Redskins rookie linebacker Preston Smith earns more playing time vs. Eagles

In Week 2, as the Washington Redskins prepared for their game against the St. Louis Rams, defensive coordinator Joe Barry praised the performance of rookie outside linebacker Preston Smith.

In his NFL debut a week before, the second-round pick from Mississippi State sacked Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill and forced a fumble, chased it 20 yards down the field as a mad scramble ensued and recovered the loose ball.

“Preston is definitely able and ready to play more,” Barry said. “He will play more. You can never set a perfect number when you have rotation. that’s a good problem to have when we have depth and we have numbers. Preston, his play numbers will increase every week because he’s a good young player. That was a big play that he made. It was a heck of a rush.”

In the Redskins’ 23-20 win against the Philadelphia Eagles, Smith saw a big increase in playing time. Previously, he had been rotating with Trent Murphy and played 31.8 percent of the team’s defensive snaps in the first three weeks.

On Sunday, he played 30 of 56 defensive snaps, a near 50-50 split with Murphy, who played 33.

Smith and Murphy rotated defensive series throughout the game, with both playing when Ryan Kerrigan was briefly sidelined because of a hip pointer.

Smith’s best series came just before halftime. Philadelphia faced first-and-15 from the Washington 16-yard line and Smith deflected Sam Bradford’s pass for Darren Sproles. The next play, Smith sacked Bradford for a nine-yard loss.

Murphy had a strong performance on Sunday, too, registering a sack on the Eagles’ third-to-last play. On the final play, he intercepted Philadelphia’s lateral attempt, which technically counted as a fumble recovery. The second-year linebacker also was the first defender to Bradford on Chris Baker’s first sack.

Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if the Redskins maintain the 50-50 split, or give Smith the nod over Murphy on the depth chart.

Here are some other observations after reviewing the snap counts from Sunday’s win:

** A hobbled Chris Culliver played all 56 defensive snaps on Sunday. After the game, various Redskins players pointed to the cornerback’s toughness. Culliver sustained a variety of leg injuries in practice last week and did not participate on Thursday or Friday. The Redskins were already shorthanded at the position without DeAngelo Hall (toe sprain) and Justin Rogers (injured reserve), so Culliver suited up anyways, though he was not nearly 100 percent. Sure, he was beat for touchdowns a couple of times, but the Redskins needed him out there.

** To spin off that, will the Redskins continue to use Kyshoen Jarrett once the secondary is healthy? On Sunday, the rookie safety played all 56 defensive snaps as the nickel corner. Will Blackmon played five snaps in dime packages. The Redskins have praised Jarrett’s versatility and he’s showing why. Jarrett is proving he can help bridge the gap in the slot while Bashaud Breeland plays outside until DeAngelo Hall returns from a toe sprain. Jarrett also primarily played nickel when Chris Culliver was suspended in Week 2.

When Hall was injured in the third quarter in Week 3, Blackmon played nickel once Breeland shifted outside. This rotation will be interesting to watch going forward. There’s lots of moving parts. If Culliver’s injuries worsen, the Redskins will be relying heavily on Blackmon and Jarrett, to go along with Breeland.

** Spencer Long played the entire game at left guard in place of Shawn Lauvao, who was placed on injured reserve last week with a lateral ankle sprain. Long did not stand out on Sunday, which is exactly the way offensive linemen like it. When a lineman is the center of attention, it’s usually after making a mistake.

** Running back Alfred Morris played 12 snaps against the Giants — something Gruden said was unacceptable. Morris was back in the lead role on Sunday and played 35 of the team’s 84 offensive snaps. Jones was on the field for just 15, while Chris Thompson saw a spike in playing time and logged 33 snaps. Thompson expanded upon his third-down role and carried the ball six times on Sunday, perhaps giving the Redskins a new wrinkle to their rushing attack.

** Young receivers Jamison Crowder and Rashad Ross saw increases in playing time with Andre Roberts inactive. Crowder played 61 of 84 offensive snaps and benefitted greatly. The rookie was targeted 12 times and caught seven passes for 65 yards. Ross, who played just 10 offensive snaps in two games before Sunday, played 23 on Sunday and hauled in a 43-yard catch.

Here are the full snap counts with the total number played in parentheses.

Offense: LT Trent Williams (84/84), LG Spencer Long (84/84), RT Morgan Moses (84/84), RG Brandon Scherff (84/84), C Kory Lichtensteiger (84/84), QB Kirk Cousins (84/84), WR Ryan Grant (66/84), WR Pierre Garcon (64/84), WR Jamison Crowder (61/84), TE Derek Carrier (54/84), TE Jordan Reed (44/84), RB Alfred Morris (35/84), RB Chris Thompson (33/84), WR Rashad Ross (23/84), TE Anthony McCoy (19/84), RB Matt Jones (15/84), FB Darrel Young (6/84).

Defense: SS Trenton Robinson (56/56), FS Dashon Goldson (56/56), MLB Keenan Robinson (56/56), CB Chris Culliver (56/56), CB Bashaud Breeland (56/56), CB Kyshoen Jarrett (56/56), MLB Will Compton (50/56), MLB Ryan Kerrigan (48/56), DE Jason Hatcher (40/56), OLB Trent Murphy (33/56), OLB Preston Smith (30/56), DE Chris Baker (24/56), NT Terrance Knighton (20/56), DE Ricky Jean Francois (15/56), DE Stephen Paea (12/56), CB Will Blackmon (5/56), OLB Jackson Jeffcoat (3/56).

Special teams: Jeron Johnson (21/30), Young (21/30), Smith (19/30), Jarrett (16/30), Jeffcoat (16/30), Thompson (15/30), Blackmon (12/30), Breeland (11/30), Murphy (11/30), Dustin Hopkins (11/30), Goldson (10/30), Tress Way (10/30), Terrance Plummer (10/30), Quinton Dunbar (10/30), Deshazor Everett (9/30), Arie Kouandjio (9/30), Nick Sundberg (9/30), Mason Foster (9/30), Carrier (8/30), Paea (7/30), Ross (7/30), Crowder (6/30), Knighton (6/30), Jean Francois (6/30), Josh LeRibeus (6/30), T. Robinson (5/30), Scherff (5/30), Long (5/30), Moses (5/30), Williams (5/30), Grant (4/30), Jones (4/30), Hatcher (4/30), Kerrigan (3/30), A. McCoy (2/30).