When the first question was asked, Barry Cofield leaned on the podium and smiled.
“Well, I want to start by saying I missed you guys,” he told the group of reporters assembled at Redskins Park. “There was no hello.”
There was a trace of sarcasm in Cofield’s voice, but his excitement to be back with the Redskins was clear. The veteran defensive lineman spent more than two months on injured reserve, nursing a high right ankle sprain and also undergoing groin surgery. It was the first time he had gone this long without playing football, dating all the way back to middle school.
“It was definitely abnormal for me,” Cofield said.
It was strange for the Redskins’ defense, too. Cofield had started 49 consecutive games since arriving in Washington in 2011, anchoring the middle of the team’s 3-4 defensive scheme. His return could have a widespread impact in the second half of the season, whether he’s occupying gaps to free up linebackers against the run or creating an additional pass-rush to aid the secondary.
In a way, Cofield said, he’s rejoining the Redskins against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday as “just a free agent off the streets” — if, of course, such a free agent already had an in-depth knowledge of the defensive scheme and pre-established chemistry with several other members of the defensive line.
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“It just adds another wrinkle to this defense,” Jason Hatcher said. “Barry’s just a very explosive guy, very quick off the ball, so you can kind of do some different schemes. … You can really kind of get upfield now and create some havoc.”
During his three-plus seasons in Washington, Cofield has primarily been the team’s nose tackle. But when he sprained his ankle in the season-opener, Chris Baker proved to be a capable replacement, giving the Redskins added versatility along the front line.
Coach Jay Gruden said Cofield will play both defensive end and nose tackle, joining Hatcher, Baker, Jarvis Jenkins, Stephen Bowen and the rest of the rotation up front.
“It’s a good, strong rotation, man,” Gruden said. “Big, physical guys up front, which you want, and you want a lot of them. And we now have a lot of them, which is very good. They can rotate in and out and stay fresh.”
From a scheme standpoint, defensive coordinator Jim Haslett said Cofield’s return won’t change much. How Cofield and the rest of the defensive linemen are utilized will depend in part upon the opposing protection scheme, as it always does.
The 30-year-old will, however, bring another dimension of flexibility.
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“Yeah, he can play end, nose, he’ll play nickel,” Haslett said. “We’ll work him back in kind of like we did with [Bowen], and see where he’s at conditioning-wise. … He obviously knows the system, he’s been in it for a while, so that won’t be an issue.”
Washington’s defensive line has accounted for only seven sacks this season, with Hatcher recording four and Frank Kearse accounting for the other three. Cofield’s presence could help change that, whether he’s drawing attention from opposing offensive linemen or recording a sack himself.
“It kind of confuses the quarterback, kind of confuses the protection so you can get some guys free,” Hatcher said.
While Cofield was sidelined, he was able to view the Redskins defense from a new perspective. He watched games from the upper reaches of the stadium rather than the field. He noticed mistakes and tendencies but did not feel qualified to criticize the defense as a whole, because he wasn’t on the field with them. Instead, Cofield relayed messages through carefully chosen veterans, who he knew would spread them around.
Now, Cofield can do some of the talking himself, bringing a needed dimension of leadership both on the field and in the locker room.
“He’s a very smart player. A lot of guys look up to him,” Baker said. “He’s a Super Bowl winner, so we all are chasing that Super Bowl. Barry knows what it takes to get one.”
As he watched Washington’s past eight games, Cofield said the most striking observation he made was the lack of game-changing plays, which can help mask mistakes.
“We’re close. We’re not a top-10 statistical defense in this league by mistake,” Cofield said. “You know you’re doing some things right, but at the same time [if] you give up points, there’s a problem. If you’re losing, there’s a problem. My biggest thing is that we’re close.”
Cofield’s return will surely help them get there.
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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