The Washington Redskins begin mandatory veteran minicamp Tuesday with a final scheduled three-day workout before taking a six-week break before training camp starts July 26 in Richmond.
By all accounts, the organized team activities portion of the offseason was successful as newcomers, particularly quarterback Alex Smith, were indoctrinated into the system and no major injuries were reported.
There was little drama with the majority of the team present. There were no issues with second-round draft pick Derrius Guice, who is fast becoming a fan favorite after rumors of character concerns caused the former LSU running back to slip to the 59th pick despite receiving first-round grades from many prognosticators.
The biggest note was the absence of starting inside linebacker Zach Brown, who missed the early parts of the session while moving, according to Coach Jay Gruden. Brown tweeted the move was complete May 31, and the team’s website posted a picture of him participating June 5. But he was absent again during the workout open to media the following day. Those practices were voluntary, though.
The status of former quarterback Kirk Cousins’s contract was a focal point in past camps, but Smith just signed a four-year extension.
The workout atmosphere has drawn praise from Smith and new Redskins receiver Paul Richardson. Smith said this has been the most he has gotten out of OTAs as he enters the 14th year of his career. Richardson mentioned on more than one occasion how well teammates have helped one another, despite competing for the same position.
Gruden credited the veterans.
“The good thing is, I don’t have to put my finger on everything that’s going on around here,” Gruden said last week. “I have great trust in the players that are down here, led by the veteran guys like [Ryan] Kerrigan and Ziggy Hood and the rest of the older-type guys. They do an excellent job down here, and [when] they’re out at practice, they’re in meetings. [Orlando] Scandrick coming in, obviously Alex Smith, Colt McCoy. … Quarterbacks do a great job. Offensive linemen, [Brandon] Scherff is now considered a veteran. He just works his butt off. We’ve got a good group of guys. Mason Foster, [D.J.] Swearinger, obviously.
“One thing as a coach you don’t want to have to worry about is just always micromanaging every detail about meetings and what’s going on in the locker room. We have a great group of guys that are tightknit, and they work extremely hard.”
The tone of OTAs can be fairly mild, compared to training camp, due to collectively bargained rules that limit contact and the intensity of sessions. Attendance, injuries and position battles are often the main talking points. There’s an eye on individual progression, but evaluation can be limited given the structure of workouts. There’s no tackling, so it’s hard to get a read on running backs and front-seven defenders. Also, linemen aren’t seeing live action. Gruden’s sessions can be intense and competitive, but the physicality is different from training camp. Quarterbacks and skill-position players typically benefit the most.
Gruden said the culture of the team has matured since he took over in 2014.
“Yeah, it’s evolved, and it goes into your draft and who you’re getting as free agents and all that stuff,” Gruden said. “Sometimes you have to deal with some issues from time to time, but it’s important for the veteran leaders to take them under their wing and try to bring them along the right path. And I feel like we have a good majority-rules-type thing that are all hard workers and good guys and good football players.”
The Redskins now hope these feel-good summer workouts translate into fall success and the second playoff berth of Gruden’s tenure. The team finished 7-9 in 2017 and missed the postseason for the second year in a row.
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