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The Redskins’ scintillating run to the NFC East title last season overshadowed memories of their 3-6 start. Were they really as good as the final record, or did a depleted team just get hot with the help of a few breaks?
Forget even about the start of the season. Meriweather hopes to be doing drills with his teammates by the start of training camp. If he is, the veteran will be the centerpiece of a secondary that could include a few rookies and a much different look than last year.
Bacarri Rambo celebrated his interception during rookie camp Sunday morning by running to Phillip Thomas on the sideline, jumping and bumping shoulders with him. The sequence previewed a best-case scenario for the Washington Redskins. The two rookie safeties could eventually help a secondary that provided more questions than answers last season.
Washington is scheduled to pick Friday in the second and third rounds (51st and 85th overall). The club's greatest needs are in the defensive secondary. We take a look at some players who could fill those needs Friday, according to top draft analysts.
Washington tried twice in free agency to sign a top cornerback but could not complete a deal with Aqib Talib, who re-signed with New England, or Antoine Winfield, who chose Seattle after visiting Redskins Park. On Friday, though, the Redskins can handpick their man.
Coach Mike Shanahan is hoping for improvement despite the club's inability to sign an elite free agent cornerback or draft a safety in the first round. That requires an improved pass rush and some young players to raise their level of play.
Players and teams around the league reached agreements throughout the day, while representatives for free agents echoed a frustrated refrain: the Redskins don't have enough money to seriously pursue their clients.
Washington's first pick isn't until 51st overall, so it will miss out on the first defensive backs selected. However, the depth of talent means the Redskins likely will have the option to draft a quality player who can start as a rookie.
A slight smile finally brightened Jim Haslett's hardened countenance after midnight Monday morning. His wife, Beth, and daughter, Kelsey, walked alongside him up the ramp that leads from the Washington Redskins' locker room out of FedEx Field.
When Rob Jackson picked off Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and sealed the Washington Redskins' NFC East-clinching victory Sunday night, the linebacker didn't immediately grasp the magnitude of his accomplishment.
At 3-6, the Washington Redskins were a mess. Coach Mike Shanahan talked about evaluating players and then, the next day, quickly clarified his meaning to explain he wasn't calling it a season.
Santana Moss reached the playoffs in three of his first four NFL seasons, all with the New York Jets. After Washington acquired him in 2005 for Laveranues Coles, via a straight-up trade, Moss advanced to the postseason in two of his first three years with the Redskins. He was accustomed to such success, having lost just eight times in three seasons at Miami, going 3-0 in bowl games.
Brandon Meriweather returned to the Washington Redskins' defense two Sundays ago just long enough to tease them with hard evidence of what might have been.
Previewing the Thanksgiving Day matchup between the Redskins and Cowboys.
Brandon Meriweather's impact was immediate and noticeable. An interception, a couple of pass break-ups and a handful of tackles made the Washington Redskins defense look totally different, until the safety tore the ACL in his right knee.
"Anytime you got a bunch of guys that love to play football and get to play together, it's going to make us better," Meriweather said.
Brandon Meriweather, Redskins' secondary ready for bounceback year →
Not right now, he said, deferring to Jermyn.
Brandon Meriweather, Redskins' secondary ready for bounceback year →
