Redskins Second-Year Guys Making the “Jump”

There are a lot of professional football players that come out of college and immediately have an impact for their teams.  The Oakland Raiders wide out, Amari Cooper, was a first-round selection back in 2015 and he logged 1,047 yards his rookie year. As well he was a First-Team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler.

The New York Giants WR Odell Beckham, Jr. (also a first-round draft selection although the year before) recorded 1,305 yards, 14 touchdowns and was also a First-Team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler that first year of his in the league.

For some guys — especially non-first-rounders — their impact is not always felt so soon after being drafted. It takes a bit more time for them to become acclimated to the speed and intensity of the NFL. But just because they don’t take the world by storm their first season, doesn’t mean they won’t become really good football players.

Since Washington Redskins Head Coach Jay Gruden came to the DMV, he has talked about the “jump” that rookies must make between their first and second years and for some of the guys on this 2016 squad, his expectations for just that are very high.

Second-year running back Matt Jones is one of those guys and, having been named the starter, it’s important he make that jump.

A third-round draft selection in 2015, Jones logged 490 yards on 144 carries last year. While at times showing a real talent (he racked up 123 yards in the team’s Week 2 win against the then-St. Louis Rams and was adept at catching passes out of the backfield), his final yards-per-carry average was not all that impressive at 3.4 and 37 yards per game. Jones fumbled the ball five times.

With former starting RB Alfred Morris now with the Dallas Cowboys and the job of lead rusher now falling to the Jones, Gruden expects him to take the job and, pardon the pun… run with it.

“Yeah, it’s a big deal,” Gruden said of the development Jones is making this training camp. “It really is just because they get a year with Coach [Mike] Clark in your weight room, and that has a lot to do with it. They know how to prepare, they know what type of schedule it is, and they understand the system. They’re more confident when they go out, and they know who to block, the holes, the footwork without having to think about it. ‘Am I open? Crossover roll? Am I drop-step? What am I doing here?’ Now they just go out and play and they should make a big jump.”

What Gruden said about Jones applies to several of the guys currently on the roster.

LBs Preston Smith, Martrell Spaight, OG Brandon Scherff, WR Jamison Crowder, and OG Arie Kouandjio were all drafted last year.  Most got quality playing time last year (except for Spaight who spent the season on IR) and are expected to make the roster this year.

As well there are the undrafted college free agents that came to the team last year like LB Carlos Fields, OT Ty Nsekhe and CB Quinton Dunbar. Gruden is looking to see some major jumps from all of the second-year players because they’ve had a year under their belt. Fortunately, they’re all in their second year in the same offensive and defensive systems… the importance of this should not be underestimated.

Watching these players in camp this season, it is pretty obvious that most are making that second-year jump. Crowder was already way ahead of the game and the coach has mentioned some of the other guys — like Spaight and Fields for instance — by name specifically.

“Carlos is doing a very good job,” Gruden said. “He’s come a long way from last year. The consistent production we’re looking for, and obviously when you put the pads on in the game and how they react and how they make their calls, and how they pursue to the football and forced fumbles, getting in passing lanes, all that stuff will be the determination at that position.”

Earlier in camp, Gruden said that Spaight had ‘turned some heads…’ lofty praise from the coach.

This is going to be an interesting year for the Redskins. Under general manager Scot McCloughan, the team has gotten bigger and younger. Along with the growing pains that comes with having a lot of youngsters on the squad however, there is the beauty of witnessing those “light bulb” moments as they get comfortable with the speed in that larger and faster domain called the National Football League.