Quarterback Taylor Heinicke is going to take the Washington Football Team on a wild ride this season. The coming weeks will no doubt have ups and downs, but it will be entertaining. It will also cause some wild fluctuations in the Buy and Hold Department. But why be boring? Strap in because this season is going to be exciting and excruciating.
BUY:
Right Tackle, Sam Cosmi
Last week we dipped our toe in the pool. This week we get in a little deeper. Cosmi graded out better than any other rookie tackle again last week. His run blocking is already outstanding, and he had some quality reps against Grady Jarrett, one of the better edge rushers in the league. Every week, it looks more and more like Ron Rivera has found a building block for the offensive line.
Wide Reciever, Curtis Samuel
After missing OTA’s, training camp, and the first three weeks of the season, Washington finally got its off-season playmaker acquisition on the field.
The stats weren’t gaudy, just four catches for 19 yards, but Samuel showed flashes of what the Burgundy and Gold paid for; speed and versatility. Samuel will line up as a wideout, running back, and who knows what else as he gives Scott Turner a reason to go deeper into the playbook.
Linebacker, Cole Holcomb
Perhaps a bit of a surprise since Holcomb has been one of the problems on defense this season. The third-year linebacker was better against Atlanta, recording nine tackles (four solo) and one for a loss. We’re not taking a significant position in our portfolio with Holcomb, but he bares watching. If he’s turned the corner, it’s a plus for the defense.
Hold:
Cornerback’s Kendall Fuller and William Jackson III
Assume two starting cornerbacks on each NFL team, with 32 teams, which means 64 starting cornerbacks (officially, we won’t go into the whole sub-package thing).
Fuller is ranked 44th by Pro Football Focus. That’s not good enough for a defense that was supposed to be elite.
He’s been out of position and burned deep several times, but he’s an all-pro compared to William Jackson III.
Jackson is ranked 93rd out of 108 total cornerbacks in the league. He let Cordelle Patterson get so wide open on Atlanta’s first touchdown that Patterson had time to slow down to catch the ball. Until these two can wrap their heads around what Jack Del Rio wants to do on defense, Washington is in for a roller coaster of a season.