a lot of unforeseen turns, but without a doubt, that’s still my goal.” Smith, 35, is set to count $21.4M against Washington’s cap this season. No cap savings can come of a Smith release until 2021.
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