Reviewing the Redskins’ defense: Dashon Goldson, Will Compton and other highlights

As general manager Scot McCloughan prepares for his second draft with the Washington Redskins, will there be an emphasis on improving the defense?

Last year, four of the Redskins’ first five draft picks were spent on players on offense. Whether McCloughan chooses to upgrade the defense through the draft or free agency, it’s an area that certainly needs to be better.

The Redskins finished 28th in overall defense and struggled against the run for most of the year. They allowed opponents to rush for 122.6 yards per game, and only six teams allowed more. In their 35-18 loss to the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round of the playoffs, the same problems hampered the Redskins. The Packers rushed for 141 yards and the pass rush was nearly nonexistent, only getting to quarterback Aaron Rodgers one time despite Green Bay’s injured offensive line.

With that, here’s a review of each position of the defense, as well as the special teams units, from the 2015 season.

Defensive line
Positives: After recording just four sacks in three seasons, defensive end Chris Baker emerged as the team’s best pass rusher on the defensive line and dropped the quarterback six times. After sacking Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford twice in Week 4, Baker earned the start over Stephen Paea, who was signed in the offseason, and went on to start 11 total games. Veteran defensive end Jason Hatcher only finished with two sacks, but often pushed the pocket and pressured opposing quarterbacks. The veteran leadership that came from the tight-knit unit was invaluable, including players such as nose tackles Terrance Knighton and Kedric Golston and defensive end Ricky Jean Francois.

Negatives: The biggest issue for this group was its inability to generate pressure consistently. While there were flashes at times, there wasn’t much explosion or impact plays from the defensive line. This is also the most pressing area where the Redskins could benefit from adding some younger talent. Frank Kearse and Stephen Paea, both 27, are the youngest at the position. Hatcher, 33, said he is considering retirement in the offseason. Golston, 32 and Knighton, 29, are both impending free agents.

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SEE ALSO: Reviewing the Redskins’ offense: Kirk Cousins, Jordan Reed and other highlights

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Outside linebackers
Positives: Preston Smith finished as the team’s most dynamic pass rusher with six sacks in his final four games of the regular season. He also had the only sack against the Packers when he dropped Rodgers for a safety. Smith, drafted in the second round, led all rookies with eight sacks. Ryan Kerrigan led the Redskins with 9.5 sacks and was durable as always. He played 84 percent of the defensive snaps, the most of any linebacker on the team, despite breaking his right hand in Week 7 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Negatives: While Smith played well late in the season, there was not much production to compliment Kerrigan on the opposite side. Smith and second-year player Trent Murphy were thrust back into starting roles when the Redskins’ offseason plan never quite came to fruition. The team signed Junior Galette, and defensive coordinator Joe Barry had visions of he and Kerrigan pairing to for a formidable combination. However, Galette tore his left Achilles’ tendon in the preseason, leaving the Redskins with two inexperienced players at the position.

Inside linebackers
Positives: The Redskins were in desperate need of a boost at inside linebacker and they got it from Will Compton, who surpassed Keenan Robinson for the starting job as the mike linebacker in Week 10 and blossomed into the signal-caller of the defense. His ability to quickly diagnose offenses was invaluable and he was one of the team’s sure tacklers. Despite a left shoulder injury late in the year, Compton had 68 tackles in the final nine games of the regular season and had 12 against the Packers. With injuries to Robinson and Perry Riley, veteran Mason Foster emerged to play a key role. After being cut by the Chicago Bears in the preseason, the Redskins signed Foster in late September. He started the final five games and developed great chemistry with Compton. Foster finished the season with 37 tackles.

Negatives: While the run defense improved when Compton and Foster entered the lineup, it struggled for far too long. Part of the reason was because of poor gap discipline that left open holes for opposing running backs. Earlier in the season, Robinson talked about how the inside linebackers fell into the trap of trying to do too much, which sometimes would lead to two players filling the same gap while leaving the other unaccounted for.

Defensive backs
Positives: It’d be hard to find a group of defensive backs that hurdled more obstacles this season. Starting as early as the preseason, the Redskins’ secondary was nagged by injuries, but the team found a way to piece together a competitive group. It got contributions from the most unexpected candidates, such as rookie Quinton Dunbar, who converted from wide receiver to cornerback in training camp. Nine-year veteran Will Blackmon was signed early in the year and started 10 games opposite of Bashaud Breeland. Kyshoen Jarrett, a rookie free safety, spent significant time as the nickel cornerback before ending the season on injured reserve. Late in the season, lifelong cornerback DeAngelo Hall managed a transition to safety — something that could be a permanent move in the future. Veteran free safety Dashon Goldson played 92 percent of the defensive snaps and his leadership help solidify the patchwork group.

Negatives: The secondary was exposed against the Packers, as Rodgers methodically carved his way through the defense after struggling in the first quarter. At one point, Rodgers had completed 14 of 20 passes after starting the game 1-for-8. In any case, a secondary will benefit from an effective pass rush, but the Redskins’ group was especially tethered to the success of the defensive front. It didn’t quite have the personnel needed to overcome that, and it was on display against the Packers. The Redskins only got to Rodgers once, which made it easy to pick apart the group.

Special teams
Positives: The Redskins decided to switch kickers when they cut Kai Forbath after Week 1 and signed rookie Dustin Hopkins, a move that certainly paid off. Hopkins boomed 52 touchbacks, a sharp improvement from the 18 kicked by Forbath in 2014. Hopkins also made 25 of 28 field goal attempts. Punter Tress Way also had a strong season, averaging 39.8 net yards per punt. Rookie cornerback Deshazor Everett also emerged as a reliable gunner on punt return coverage and led the team with nine special teams tackles.

Negatives: Washington struggled to generate much impact in the return game. When the Redskins drafted wide receiver Jamison Crowder, who was a standout punt returner at Duke, they did so hoping his skills would translate. The opportunities weren’t always great — Crowder had 16 fair catches — but he needs to do better than the 5.3 yards per return he averaged this season, which ranked last among qualified returners. There were flashes in the kickoff return game, with touchdown returns from wide receivers Rashad Ross and Andre Roberts, but the Redskins finished with an average of 20.1 yards per return, which ranked fourth-worst.