Snap counts: Redskins use heavy rotation on defensive line

Through the first four games of the season, Washington Redskins defensive end Jason Hatcher was playing 73 percent of the team’s defensive snaps.

It was a heavy workload for the 33-year-old. He doesn’t need to be reminded he is the oldest player on the Redskins’ roster. He feels the aches and pains every day, mostly in his knees, which is why lately the 10-year veteran has had Wednesdays off — an extra day to recover from the battering his body takes each Sunday.

Hatcher played 27 of the Redskins’ 57 defensive snaps, or 47 percent, in Sunday’s 47-14 win against the New Orleans — the least he has played in a game all season.

The good thing is there’s good depth on the defensive line and the Redskins rotated their four defensive ends heavily to give Hatcher a break. Chris Baker played 31 snaps and had a half-sack, Ricky Jean Francois played 27 and Stephen Paea played 26.

Though Hatcher only played 27 snaps, he was still effective in a reduced role. At the end of the third quarter, Saints quarterback Drew Brees dumped a screen pass to Mark Ingram. Ingram had plenty of room to run and picked up 12 yards and Hatcher hustled from the line of scrimmage to catch him.

On the next play to start the fourth quarter, Hatcher pressured Brees and nearly sacked him, but Brees broke away and threw the ball out of bounds.

Paea was a big boost to the rotation on the defensive line. Paea did not play in Week 6 because of a back injury and played a total of 31 snaps in the last two games. On Sunday he played 26 snaps, or 46 percent, which is the highest percentage he has played all season.

In the second quarter Paea sacked Brees and got some help from Hatcher. Hatcher drove center Max Unger back to collapse pocket on Brees and Paea reached in and shoved the quarterback to the ground.

Jean Francois’ 27 snaps, or 47 percent, was also the highest percentage he’s played this season.

Here are a few other observations from the snap counts on Sunday.

** DeSean Jackson played 30 snaps, 19 less than he did in his return against the New England Patriots. He was effective from the start, however, when he caught a 42-yard pass on the third play of the game. The Redskins feel he is fully healthy and he looked more comfortable on Sunday. However, don’t expect the Redskins to chuck it deep to Jackson constantly. He’s out there in three-receiver sets, but the Redskins have favored multiple-tight end sets this season. Those formations produce a lot of short and mid-range looks, which is where Jamison Crowder and Pierre Garcon get the nod.

** The Redskins appear to be favoring offensive lineman Tom Compton over tight end Anthony McCoy as the third tight end. Compton experimented at the position in training camp but the Redskins signed McCoy earlier this year. However, he was inactive on Sunday for the second consecutive week and did not play on offense against Tampa Bay. Compton played 12 snaps against the Saints. It’s an easy transition for the offensive lineman. When he comes in, it’s in three-tight end formations, so he lines up next to the tackle like an extension of the offensive line.

** It was interesting to see the Redskins keep everyone involved in the secondary. Will Blackmon and Kyshoen Jarrett have excelled while the starters have been injured and it figured one would fall out of favor once everybody was healthy. Bashaud Breeland, Chris Culliver, Jarrett and Blackmon all played at least 37 snaps on Sunday. Hall played 18 in his return, but did so at safety. As he continues to get healthier, it will be worth monitoring if he stays there or gets bumped back to corner. For now, the Redskins are keeping their best players on the field.

Offense: RT Morgan Moses (62/62), LG Spencer Long (62/62), RG Brandon Scherff (62/62), LT Trent Williams (59/62), QB Kirk Cousins (59/62), C Josh LeRibeus (57/62), TE Jordan Reed (48/62), WR Jamison Crowder (46/62), WR Pierre Garcon (45/62), TE Derek Carrier (37/62), WR DeSean Jackson (30/62), RB Alfred Morris (25/62), RB Matt Jones (23/62), WR Ryan Grant (19/62), OL Tom Compton (12/62), RB Chris Thompson (10/62), FB Darrel Young (8/62), WR Rashad Ross (4/62), LT Ty Nsekhe (3/62), QB Colt McCoy (3/62), C Brian de la Puente (3/62).

Defense: ILB Will Compton (55/57), FS Dashon Goldson (50/57), CB Chris Culliver (50/57), CB Bashaud Breeland (49/57), OLB Ryan Kerrigan (44/57), ILB Perry Riley (40/57), CB Will Blackmon (37/57), FS Kyshoen Jarrett (37/57), OLB Trent Murphy (34/57), OLB Preston Smith (32/57), DE Chris Baker (31/57), DE Ricky Jean Francois (27/57), DE Jason Hatcher (27/57), DE Stephen Paea (26/57), SS Jeron Johnson (20/57), NT Kedric Golston (19/57), CB DeAngelo Hall (18/57), NT Terrance Knighton (11/57), ILB Mason Foster (8/57), CB Deshazor Everett (7/57), LB Houston Bates (5/57).

Special teams: Trenton Robinson (20/29), Young (18/29), Foster (18/29), Everett (18/29), Dustin Hopkins (18/29), Bates (17/29), Johnson (16/29), Golston (13/29), Blackmon (13/29), Ross (12/29), Murphy (11/29), Tress Way (11/29), Nick Sundberg (11/29), Smith (10/29), T. Compton (10/29), Moses (9/29), Long (9/29), Scherff (9/29), Williams (9/29), Carrier (9/29), Knighton (9/29), Thompson (7/29), Goldson (7/29), Jarrett (6/29), Breeland (6/29), Crowder (4/29), W. Compton (4/29), Hall (4/29), Grant (3/29), Nsekhe (2/29), Kerrigan (2/29), Jean Francois (2/29), Hatcher (2/29).