The Washington Redskins have just two more days to work before calling it quits for the offseason. Then the real fun begins in late July. However, as they begin their mandatory two-day minicamp Tuesday, there’s still more for them to see and do before reaching that point. The media is allowed to watch both days.
So here are five areas to watch:
Receiver DeSean Jackson. Yes, this time I’m confident we’ll see him in practice because it is mandatory. He made two of the three voluntary practices last week, missing the one day the media could watch. There are few surprises with Jackson so it’s not as if we’re going to see some different player. But it’s about seeing him work against the defensive backs, specifically Josh Norman, and to see if there’s a greater emphasis on getting him the ball downfield. (The coaches have always wanted this.) Also, this will be the first chance Jackson can be in front of all the media. It’s not going to be a grilling -- he only missed voluntary sessions after all. But it is a chance to ask questions.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins. He seemed to have his best day when we watched practice last week (compared to the other two workouts we watched). That’s not to say he was bad in the others, but the defense certainly did well against the offense. Last week, Cousins threw with authority and confidence. He has avoided interceptions (when we’ve watched), something that couldn’t always be said in the past during practices. With the talent he has around him, Cousins knows his job is to get his playmakers the ball and let them work -- and avoid killer mistakes to prevent them from doing so. He’s taking more charge at the line of scrimmage, too. It’ll be interesting to see how he finishes over the next two days. He might not repeat last year’s stat line, but he also hasn’t looked like a player whose bubble is about to burst.
The injured guys. Tight end Jordan Reed missed the final organized team activities (OTAs) session last week. Coach Jay Gruden called it a day off, but another person in the organization said he had tweaked an ankle the previous day. Rookie receiver Josh Doctson has missed all the OTA sessions after hurting the Achilles in his left foot. There was some hope he could go last week. It would be fun to see, for once, the offense with its full complement of targets -- especially when working in the red zone.
The young defensive backs. If the offense has all its targets back, then it’ll be a good thing for defensive backs such as rookie Kendall Fuller and second-year corner Dashaun Phillips. The latter has worked a lot as a nickel corner with the first unit this spring. How long that lasts, who knows. I’ve seen other players work with starters in the spring and get cut in August. But facing talented receivers will help reveal that answer and give Phillips a better chance to prove himself.
Guard play. With Shawn Lauvao sidelined, the Redskins have rotated players in at left guard with the starters -- Spencer Long has spent a lot of time there, but so, too, has Arie Kouandjio. Long continues to work at center as well, an area where he needs more work. At one point this offseason, there was a thought that if he looked good in the spring and Kory Lichtensteiger wasn’t 100 percent, they could release Lichtensteiger and save money. But Long hasn’t adjusted that quickly. For now, he’s still better at guard. Earlier in spring workouts, Kouandjio did not look ready to start. For a second-year player it’s all about continuing to develop.