The Official Roster Thread or similar ;)

[Skinsinparadise]

Top rated via PFF at edge and at tackle.  I take PFF with a grain of salt but interesting nonetheless.  I believe every football team now subscribes to PFF so at the very least its factored by them in the mix.

 

 

[Vanguard]

It’s like I said from the beginning.  People are going to love Ryan Fitzpatrick here as a teammate and person.  What I’m focused on is how he plays.  I already know he’s an entertaining guy.  Someone on YouTube brought up his numbers in his last 8 to 10 starts and his numbers were impressive.  But I’m still in wait and see mode.  I’m not going to get dazzled by personality alone.

[Skinsinparadise]

2 hours ago, mistertim said:

 

DTs aren't hugely dependent on one other person for their production like a WR is. The fact that McLaurin has produced as much as he has, given what a complete and utter **** show our QB situation has been since he began, is actually pretty remarkable. That would be the equivalent of a NFL DT literally having college players as the rest of his surrounding defense and still getting 8+ sacks.

 

I'd go out on a limb and say we'd get offered a far higher draft pick for McLaurin than we would for either Allen or Payne. I think we'd get a 2nd at most for Allen or Payne; they just don't have the pass rushing production that teams are going to look for in interior DL nowadays. Teams with decent QBs would salivate to have a guy with Terry's skillset and would probably give up a 1st for him in a heartbeat.

 

Terry has played with "meh" QBs and also without any other serious threat to help him.   Teams can just bracket Terry in the past.  Good luck doing that this season.

 

I like Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne but no one that I've noticed outside of our own fans talk about either as being among the top DTs in the game. 
They are really good players.  They have special talent but they haven't been special players at least not yet.  Sweat and Chase Young have looked special IMO.   If I had to bet on Payne or Allen I'd bet on Allen.  Payne has ended up what I thought he'd be which is a good player especially against the run but nothing approaching special.   Though special may still come.  I am not down on either's potential.  

 

As for Terry I think he's closer to being a special player right now than either Payne or Allen.  Payne and Allen are surrounded with talent around them.  They have the perfect storm to excel.   But I am glad we have all three.   And I think Ionnaidis is just as good as Payne or Allen or close enough.  He's the better pass rusher IMO but not as good against the run.  But I am jazzed to see him in the mix, too.

 

Terry finally has a QB who can get him the ball and other weapons around him to avoid double team/bracket coverage.   When the players get around to doing their top 100 players ranking, I bet there is a chance Terry is in that mix.  I'd be surprised if any of our DTs make that list.  But again I am not down on them. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 4, 2021 by Skinsinparadise

[Skinsinparadise]

I'd add about Terry that his stats, PFF scores, the whole drill slowed down a lot at the end of the season.  We didn't know why then.  But its come out that he had two high ankle sprains.  It's amazing he even played. 

 

 

https://thespun.com/nfl/nfc-east/washington-football-team/terry-mclaurin-reveals-he-played-through-2-injuries-last-season#:~:text=McLaurin told Jim Rome that,sprains during the 2020 season.&text=It can be a debilitating,1%2C118 yards and four touchdowns.

Through his first two seasons, McLaurin has turned into one of the best young wide receivers in the game. During the 2020 season, he endured poor quarterback play, but still managed to put up over 1,000 yards.

On Thursday, he revealed he had to deal with more than just poor quarterback play. McLaurin told Jim Rome that he suffered two high ankle sprains during the 2020 season.

“I didn’t really use that as an excuse,” he said on the show. “I had plenty of examples around my building to not use certain things or ailments … as an excuse.”

 

It’s remarkable for a wide receiver or running back to be able to battle through a high ankle sprain. In recent seasons, running backs Alvin Kamara and Saquon Barkley were significantly hampered by ankle sprains, missing a few games each.

During the 2020 season, New Orleans Saints star wide receiver Michael Thomas – a fellow Buckeye – missed a few games with an ankle sprain as well.

It can be a debilitating injury for skill players, but McLaurin found a way to battle through the pain.

He ended the 2020 season with 87 receptions for 1,118 yards and four touchdowns.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 4, 2021 by Skinsinparadise

[Vanguard]

@Skinsinparadise  

I agree pretty much 100% with your assessment of our D tackles.  Except I would take Payne over Allen.  I look at how Payne plays in the playoffs and that puts him over the top IMO. I’m loving having Ioannidis back in the middle.  More sacks up the gut for sure.  Best pass rushing tackle we have.

[wit33]

11 hours ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

 

Trust me, no one on our offense last year worried opposing coaches and players.

 

I think Redskins fans overrate McLaurin and underrate Scherff, Allen, and Payne.  McLaurin hasn't produced anywhere close to an elite level nor has he made the kind of dent for our offense that Allen and Payne made for the defense.  The beauty of AV is that it's a more objective measure of production and McLaurin had six AV last year to the ten that Scherff, Allen, and Payne all provided.  Maybe in his third year he can be as good as they were last season, but he hasn't reached that level of production yet.

 

I agree. Mcclaurin is hard not to overrate due to where he was drafted, money he makes, and type of dude he's shown to be. Mcclaurin is more of a top 20 guy, which is great this early on in his career. 

 

Seems DT expectations have been skewed unfairly due to a pontential GOAT at his position wrecking the league over the last few years (Donald). 

 

10 hours ago, mistertim said:

 

DTs aren't hugely dependent on one other person for their production like a WR is. The fact that McLaurin has produced as much as he has, given what a complete and utter **** show our QB situation has been since he began, is actually pretty remarkable. That would be the equivalent of a NFL DT literally having college players as the rest of his surrounding defense and still getting 8+ sacks.

 

I'd go out on a limb and say we'd get offered a far higher draft pick for McLaurin than we would for either Allen or Payne. I think we'd get a 2nd at most for Allen or Payne; they just don't have the pass rushing production that teams are going to look for in interior DL nowadays. Teams with decent QBs would salivate to have a guy with Terry's skillset and would probably give up a 1st for him in a heartbeat.

 

Playing on poor teams offensively provided Mcclaurin most if not all pass game scripts to be centered around him. Last year he was top 10 in targets per game. Many Wrs experience big numbers in "bad team/QB situations". 

Edited June 5, 2021 by wit33

[terpfan]

Honestly what McLaurin has done his first two seasons as a third round pick with these QBs is nothing short of miraculous. He’s an incredible player. So excited to see what he looks like with a real offense around him. 

[mistertim]

52 minutes ago, wit33 said:

 

I agree. Mcclaurin is hard not to overrate due to where he was drafted, money he makes, and type of dude he's shown to be. Mcclaurin is more of a top 20 guy, which is great this early on in his career. 

 

Seems DT expectations have been skewed unfairly due to a pontential GOAT at his position wrecking the league over the last few years (Donald). 

 

 

Playing on poor teams offensively provided Mcclaurin most if not pass game scripts to be centered around him. Last year he was top 10 in targets per game. Many Wrs experience big numbers in "bad team/QB situations". 

 

McLaurin had an 86.5 PFF grade for receiving in 2019, which was good for 6th in the NFL. In 2020 he dropped to 77.1 but that was also a complete joke of a year at QB...even more so than 2019. You can watch film breakdowns of him beating some of the best CBs in the NFL on all types of routes all over the field. It has nothing to do with his draft position or his money. He's just that good. Again, I'd wager plenty of money that if he suddenly became available, we'd get a 1st for him in a heartbeat. 

 

As for DTs, It's not just Donald. IMO Allen and Payne aren't nearly the types of disruptive players that guys like Jones, Heyward, Buckner, or Cox are. There's a reason that PFF has all those guys ranked as top 5/6 and Allen at 12 for interior DL. And yes, I know PFF isn't the end-all-be-all, but their analytics are relied on by many pro organizations so it's not like they're just making **** up.

 

And playing on poor teams with poor QB situations without any other real receiving threats also means that the defense can completely focus on taking one guy out of the game. That happened in 2020. Terry was basically bracketed every time he was on the field. And he still was able to put up some pretty good numbers.

[Mooka]

4 hours ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

I think Redskins fans overrate McLaurin and underrate Scherff, Allen, and Payne. 

 

I'm with @stevemcqueen1here. 

 

Daron particularly. One thing about Daron is he lead our D-Line in snaps and he's our biggest D-Lineman at 320+. And he plays on Teams. 3 FFs and 4 PDs for a DT is elite production. 

Edited June 4, 2021 by Mooka

[HTTRDynasty]

Give me the 24 year-old (birthday just last week) athletic standout in Payne over the 26 year-old (birthday in January) technically superior player in Allen.  Payne has much more room to grow, IMO, and I think his prime is still a few years away.  I think Allen is basically already at his peak.

 

I agree with @mistertim that Allen is likely to ask for more than he is worth, and I think the smartest approach to team-building would be to pay Matt I. (27 years old) and Payne, and allocate the considerable amount that would have gone to Allen elsewhere.  I'd let Scherff go as well.

 

 

I think Terry will be the 2nd best player on the team this season after Young, and will establish himself as a bonafide top 10 WR leaguewide.  IMO, Rivera and the FO's focus should be on paying Chase, Terry, Sweat, and Payne, in that order, over the next few years.

[CommanderInTheRye]

 

[Koolblue13]

Give me both Payne and Allen for the next 5 years doing what they each do best and bookend them with insane freaks of nature and watch us be in the playoffs every year. Forget picking one or the other.

[Skinsinparadise]

1 hour ago, mistertim said:

 

McLaurin had an 86.5 PFF grade for receiving in 2019, which was good for 6th in the NFL. In 2020 he dropped to 77.1 but that was also a complete joke of a year at QB...even more so than 2019. You can watch film breakdowns of him beating some of the best CBs in the NFL on all types of routes all over the field. It has nothing to do with his draft position or his money. He's just that good. Again, I'd wager plenty of money that if he suddenly became available, we'd get a 1st for him in a heartbeat. 

 

As for DTs, It's not just Donald. IMO Allen and Payne aren't nearly the types of disruptive players that guys like Jones, Heyward, Buckner, or Cox are. There's a reason that PFF has all those guys ranked as top 5/6 and Allen at 12 for interior DL. And yes, I know PFF isn't the end-all-be-all, but their analytics are relied on by many pro organizations so it's not like they're just making **** up.

 

And playing on poor teams with poor QB situations without any other real receiving threats also means that the defense can completely focus on taking one guy out of the game. That happened in 2020. Terry was basically bracketed every time he was on the field. And he still was able to put up some pretty good numbers.

 

I'd add if you follow Terry's PFF scores it slid at the end of that season with the injury after a hot start.   

 

Our QBs ranked dead bottom in QBR last year.  Dead last.   It wasn't set up for Terry to go for the kill.  

 

To me its not that close.  Terry is the better player over Payne and Allen.    But I guess to each their own.   If anyone thinks Allen and Payne are better than Terry, I am surprised.  For me its Chase #1, Terry #2.  Sweat #3.   They are all good players though and glad we have so many good players.  It's rare for us to have a roster like this. 

 

Judging by hype alone, Terry I think is the more national name right now.   Based on where I live, I talk to fans from all over the place, when they talk about this team Allen and Payne never really come up.  They know Terry.  They know Chase.  Some know Sweat.  Some seem to know Gibson now.   Payne and Allen don't really come up -- maybe because they don't make pro bowls, top 100 lists, etc.   Not that Terry has either yet as for Pro Bowls/All Pros but he seems to be on people's radar.   Not that it means anything.  

 

Personally, I think Chase is elite.  Sweat is on the verge of being elite.  Allen and Payne are good to very good players with the potential to be better.  I see here some like Payne over Allen.  The reason why I don't agree is I think Allen has more pass rush potential and Allen is stout against the run, too.  But Allen and Payne are close enough IMO that I am not passionate enough on it to argue it.  

 

Edited June 5, 2021 by Skinsinparadise

[Vanguard]

5 hours ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

 

I think Redskins fans overrate McLaurin and underrate Scherff, Allen, and Payne. 

Are you trying to make me angry? 😡

[Skinsinparadise]

2 hours ago, Vanguard said:

@Skinsinparadise  

I agree pretty much 100% with your assessment of our D tackles.  Except I would take Payne over Allen.  I look at how Payne plays in the playoffs and that puts him over the top IMO. I’m loving having Ioannidis back in the middle.  More sacks up the gut for sure.  Best pass rushing tackle we have.

 

They are close to me.   Jonathan Allen is so articulate and goes into detail about what drives him, what he works at, talks about technique, etc.   And I usually don't hear that stuff from Payne.   Every now and then I watch via NFL Films different players explain technique in detail and the nuances of the game from their point of view.  Jonathan Allen I think would kill it describing his game and what he's trying to do from play to play.  Payne to me would be a mystery on that front -- he doesn't talk much.  So maybe that biases me towards Allen.  Also, Allen is supposedly a locker room leader.  Haven't heard anything like that about Payne. 

 

I know Payne plays nose at times and his assignment is to clog the gap.  But I've watched him pass rush plenty.  One off season i posted a bunch of clips of the D line and spent a lot of time watching them.  In short, I like Allen better as a pass rusher than I do Payne.  And Allen IMO is a good enough run stuffer that I think he's a rare complete do it all DT.  I just don't think he's yet in conversation with guys like Chris Jones, Buckner, Cox, etc.  He's IMO in that next tier.  

 

I admit Payne wasn't the guy i wanted in that draft.  I liked Derwin James and Vea better.  Both IMO have been better players in the pros than Payne.    Vea though was gone before our pick.  But I'll give this to Payne over both dudes.  He's been the more durable player.  And that means something to me.  So I don't have any sour grapes over it as time marches on.  But on the other hand, I was on cloud nine when we drafted Jonathan Allen.  I loved Allen in college.  So maybe I am still biased in his favor. 

 

Terry to me isn't a superstar yet but feels on the verge of it.  Ditto Sweat.  I think Chase is already a super star.  As for Payne and Allen I think they are in that next strata below.  I think they are capable of taking that next step.  Granted I said the exact same thing before last season.  I saw a stat that 2 seasons ago it was Ionnaidis who was the D lineman who was doubled the most.  This season I haven't seen an aggregate stat like that but I noticed from my own watching Chase was doubled a ton.   

 

I'd add judging by what some have said they heard (Sheehan in particular says this) they are determined to lock up Allen for the long haul.  

Edited June 5, 2021 by Skinsinparadise

[SmallDaddy]

3 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

Top rated via PFF at edge and at tackle.  I take PFF with a grain of salt but interesting nonetheless.  I believe every football team now subscribes to PFF so at the very least its factored by them in the mix.

 

 

A lot of people thought we would draft Vita Vea in the 2018 draft (went 1 pick before us and we drafted Da’Ron Payne). I did not realize he was ranked that high. I wonder if he would have been a better pick - had Tampa picked Payne (I still think we should have picked Derwin James). 

[mistertim]

50 minutes ago, Koolblue13 said:

Give me both Payne and Allen for the next 5 years doing what they each do best and bookend them with insane freaks of nature and watch us be in the playoffs every year. Forget picking one or the other.

 

It all depends on how much they ask for. If they're for reasonable contracts, then awesome, I'd 100% love to keep them around. If they're looking for elite DT money then you have to start making choices. There's simply no realistic way to pay Allen, Payne, Ioan, Sweat, and Young top dollar and still be able to keep the rest of a roster together. Simply won't happen. You'd basically have to start gutting the rest of the team to make cap room.

[Silvernon]

11 hours ago, Koolblue13 said:

Hes the leader of the locker room, captain on the field. Hes probably one of the most valuable players on this team. There is zero chance hes not extended soon.

 

Ioannidis is injury prone, older and going to get paid because of his sack total if he can stay on the field. He's good for a comp pick for us. 

I'm not saying you pay either one. I'm suggesting you pay the other three. 

 

You have to figure Allen is going higher than the $13 million crowd. And I guess 'gun to my head' I'm okay with it presuming you can get out in Y3/Y4.  

 

In an ideal world pay key performers sooner, i.e. Terry, Holcomb, Gibson, Curl. The first rounders are an exception. 

[skinsfan93]

51 minutes ago, Koolblue13 said:

Give me both Payne and Allen for the next 5 years doing what they each do best and bookend them with insane freaks of nature and watch us be in the playoffs every year. Forget picking one or the other.

This would be nice but I don’t think it’s realistic. Look at the 49ers trading Buckner. They traded him at the age of 26. 
 

I’m a bit torn on whether to keep Allen or Payne. Allen has better intangibles (leader on team, all about winning) but Payne has more upside in my opinion. I think they resign Allen but long term who knows if he’s maybe traded. Either way we should have all those guys for at least the next couple years so hopefully it plays out on who we should pay top dollar and keep. Let’s just enjoy our defensive line while we can and hope we can find another pick to replace one of these guys. Ionnadis took a couple years to develop. 

[Burgold]

8 minutes ago, mistertim said:

 

It all depends on how much they ask for. If they're for reasonable contracts, then awesome, I'd 100% love to keep them around. If they're looking for elite DT money then you have to start making choices. There's simply no realistic way to pay Allen, Payne, Ioan, Sweat, and Young top dollar and still be able to keep the rest of a roster together. Simply won't happen. You'd basically have to start gutting the rest of the team to make cap room.

The question also has to do with inflation. Five years ago, Cousins was looking for 18 or 20m/year and most thought that was just crazy money even for a QB. Now, elite QBs are asking and getting 40 and seventeen NFL QBs are making more than 20.

 

So, this year's "elite" salary might be a bargain by the end of the contract. Mind you, I don't like setting records for positions. Redskins routinely did that in the Cerrato years and it routinely backfired. But paying "high" for very good isn't always a bad thing, especially if the fit and the chemistry are there. So, while I agree every negotiation has to have a ceiling I also think that it's okay if the ceiling is a higher than a typical story.

Edited June 5, 2021 by Burgold

[Skinsinparadise]

17 minutes ago, SmallDaddy said:

A lot of people thought we would draft Vita Vea in the 2018 draft (went 1 pick before us and we drafted Da’Ron Payne). I did not realize he was ranked that high. I wonder if he would have been a better pick - had Tampa picked Payne (I still think we should have picked Derwin James). 

 

I forgot about Vea some after that draft but then I was at the Tampa/WFT game years back and I saw him destroy our interior.     PFF grades him as elite, they rave about him in various articles, too.  I haven't really watched a ton of Tampa so its a selective sample for me but when I have, Vea looked like a wrecking ball. 

Edited June 5, 2021 by Skinsinparadise

[wit33]

1 hour ago, mistertim said:

 

McLaurin had an 86.5 PFF grade for receiving in 2019, which was good for 6th in the NFL. In 2020 he dropped to 77.1 but that was also a complete joke of a year at QB...even more so than 2019. You can watch film breakdowns of him beating some of the best CBs in the NFL on all types of routes all over the field. It has nothing to do with his draft position or his money. He's just that good. Again, I'd wager plenty of money that if he suddenly became available, we'd get a 1st for him in a heartbeat. 

 

Not debating whether Mcclaurin is a good WR. I don't think he's shown to be a top tier guy yet; won't be surprised if he gets close. His PFF grade I speculate had a fair amount to do with battling his own injuries last season. 

 

A top 10-20 WR on a rookie 3rd round contract with 3 years of team control left would garner more than a 1st round pick. 

 

How close do you feel Terry is to being a game breaker teams fear each game. Or do you think he's there now?

 

Quote

 

As for DTs, It's not just Donald. IMO Allen and Payne aren't nearly the types of disruptive players that guys like Jones, Heyward, Buckner, or Cox are. There's a reason that PFF has all those guys ranked as top 5/6 and Allen at 12 for interior DL. And yes, I know PFF isn't the end-all-be-all, but their analytics are relied on by many pro organizations so it's not like they're just making **** up.

 

Those guys have all been All-pros; That's tough if that's the measurement to determine their value. Most of those guys took 3 years to hit high sack numbers (not that should be the only number we look at, but for most of us fans that's all we can look at to compare guys). Personally, sack numbers for interior lineman are incredibly fickle; this does not generally apply to the elite players though. With that said, Those guys have all had low sack season numbers compared to other high years. 

 

I don't feel Allen or Payne are in position to reset the market and would not be in support of them doing so. Was happy in some ways Allen didn't have a sack season like he did in year 2 (8), due to feeling it would allow the team to sign him for less. IMO, Payne will break out in a big way statistically this season; this is his age 24 season, entering grown man strength and prime. 

 

As a whole on defense I want the defense to dominate the run game at an elite clip next season. If this was the case Id be bullish to the extreme on the Line, but that's next step for me, don't care really if their sack numbers don't improve. 

 

 

Quote

 

And playing on poor teams with poor QB situations without any other real receiving threats also means that the defense can completely focus on taking one guy out of the game. That happened in 2020. Terry was basically bracketed every time he was on the field. And he still was able to put up some pretty good numbers.

 

Terry being bracketed is assumed by most fans, but I never felt this was the case watching myself. I am open entirely to being proven wrong as I completely own the fact that I don't study tape after games. Definitely nowhere close to every time he was on the field. He's just not that type of dude yet. 

 

 

Side note: you sure you don't feel PFF is everything lol 

Edited June 5, 2021 by wit33

[Skinsinparadise]

 

Going off @stevemcqueen1's point about overrating/underrating.  And to each their own on that with no wrong or right answers.  It's all opinion. 

 

For me I think I am higher on Scherff than most on the board.  I am a big Scherff guy.  But I do have some hesitation to pay any 30 year old guard with an injury history big money so I am on the agnostic side of the argument as for securing Scherff over the long haul.   To me it depends on the money.  I think Scherff is a better player than both Allen and Payne.  Scherff to me a top 5 guard.  But I value Payne and Allen's position more and also their youth.

 

I think I am about average here on Jonathan Allen as for how I rate him.  Some like him more than I do.  Some less.   I think he's really good.  I don't think he's special.  

 

As for Terry, I am very high on him.  I think he ends up our best WR since Monk.  I think he's on the verge of super stardom and will reach super star status.  So count me with Richard Sherman and Chad Johnson among others who think he ends up special.  If that means I overrate him -- then I'll happily live with that.   I was perhaps the highest guy on Terry (who had some loud critics before that draft) here before that draft.  I argued for him really hard the morning before they took him in that draft.  He's been even better than I expected.  Met him once, super cool guy.    Count me as a major fan of him.    

 

As for Payne, i think I am lower on him than most.   But don't get me wrong, I do like him. Good player.  I just don't see an on the verge superstar that some do.  But man would I be happy if that's what he becomes.    I get that he's an athletic freak and the sky is the limit if he reaches his potential.  But I got to see him do it before fully buying in. 

 

If I had to pick the D lineman that most underrate it wouldn't be Payne or Allen.  I think both get plenty of love from the fan base.  I think that dude is easily Ionnaidis.  Ionnaidis seems to be treated as the third wheel by fans on the D line from what I've noticed.  But if I had to bet on one dude exploding in the interior because of all the talent around him -- my money would be on Ionnaidis.   Do I think Ionnaidis is better than Payne and Allen?  Maybe.  I like all three as pass rushers to an extent.  But if I had to bet on one of the three as a pass rusher my money would be on Ioannidis.  I like the other two better against the run.

 

 

 

 

 

https://washingtonfootballwire.usatoday.com/2019/11/26/matt-ioannidis-all-underrated-team/

Matt Ioannidis is finally starting to get some of the national recognition he deserves.

Ioannidis has been a solid presence for the Redskins for a few seasons now, hence big praise from teammates and a recent extension.

The latest feat for the defender is a slot on Bill Barnwell‘s All-Underrated Team at ESPN:

“ESPN’s automated analysis suggests Ioannidis has been double-teamed on 61.4% of his pass-rush attempts this season, which ranks among the 20 highest rates in football. Despite the attention, he has helped create eight sacks this season.”

It’s incredible to think opposing teams pay Ioannidis this much attention, especially on a line often featuring names like Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen.

 

 

[Skinsinparadise]

Tough to always spot special attention given to a WR in real time watching a game unless you are looking for it.  Because often its a safety shading in the direction of the receiver to help the corner.

 

When I have some time maybe I'll look to see if they did it with Terry.  I'd be surprised if they didn't.  Sherman played Terry last year.  So if he's talking about doing it to stop Terry, I'd hazard a guess that's exactly how SF game planned it.  Granted that's just one game. 

 

https://www.nfl.com/news/sherman-terry-mclaurin-would-be-special-alongside-a-solid-no-2-wr

Richard Sherman believes McLaurin would be even better if he just had a solid running mate at receiver.

"If he had anybody else beside him and they couldn't just double him and cloud him all the time he'd be special, but that's the hard thing, they can't find anybody else," the 49ers cornerback said on the Cris Collinsworth Podcast featuring Richard Sherman, per 106.7 The Fan in Washington D.C. "They've got a bunch of guys who kind of flash, but he plays hard. ...

"He's one of the better up-and-coming wideouts in the league."

McLaurin, who registered 87 catches for 1,118 yards in Year 2, also has a fan in new Chargers coach Brandon Staley. The former Rams defensive coordinator said he prepared a cutup of McLaurin to challenge cornerback Jalen Ramsey prior to a Week 5 meeting last season.

"(He's) way faster than you think," Staley said. "Really good after the catch, and then, I was like, guys, he runs hard, he's not like some of these other ones that kind of float, and drift. I'm like, he's running, and I think that guy is really good."

 

[sjinhan]

All of the players.. McLaurin, Allen, Payne, Sweat, Young...  its going to be interesting to see how better their stats will be if Fitzmagic led offense can actually put points in the board early in games unlike previous QBs that can only put up yards and points in garbage time.