ASHBURN — When Niles Paul and Logan Paulsen each sustained season-ending injuries in August, the Washington Redskins lost both of their run-blocking tight ends.
Left with nobody to compliment Jordan Reed, the Redskins acquired Derek Carrier from the San Francisco 49ers on Aug. 21 and quickly implemented him into the offense for the season-opener against the Miami Dolphins. Carrier played 33 snaps in that game, primarily as a blocker in multiple-tight end sets — a role that he got better in as the season progressed.
Carrier, who converted to tight end from wide receiver after signing with San Francisco in 2013, also had the pass-catching ability that allowed the Redskins to diversify those sets. In Monday’s 19-16 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Carrier was inactive with a sprained left ankle and Achilles’ tendon, stripping the Redskins of that versatility.
The Redskins turned to right tackle Tom Compton, who played 17 snaps against the Cowboys as the second tight end. Of those 17 plays, Washington ran the ball 15 times. In four of those looks, the Redskins used both Compton and left tackle Ty Nsekhe, who also lined up as a tight end.
One Redskins player said that without Carrier available, the team had to scrap a formation which features one wide receiver and one tight end on each side of the formation. Asked how many plays were eliminated, the player, who didn’t want to be named because of the nature of the topic, suggested at least 10 to 15.
“Some of the runs that we like to run with the double teams and all that stuff, you need a tight end that can hold it, and Tom’s proven that he can do that,” coach Jay Gruden said. “But, it is tough because you lose an eligible receiver and it’s not something we want to feature.”
Washington rushed for 26 times on Monday for 73 yards, an average of 2.8 yards per carry. It wasn’t as if the Redskins rushed poorly when Compton was in the game; two of Matt Jones’ longest runs were out of multiple-tight end sets. However, running back Chris Thompson felt the offense became somewhat predictable.
Carrier sustained the ankle injury two weeks ago against the New York Giants, and the Redskins are optimistic he will increase his workload this week to be ready to play the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
“I think Carrier is a good route runner as well as a run blocker, so it hurt us being able to do certain things,” Thompson said. “Those situations that Tom was in, we could run and pass out of those formations if Carrier was in.
“You know, especially when there’s a guy like [Cowboys outside linebacker] Sean Lee on the other side, after the reps keep coming, he’ll notice every time that when we’re in this formation, we’re going to run the ball. We’re hoping we can get Carrier back this week so we can finally change that, because the tendency was pretty high. Defenses know [Compton and Nsekhe] can’t run any routes.”
When the Redskins cut tight end Anthony McCoy at the end of November, they signed Je’Ron Hamm from the practice squad. Hamm played just three snaps on Monday, but could provide that versatility once he is more comfortable in the offense — especially if Carrier doesn’t return.
Either way, quarterback Kirk Cousins was not making excuses about not having Carrier available.
“You realize by the end of the season, usually, you lose some key players along the way and you have to do your best with what you have,” Cousins said. “Is it a little more challenging? Sure, but we feel like we can always come up with a plan and have an answer to whatever comes our way. We hope to get Derek back as soon as possible. When we do, I think he’ll really be able to help our offense.”
• Anthony Gulizia can be reached at agulizia@washingtontimes.com.
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