Skins Spotlight: Steven Sims & Sweat
While the Redskins draft hauled in a good amount of high-end talent, some current Redskins must now re-prove themselves as a result.
Over the four months Ron Rivera has been the Redskins top dog, there have been two words that he has consistently used to describe where his priorities lie as the head coach in Washington.
“Culture” and “Competition."
The culture has been bad for well over a decade, and Rivera has addressed this issue on numerous occasions.
Alternatively, the competition aspect of the Rivera era has not officially taken off yet; however, last week’s NFL draft has indicated that there are a couple of young players on the roster that must prove themselves in Rivera's first year.
With Chase Young being drafted, assuming Young turns out to be exactly the player many analysts and fans believe him to be, whoever is lining up at edge on the opposite end of Young must capitalize on their one-on-one opportunities.
Montez Sweat will likely be the starting edge defender alongside Young, and he still has so much more to prove. Back in March, Rivera was quoted as saying that the lack of a second-round pick was going to be a burden on him and the team.
Primarily due to where they would be picking, but a year ago, the Redskins used that as a trade to get back in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft, to select Montez Sweat. The selection was regarded as an “A+” move because of his athletic profile and his overall production at Mississippi State.
His rookie year, though, unfortunately, did not live up to the excellent grade Washington received after the trade.
Initially, a pre-season injury held him back, and while Sweat’s stats would tell a reader that he found his way late in the season, Sweat did not present the pass-rush abilities (or explosiveness) many believed he had.
Sweat is obviously still developing as a player; however, he must also simultaneously prove that he is consistent as a player and win more often as a pass-rusher.
Sweat is not the only player, with the selection of Memphis WR/RB Antonio Gibson, both wideout Steven Sims Jr and running back Derrius Guice must prove themselves reasonably quickly.
Steven Sims Jr took the Redskins and everyone who follows them daily, by surprise in 2019. The undrafted free agent showed himself to be an explosive, agile, play-making weapon for the Redskins as a wide receiver, ball-carrier, and return man.
He was, quite frankly, their only “weapon” at their disposal (as Terry McLaurin was only a legit threat as a wide receiver). Enter Gibson, who refers to himself as an offensive weapon and Rivera along with Vice President of Player Personnel Kyle Smith agree.
The Redskins plan to use him in multiple positions offensively, and he may very well end up as a return specialist, too.
The more the weapons the better, however, Ron Rivera is not loyal to Sims Jr, and that will be displayed through snap counts for him. They key for Sims to have a reasonable snap count while Gibson is on the team, is to once again prove himself as a weapon for this Redskins team.
The issues Sims had in his rookie campaign were drops, he relied on catching with his body far too often, and at times had different gears when he was not a priority in the pass-play design. All correctable issues, but Sims must show improvement fairly early in Rivera's evaluation process.
Now, where does Guice come in here? I (and others) view Gibson as a swiss-army knife, a Christian McCaffrey of sorts. Over time, if Gibson proves himself to be most productive at running back than any other position, he will eventually be there full-time. If Gibson does prove to be that, he is a starting quality running back.
Derrius Guice's start to his NFL career has been an unfortunate one. A promising back with great burst, vision, and power, has been hamstrung with a number of significant knee injuries. Since being drafted by the Redskins in 2018, Guice has played in just five of a possible 32 games heading into year three.
The talent is there, but Guice's lack of availability will eventually put him in the rear-view mirror with the current staff, if he cannot get things turned around health-wise. This is not to say his injuries are in his control, but the game is the game, what can a team truly do for a player who cannot get on the field?
The pressure is on for these young Redskins players, and while everyone mentioned here are all talented individuals, Ron is about competition. Sure, you may have had an idea about how improved the roster will be after the addition of players, but the draft always has unintended consequences, and it is up to the players impacted by the draft to respond with undoubted production.
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Jamual Forrest has been a freelance sports journalist for four years, covering the Washington Redskins and can be heard as a co-host on The Hog Sty Network's "The Hog Sty" podcast. Additionally, Jamual contributes to The Hog Sty Network and SB Nation's Hogs Haven. You can follow Jamual on Twitter at @LetMualTellit and see his Redskins film breakdowns here.
