Welcome to our weekly stock report! Every week, we’re going to look at three players from the Washington Football Team, whose stock is rising after each game.
We’re going to try not to pick the low hanging fruit here. Chase Young would be easy, as would Ryan Kerrigan. We’ll try to do a little better.
So, without further delay, here are three Washington Football Team members who’s stock should be rising after a Week 1 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles:
1. CB Jimmy Moreland
The team likes to call Moreland ‘The People’s Corner.’
Moreland’s third-quarter interception of Eagles QB Carson Wentz set Washington’s offense up with its second shortened field and, ultimately, second touchdown of the game. The James Madison product finished with six total tackles and a pass breakup.
With Kendall Fuller out with a knee injury, Moreland responded with a solid game.
Again, it’s way too early to tell if this is the norm or an outlier, but based on what we saw last year, Moreland is trending up.
2. LT Saahdiq Charles
I’m sure this is not a name you thought you would see on the list. LSU’s rookie tackle was inactive Sunday, after missing most of training camp with a calf injury.
Geron Christian Sr. had the chance to lock down the left tackle spot, but the results were probably inconclusive at best. On the second play of the game, Christian missed severely on a block that resulted in Eagles LB Brandon Graham bringing down RB Antonio Gibson from the backside.
Quarterback Dwayne Haskins was under pressure most of the day and while that all can’t be attributed to Christian, the team drafted Charles for a reason.
Washington’s front office said they gave Charles a first or second-round grade on talent and were convinced by LSU coach Ed Orgeron that Charles’ maturity issues were behind him.
Might it not be long before he gets a look?
3. LB Montez Sweat
Be honest; you were afraid that Sweat would be a first-round disappointment after an up and down rookie campaign that did show glimpses. You hoped that teaming him with Ohio State rookie Chase Young would mean more opportunities for the second-year pro.
Guess what? It did!
With Young getting a fair amount of attention, Sweat received many one-on-one matchups that resulted in two tackles behind the line-of-scrimmage and a sack.
Sweat and his defensive mates will get a different kind of test this Sunday with Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals, but with the air raid offense on tap, he should have quite a few chances for more sacks.