The year is 2017. Top scientists have finally cracked the ability to stop ageing, and the world rejoices. The discovery prompts an immediate FIFA investigation into exactly what this means for world football from now on. How will the careers come and go when every team can just preserve their best stars? How will the next Messi break through? The Qatar FA suggest restricting it to only Qatari players, a motion that's only narrowly defeated. In unrelated news, a bunch of mysterious Qatari bank accounts are seized the day before the vote. Eventually, a compromise is decided upon between. Only those players who’ve proven themselves to be in it for the sport, and their team, can use it. The players who have stuck with their team through thick and thin, who’ve turned down bigger money offers to stay where they are. One-Club Men. However, should their loyalty ever waiver, and they choose to leave, those players will lose their right to an everlasting career, and have to face the advance years once again. Who will remain loyal the longest? Who will ride out the lowest of lows to stay at their lifelong club?
Unfortunately for those of you hoping I’ve found a secret miracle, that’s just the best nonsense I could come up with to frame this scenario. In less dramatic terms, using FM 2017, I'm going to select 50 one-club men from the top 5 leagues and de-age them to around 22. Every 5 years I'll de-age them down to 22 again, unless they abandon their loyalty. I'll also be adjusting everyone's contract to expire in 2020 to make it equal, and undoing international retirements where necessary. Nothing overly complicated, but I’m expecting this one to run a long long time if I’m going to have everyone leave, so I’m good with it not being too complicated.
Reddit side note! It's me again. Some may remember my experiments from ages ago. I'm back and writing again, but as you can probably tell, with a new name and website. If you want to see this post with much better formatting, all the images, and everyone's profile at the end, go here to read it in full: link You can stay here if you prefer though! So who actually qualifies for this? I've restricted it to players from the Top 5 leagues of England, Italy, Spain, Germany and France, and only included those that have been at their clubs the longest. As well as the genuine candidates like Messi and Totti, loaned out players like Lahm qualify, as do those like Iniesta who haven't left in FM 2017, and even those that have left in-game, but are known for their careers at one club. Buffon is a good example of the latter. I've included a link to an image with all 5 players here:
link With all this loyalty around, I wanted to mix it up a bit by adding in one final player. Someone completely opposite to everyone picked so far, the anti-one-club man, the journeyman of all journeymen. And after some research, I came up with the perfect candidate. Sebastián Abreu, a man who in his career has played at an impressive 29 different teams in 11 different countries, setting a Guinness world record along the way. Abreu will receive the same treatment as the loyal players, except it won’t stop when he moves team. I
want him to move around more, spread his wings, see how many teams he can collect over an illustrious career.
That’s enough explaining for now. Should be pretty clear what’s going on, just a bunch of footballers never getting old. Time to get things rolling and see who eliminates themselves. Who can stick it out the longest, who will become THE one-club man?
2016/17
With our younger one club men unleashed on the world, many of them attract instant attention from new clubs. For a while it stays quiet and looks like the first transfer window may pass without incident. Only a few loans crop up... until
Javi López because the first man to fall. With Espanyol not meeting his standards, he makes a £2.4M trip down the coast to join Valencia. He proves to be the only summer casualty by the time the window slams shut.
January brings the winter window, and the Premier League clubs start to sniff around, ready to throw bags of cash at unsuspecting players. It doesn’t take long before the next two players are reeled in by money and lose their eternal youth. First
Marcel Schmelzer in a £20.5M move to Liverpool, followed by
Bruno joining moneybags Man City. By the end of the window,
Nacho also heads to the north of England, joining rivals Man United. I’m not sure if any of them have realised how damn cold it is up there. That window swiftly ends, settling the bottom 4 finishers in the competition.
Returning to the world of actual football results briefly, and there aren’t many shocks to be seen. Man City finish 6th, Everton get relegated and Borussia Mönchengladbach reach the Champions League Semi-Finals. A few players see their team relegated, as Werder Bremen, Caen and Freiburg go down, so there could be a few casualties once that disappointment has set in. But all in all, the footballing world has coped just fine.
Loyal Players Remaining: 46
Abreu Club Count: 23 clubs in 10 countries
Odd Winners: None
2017/18
With everyone’s transfer budgets warmed up, it doesn’t take long for the action to get back underway. The previous season has barely finished before
Chris Solly trades in his morals for a Premier League move to Norwich.
Sergio Álvarez joins him in England, making the slightly odd move to Bournemouth before a big £52M move sees
Koke trade loyalty for a big move to Man City. That’s the most surprising move so far, as I expected many of the players at top clubs to stick around. The final two transfers of the window take us to sunny Spain, where both
Xabi Prieto and
Mario become massive glory hunters, trading in their life long clubs for Atletico Madrid and Barcelona respectively. Javi López, having left Espanyol to join Valencia last year, immediately realises his mistake and rejoins Espanyol. It’s too little too late though, his status as a one-club man is already ruined.
The winter window comes and goes without even a hint of action, so things may already be starting to quieten down. Over in Brazil, Sebastián Abreu has his contract with Bangu come to an end after a good season but fails to attract any new suitors before the European season ends.
Around the world, things keep ticking on relatively normally. Watford take a surprising FA Cup win despite finishing rock bottom of the league, meaning they’ll have European nights alongside their Championship campaign. The loyalty of Seube, Höfler and Bargfrede is rewarded, as Caen, Bremen and Freiburg are immediately promoted back to the top tier. Las Palmas head in the opposite direction, which causes David García to hand in an immediate transfer request. The Spaniard could very well be the next player to go.
Loyal Players Remaining: 41
Abreu Club Count: 23 clubs in 10 countries
Odd Winners: Watford (FA Cup)
2018/19
My suggestion that things may be quietening down is immediately disproved by the biggest move so far. Bayern Munich legend
Philipp Lahm makes a huge £82M transfer to Manchester City, throwing away all he’d built up at Bayern so far. But it doesn't end there, as 2 more huge transfers are finalised right after. First
Claudio Marchisio drops Juventus, clearly not happy with them losing the title to AC Milan, and moves to Real Madrid. Then
Daniele De Rossi trades in Roma for Barcelona. Whilst both have moved in real life, I didn’t expect either to fall so early in this, being icons at such huge clubs. A little later,
David García makes his predicted move away from relegated Las Palmas, opting to stay in Spain with Osasuna. And then on the final day of the window, one last move.
David Zurutuza decides the Premier League is more to his taste and joins Noble at West Ham. Javi López continues his tour of Spain, realising rejoining Espanyol doesn’t earn him back everlasting youth, and so heads to Sevilla instead. Currently, he’s moved around more than the specific journeyman player I chose to actually move around. Talking of, Abreu does find a new contract, heading back to Uruguay to join River Plate Montevideo.
The winter transfer window is again mostly quiet, with very little potential action. There are still some transfers though, as
Robin Knoche becomes the 15th person out, heading to Borussia Dortmund. Then a legend moves on, as
Iker Casillas decides that barely getting any game time behind Keylor Navas isn’t worth it, and so joins Monaco for a mere £11M. I guess you can't escape the real world after all.
The summer of 2018 means a World Cup, a tournament which regularly creates bizarre results in Football Manager. This year is no exception, as the likes of Italy, Belgium and Argentina fall in the group stages, before South Korea beat both Germany and France in the knockouts. The final between Brazil and Croatia proves 100% less heartbreaking than the real 2018 final for the Croatians, as they become champions of the world. In domestic football, Man United take all the English trophies on offer in a Quadruple, whilst Freiburg find themselves relegated yet again, as do Montpellier.
Loyal Players Remaining: 34
Abreu Club Count: 24 clubs in 10 countries
Odd Winners: Croatia (World Cup)
2019/20
Another season, another transfer window, another set of swirling rumours around our one-club men. Borussia Dortmund manage to steal away another of our competitors from a German rival, taking
Timo Horn early in the window. Having been relegated yet again last season,
Nicolas Höfler decides enough is enough and leaves Freiburg for Hertha Berlin. Over in Italy, and Chievo Legend
Sergio Pellissier finally caves, leaving his relegation-threatened lifelong team for European battlers Fiorentina. But that's all the entertainment I can offer, no big signings this time around I’m afraid. Let's go see what Javi López is up to instead. His merry-go-round of clubs continues yet again, moving over to Deportivo de La Coruña in the latest of his ever-decreasing value of transfers.
January retains its typical bleak and dull atmosphere, with no sign of action whatsoever until the final day of the window.
Hugo Mallo decides to try and add to his trophy cabinet and heads to Man United. Not the worst career move to throw away eternal life for considering their dominance right now. And with his departure, the total number of players that we've lost hits a nice round 20.
In the Premier League, Man United claim their 4th title in a row, exerting total dominance over everyone. But where one dominance rises, another falls, with Dortmund claiming the Bundesliga to knock Bayern off their perch. The shock of the season comes in the Coupe de France, where 3rd tier LB Châteauroux knock out Lyon, Auxerre and PSG before falling to Caen in the semi-finals. With Monaco having fallen to 4th tier SA Spinalien, Caen beat an easier opposition of RC Lens in the final, leading to Seube lifting the teams first-ever Coupe de France. Not bad for a player I expected to never lift a trophy. On a less joyous note, Höfler having left relegated Freiburg, sees his new team Hertha relegated immediately too. It seems there is no escaping the 2. Bundesliga!
On the record front, Gianluigi Buffon sets a huge benchmark, breaking the 200 cap mark for Italy. With no-one else close to him, he’ll stay the leader for a long time. Messi also breaks a boundary, climbing through 400 league goals during his career at Barcelona. Like Buffon, he’s way clear of any competitor, and unless a miracle happens that sees him abandon Barcelona, I can’t see anyone catching him soon.
Loyal Players Remaining: 30
Abreu Club Count: 24 clubs in 10 countries
Odd Winners: Caen (Coupe de France)
2020/21
2020 arrives, and with it, two important points arrive too. Firstly, everyone gets de-aged for the first time in this experiment. The 20 that have left get to watch from a distance thinking about what could have been. Second, the initial contracts are set to expire, so anyone that hasn’t re-signed will out the door. Which is exactly what happens to
Víctor Valdés. Having barely appeared for Barcelona since his return, he leaves the club on a free and heads to the southern French coast to join Marseille. A day later and someone else leaves France, as
Romain Danzé who decides one de-ageing is enough and moves to Schalke.
Tony Hibbert also struggled for games at Everton despite his new youthful look, and so he walks out the door. He opts for Aston Villa, who to my great surprise have sunk to a mid-table League 1 team. Feeling left out, Spain joins in, with
Oier Sanjurjo departing Osasuna and moving to Villarreal. The window is then capped by a bizarre final free transfer. Despite appearing regularly,
Xavi isn’t offered a new contract by Barcelona. Man City can’t quite believe their luck and snap up the Spanish wizard a few days before the window shuts.
Winter brings with it just one transfer in its usual action-heavy way.
Roberto Torres leaves Osasuna, making a £35.5M switch to Atletico. I’m not sure whether Atletico thought they were getting a different de-aged Torres because that can only be described as an overpayment. Either way, that means we've now lost over half the competitors.
Euro 2020 passes, and Croatia prove their World Cup victory was no fluke, becoming both champions of the World, and champions of Europe. On the Continental front, things have been fairly predictable so far, at least until this years Europa League. Hoffenheim escape a tough group and go all the way to win the entire thing. Not bad for a team that barely qualified in the first place. Oh, and Messi wins a little thing called the Ballon d’Or for the 10th time. I think he’s only just getting started.
Loyal Players Remaining: 24
Abreu Club Count: 24 clubs in 10 countries
Odd Winners: Hoffenheim (Europa League)
2021/22
The 21/22 season begins with two transfers on the first day.
Loïc Perrin makes his way to the Premier League to join Leicester. But that's a minor splash compared to the other move, as after 768 appearances and 302 goals,
Francesco Totti leaves Roma. It seems wrong to see it, but he’ll now be wearing a Man United kit. Dortmund continue their run of stealing loyalty, this time bringing
Tony Jantschke into the fold. Another contract is run to the end, forcing
Álex Bergantiños out of Deportivo without much choice, before being picked up by Cagliari.
Mikel González opts to end his time at Real Sociedad, joining Pellissier over at Fiorentina. And as August comes to a close, it looks like Totti may be the only big departure. That is until
Gianluigi Buffon decides to call time on his Juventus career. It’s an odd move, with the legend going sorta sideways from a regular starting Juventus spot to Bayern Munich. But there’s no going back now, as his 636 league appearance career with the Italians comes to a close. Two legends down in one window.
No season is complete without a single winter signing to warrant an entire separate paragraph, and this season is no different.
Sergi Roberto moves away from Barcelona, in a £24M move to French giants PSG. A good way to guarantee yourself plenty of titles I guess. Abreu also makes a winter move, adding Guarani in the Brasilian second tier to his collection.
Roberto’s decision proves to be a good one, as PSG go on to claim their 10th one in a row. Not many surprises elsewhere, although Real Oviedo get close to pulling off a shock in the Copa del Rey. The second tier team beat Osasuna, Barcelona and Sevilla on the way to the final, but ultimately Real Madrid prove a step too far. Elsewhere everything is won by a team you’d probably expect. Exciting stuff.
Loyal Players Remaining: 17
Abreu Club Count: 25 clubs in 10 countries
Odd Winners: None
2022/23
With the pool of players rapidly decreasing, very few of the crew are even wanted by other clubs anymore. Perhaps deterred by their steadfast loyalty? A few moves do still happen though, so we’re not dead yet. Firstly
Anthony Lopes gets fed up of PSG dominating his league and moves to AC Milan for a better shot at a trophy. It’s not long before that story is forgotten, as the biggest transfer fee in the competition so far is dropped.
Andrés Iniesta is stolen away from Barcelona, in a huge £86M move to Man United. The midfield maestro fell 2 appearances short of 600 league games for Barcelona, but with his new £300K per-week contract it’s not hard to guess why. That proves to be all the action for the summer window, with no-one willing to top that huge move.
After half a season of hearing their noisy neighbours gloating about their star signing, Man City snap. And if there’s one thing City are good at, it’s splashing the cash. In probably the easiest negotiation over fee Barcelona has ever had,
Sergio Busquets makes a £95M move to the sky blues. Yeh, that’ll show United. Once again no-one wants to get in the middle of the awkward Manchester squabble, and the winter transfer closes with a whimper.
The second World Cup of this experiment comes and goes. This time all the giants make it safely through the Group Stages, but it’s Africa that really excels. Morocco make the knockouts, Egypt battle through to the Quarter Finals, but Nigeria come out best. They beat South Korea and Argentina before falling valiantly to France in the Semi-Finals. A 1-0 victory of Italy does see them finish in an impressive 3rd place, becoming the first African team to finish in the top 3 of the World Cup. France win the title on penalties after a deceivingly action-filled 0-0 draw with Spain. The domestic scene follows that with a similar lack of real shocks. In the Carabao Cup, Bournemouth beat Arsenal, Chelsea and Man United on the way to lifting the trophy. But it’s the lesser Cup, so outside of Bournemouth no-one really cares. PSG finally have their grip on the Ligue 1 broken, as Casillas leads Monaco to a fantastic title. Otherwise, all the league titles and cups fall to teams you’d expect them too. Another thrilling year.
Loyal Players Remaining: 14
Abreu Club Count: 25 clubs in 10 countries
Odd Winners: Bournemouth (Carabao Cup)
2023/24
Literally nothing happens.
Thomas Kessler decides that no team can ignore his existence for 20 seasons in a row and get away with it, leaving Köln to join Trabzonspor. So as I said, literally nothing happens. Even Javi López moving to yet another club would be more interesting than that.
The same applies to the footballing season. Asides from Casillas captaining Monaco to a Champions League title, or Atletico winning the title again, exactly 10 years after their last win, everything is frustratingly normal. And even those two events are hardly shocks.
Before I start to lose hope, there are a few interesting moves over the last few years from the losing group that are worth highlighting. First season mover Bruno didn’t make the impact he hoped and found himself moving to the lovely Stoke. Robin Knoche barely received any playtime at Dortmund and found himself cast out to Dinamo Zagreb. Even in League 1, Tony Hibbert could barely get any game time at Villa and so moved on the Scunthorpe in League 2. But the winner of the oddest move has to be Zurutuza, who somehow manage to pull off a move to Liverpool after West Ham found themselves relegated, only make a few disappointing performances, before being released on a free to join Al-Arabi in Qatar. Not quite the career he was anticipating when joining the Premier League I bet.
Loyal Players Remaining: 13
Abreu Club Count: 25 clubs in 10 countries
Odd Winners: None
2024/25
The summer transfer window arrives for another season, and with it finally comes a huge deal! Javi López has found yet another club! Hooray! As for actual competitors, absolutely no movement whatsoever. Even from Abreu, who’s been at Guarani for 2.5 years now. Manceau, Lewington and Seube complain to their managers about playing time or relegation, but none of them actually make a move anywhere. So our final 13 will add another 5 years onto their career length.
There are some fun statistics from our 51 worth mentioning at this point. Buffon leads the way with both total league appearances (935) and international caps (259). His caps are at a point where they’re too high for the game to display, as the value is stored as an unsigned 8-bit integer, and so has rolled over to just show 3. Most appearances for a single club goes to Dean Lewington however, who thanks to being a regular sits at 857 league appearances for the MK Dons (or 889 if you include Wimbledon). In the goals department, the winner is obvious. With almost 500 league goals, 100 international goals and 14 Ballon d’Or awards, Messi sits on top of everyone. On the international scene, he’s run close by Müller and the fast-approaching Kane, but for league goals, it’s not even close.
2024 brings with it a Euro tournament, which doesn’t provide much in the way of surprises, but brings with it some exciting high scoring matches. All ending in a 4-3 victory for a Thomas Müller led Germany over neighbours Netherlands. Which I’m sure went down very well. The domestic scene decides to spring a few shocks though. In Serie A, Roma claim an impressive title thanks to main striker Iheanacho, their first since 2001. The German and French cups provide surprise winners, in the form of Hertha Berlin and Dijon. Both cap an impressive run by beating their respective league winners, Bayern and Monaco. Even the continental tournaments turn up too. First Monaco cement their place as a top power in football by winning their second Champions League in a row. That coming a week after the best win there could possibly be. Tottenham win the Europa League! Screw the other stuff, that last part is all I need!
Loyal Players Remaining: 13
Abreu Club Count: 25 clubs in 10 countries
Odd Winners: Dijon (Coupe de France), Hertha Berlin (DFB Pokal)
At this point though it’s fair to say that the competition results are more interesting than the movements of the players. Which is the perfect signal that things need to speed up a little bit. So from now on, updates will be every 5 years, which lines up perfectly with player age resets, letting us see who has made it to the next checkpoint.
2025-2030
Another round of de-ageing hits, and you’d think that would incite some interest in our final 13. Instead, it’s a ghost town. We do have an immediate dropout though, as
Nicolas Seube finally gets fed up with his lack of playtime at Caen and heads for Panionios in Greece. A year later the situation is repeated. I’m not entirely sure what his unhappiness was about, but
Iker Muniain decides he’s had enough of Athletic Club and moves to Hamburger SV. At least he left on exactly 100 goals for Athletic though, a nice round number. With 11 left, a standoff to reach the top 10 ensues. For 3 years no-one budges in their show of loyalty, until in 2029…
Dean Lewington leaves for Derby County on a free. It’s a huge move, with Lewington becoming the first man to break through 1000 league appearances for a single club before leaving. But he’s moved on now, and it won’t be long before that record is broken. That move means we’re left with our final 10 contestants. Terry, Iraola, Messi, Susaeta, Noble, Jourdren, Müller, Kane, Manceau and Bargfrede have secured a top 10 spot, and now all that’s left to do is fight it out for number 1.
Over in Brazil, our anti-one-club man continues his journey, although it remains in Brazil for the moment. Only 2 clubs are added to his count, with a long stay at Atletico Goianiense followed by a £2M move to top tier Coritiba. I’m kind of hoping he starts to make enough waves in the Brazilian league to move to Europe and add some new countries to his history.
Those that fell before the first de-ageing are retiring, finishing off their magnificent, or in some cases very un-magnificent, careers (as losers). Javi López finishes his fine anti-loyalty tour around Spain with 7 transfers to his name. Schmelzer, Nacho, Solly, Álvarez, Koke, Mario, Prieto, Marchisio, De Rossi, David García, Zurutuza, Knoche, Höfler, Pellissier, Mallo, Horn and Hibbert end their careers. Many, such as Nacho, Horn and De Rossi stay just as committed to their new clubs as they did their old, finishing out their careers after just a single transfer. Of the pensioners, Sergio Pellissier manages to rack up the most career league appearances and goals, at 894 and 246, although that’s largely thanks to a huge head start. De Rossi dominates on the international scene, earning a whopping 197 caps over his 30-year career. Naturally, all those records will be blown out the water once the next group start retiring, but it’s nice to have some benchmarks.
Around the world, plenty has gone on worth hearing about. The Netherlands claim their first-ever World Cup win, beating Brazil in the final, whilst in the Euro’s Germany win their second tournament in a row. The Gold Cup throws up a few interesting results too, as first, the Mexico B team win it, with their A team tied up in the Confederations Cup. Then 4 years later Canada take the title, only the second time in their history. Over in Italy, Lazio find themselves relegated as the league starts to shake itself up a bit. But other than that, domestic football remains relatively unspectacular. Oh except… TOTTENHAM WINNING THE LEAGUE. Didn’t even have to reset it and we won it before Arsenal did. North London is very much Lilywhite now, suck it Gooners!
Loyal Players Remaining: 10
Abreu Club Count: 27 clubs in 10 countries
Odd Winners: Tottenham (Premier League)
2030-2035
Another 5 years pass and to start with it looks like the top 10 are going to hold firm. Eventually though, the temptation of money proves too much for one man. That man is
Geoffrey Jourdren who trades in his starting slot at Montpellier for a cosy backup contract at PSG. Then comes… dead silence. Not even a rumour, or an unhappy player. No-one even hints at leaving for the next 4 years, which means we end the period with nine players on the books. The real waiting game has begun. Even our journeyman Abreu is moving in a very slow way, as a five year Coritiba stint finishes with a free transfer to Red Bull Brasil. I think my hopes for a European move have died.
At least there are a lot of retirements to run through. Bruno, Lahm, Casillas, Valdés, Danzé, Oier, Xavi, Torres, Perrin, Jantschke, Bergantiños, González, Roberto, Iniesta and Busquets hang up their playing boots. That does leave us without some noted legends, with Lahm, Casillas, Iniesta and Busquets reaching 200 caps for their country. You’d think Spain would have won more with that golden generation. Casillas and Xavi also both hit 1000 league appearances thanks to a strong head start before the experiment. But it’s Andrés Iniesta who is the most loyal of the bunch, racking up nearly 600 appearances for his original club before departing.
Five years leaves plenty of time for interesting results once again. England take a World Cup win, which is always a sign of the apocalypse, only made more bizarre by Scotland making the semi-finals in the same competition. Portugal take the other title in that period, whilst the Euros also see a surprise winner in Switzerland. France provides the biggest shock at club level, as Lille come from nowhere to win Ligue 1, and then immediately revert back to mid-table once again. Otherwise, the time belongs to Manchester City. The oil bar… sky blues take 4 out of 5 titles in both the Premier League and Champions League, with all that cash flinging finally paying off.
Loyal Players Remaining: 9
Abreu Club Count: 28 clubs in 10 countries
Odd Winners: England (World Cup), Lille (Ligue 1)
2035-40
With just nine players left, once again we get a transfer fairly early on in the period. Early as in the first transfer window, which makes me wonder why they waited so long. Anyway,
Mark Noble has had his patience tested by West Ham’s yoyoing between the Premier League and Championship a bit too much and finally caves. He makes a £20M move to Burnley, who… are doing the exact same thing. Not sure that was the brightest idea. Like the previous 5 years though, one transfer is all we get. None of the others move, despite some pretty heavy unhappiness from Bargfrede and Manceau. Abreu keeps up his trail, running out his contract with Red Bull Brasil and opting for Chapecoense to reach 29 clubs in his career.
With very few moving recently, that also means less and less are retiring, as just 7 ex-competitors leave the game. Totti, Buffon, Lopes, Kessler, Seube, Muniain and Lewington call time on their football life. The fact they all stuck with it for so long means there’s so impressive stats between them. Totti racked up 1154 league appearances, with 768 at Roma. Dean Lewington, after leaving MK Dons with 1003 appearances finished with a total of 1287. Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon finished with a whopping 1307 league appearances, but perhaps more impressively, 334 international caps. But the single most surprising statistic goes to Thomas Kessler. Despite barely playing in Germany he manages to notch a grand total of 7 goals after his move to Turkey. Maybe if he’d been a striker he’d have actually played at Koln. Oh and Seube ends his career Greek. Because why not.
As per every time, a quick look around the world’s results is needed. Spain win back the World Cup titles, whilst Italy take a Euro win. Argentina, Mexico and Australia claim all their continents international trophies in the window, so no massive surprises there. The domestic world isn’t exactly littered with shocks either. Brescia win a Coppa Italia, and Nîmes Olympique grab 4 top 5 finishes in a row in France, but there’s not really much to shout about. I think it’s best to just get on with the next de-ageing.
Loyal Players Remaining: 8
Abreu Club Count: 29 clubs in 10 countries
Odd Winners: Brescia (Coppa Italia)
2040-45
Down to 8 now, so it’s getting tougher. And a lot slower, so slow in fact that not a single transfer in our group happens in five years. For a moment I was excited to see Manceau at Recreativo de Huelva, but that was just a loan. So I was back to being crushed. On the plus side, Abreu makes some huge steps. He adds not just 1, but 2 new countries to his history! The first is Portugal, in a huge step up to join Braga. As usual, it’s just until his contract ends, before he moves on to Frankfurt in the Bundesliga. He’s hardly setting Europe alight but I don’t care, he’s actually moving!
There’s only one retiree to talk about too, as pretty much everyone has already gone. Geoffrey Jourdren finishes up with 925 total league appearances. It probably could have been a bit more, if he’d not spent 10 years of his career being a backup at PSG and Bayern. On a far more interesting note, Terry breaks through 1500 career league appearances. Kane also hits 256 international goals, which results in the number resetting to 0 just like caps. So the game has him on 96 caps with 11 goals, when the actual numbers are a stunning 352 caps with 267 goals.
Having seen my disappointment last time around, the world decides to liven things up. Denmark become both Champions of the World and Champions of Europe in 2042 and 2040, although they lose the European title to Germany 4 years later. At the continental level, the Champions League stays on track, but the Europa League brings some bizarre winners into the mix. Nîmes Olympique, Real Sociedad, Leicester and Bristol City all win a trophy. It seems Mark Noble finally made a right move transferring to Bristol City, as the club is now a strong top 6 Premier League side. Manceau wins a Coupe de France at Angers, but it’s still Nîmes making waves, forming a big three with PSG and Monaco. It may not be long before either Nîmes or Bristol City win their league, which is not something I expected to be saying.
Loyal Players Remaining: 8
Abreu Club Count: 31 clubs in 12 countries
Odd Winners: Nîmes Olympique/Bristol City (Europa League), Angers (Coupe de France)
2045-50
2045 kicks off and once again Manceau deceives me. This time it’s a loan spell in Denmark with Brøndby that had me thinking he was gone. Well you know what they say, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice… I’m probably gonna fall for it. It looks like there’s going to be no moves whatsoever once again, until June 2047 arrives and I notice a contract is set to expire. Imagine my shock when
Lionel Messi is not offered a contract by Barcelona and is let go. It’s made doubly worse by the fact that of all teams to pick him up, it's Atletico Madrid. Apparently, 37 Ballon d’Or awards aren’t good enough for Barcelona anymore. I don’t even care that nothing else happens. That’s enough to stun me.
Over in the retirement home, Mark Noble moves into a room. After an up and down career, the Englishman did manage some silverware with Bristol City and ended his career with 1317 league appearances. He even earned not just 1, but 90 England caps across his 44-year career.
Around the world, interesting results are still cropping up. England grab their third World Cup win beating Colombia, whilst Honduras win their first-ever Gold Cup. Much to my bitter disappointment, Arsenal win 4 of the 5 Champions Leagues on offer, as well as 3 Premier League titles. Chelsea have a period of bottom 10 finishes which deeply upsets Terry, whilst over in France, Chamois Niortais begin to try and join the top 3. Don’t worry I’ve never heard of them either.
Loyal Players Remaining: 7
Abreu Club Count: 32 clubs in 12 countries
Odd Winners: Honduras (Gold Cup)
2050-55
With the world still reeling at the fact the Messi has moved from Barcelona, everyone kinda forgets to make any moves. In fact, Messi is the first person to move yet again, leaving Atletico in a very cheap 34.5M move to Man City. Which is more in line with where I originally expected him to go. Abreu finishes one contract, at Hapoel Be’er Sheva, and moves onto the next, but it’s with Monterrey so doesn’t count. Sebastian, it has to be new clubs. John Terry is starting to get frustrated with a Chelsea team that has really fallen from grace. The Londoners barely survive relegation in 2052/53, so Terry may be the next to go. Or maybe I know nothing and it’s completely random.
No-one retires this year, so let’s take a brief look at some statistics of our remaining 7 + Messi. All our players have now reached 1000 appearances, with Bargfrede in last at 1173. Messi has crossed 1000 league goals, now a full 300 clear of the chasing pack of Abreu and Kane. On the international level, Thomas Müller becomes the first player to need a rollover of caps twice, moving on to a massive 524 international caps. But it’s Kane who still leads the international goal stat, nearly breaking 350, a full 50 ahead of the German.
Müller does, however, grab a World Cup win for Germany so I’m sure he won’t be too upset. At least until they’re deposed by Holland 4 years later. On the continental level, Bristol City win another Europa League title beating previous champions Espanyol. Middlesbrough also nearly earn a trophy, having joined Bristol as a top 6 team. But the winner of the biggest shock, although I did say this might happen, goes to Chamois Niortais, who topple the dominance of PSG and Monaco to capture a miraculous Ligue 1 title in the last season of the period.
Loyal Players Remaining: 7
Abreu Club Count: 32 clubs in 12 countries
Odd Winners: Chamois Niortais (Ligue 1), Bristol City/Espanyol (Europa League)
2055-60
The summer window of 2055 opens and as I warned may happen, there’s an almost immediate transfer. Fed up with Chelsea’s mediocre finishes,
John Terry decides to move on. Unfortunately for Chelsea fans, Arsenal is his next club, which I’m sure will cause a few shudders. A year later and another move comes around, once again due to unhappiness over the club’s performance. Surprisingly it's
Thomas Müller,who's annoyed by the fact that Bayern haven’t won a Bundesliga title since 2048, and so runs down his contract. Leverkusen almost earn his signature, but eventually its the glory of PSG that proves too much to resist. But we’re not done there! Another player runs down their contract, opting to move to Vitoria de Setubal in Portugal.
Vincent Manceau finally makes a real move rather than constantly faking me out. So with another 3 players down, we’re left with our final 4. The race for the top 3 is hotting up now!
We do have a retirement this time thanks to the transfer window livening up. The world's best-ever player, Lionel Messi, retires from football. He ends up on a total of 1858 league appearances, scoring a massive 1068 goals in this time. 1430 appearances and 895 goals of those belonging to his 45-year career at Barcelona. On the international scene, he earned an impressive 505 caps and 276 goals. But it’s the awards where he shines. 279 individual awards, 82 team titles, 22 league titles, 6 Champions League titles, 45 Ballon d’Or awards. What makes it even crazier is 41 of those Ballon d’Or awards were in a row, as he earned every single one from 2015 to 2056. I don’t think I’ll see another player like that crop up in any save, truly the world’s best player.
Looking out on the world, I can say that it’s a Chamois Niortais player that breaks Messi’s streak, as the French team claim another two Ligue 1 titles. It’s hard to say they’re a “surprise winner” at this point. Bristol City finally make the full step up to join the big guns, winning 3 Carabao Cups, 1 FA Cup, 2 Premier League titles and even a Champions League trophy. If any Bristol City fans want this save to give themselves hope over the future, I can send it over. Internationally it's the era of Portugal, as they claim both the Euro and World Cup trophies.
Loyal Players Remaining: 4
Abreu Club Count: 32 clubs in 12 countries
Odd Winners: Bristol City (Premier League/Champions League), Lyon (Relegation)
With so few players left, now is probably a good time to speed it up once again. The final four will be tough to budge, so how about we move to 10-year intervals to try and cut down on dead years. And I'll be moving to the comments, because I've hit reddits character limit.
submitted by Washington Redskins
Division: NFC East
Coaching Changes:
- ILB Coach: Kirk Olivadotti departed, replaced by Rob Ryan
- Special Teams Coordinator: Ben Kotwica departed, replaced by Nate Kaczor
- Defensive Backs Coach: Torrian Gray departed, replaced by Ray Horton
Free Agency
Players Lost/Cut:
| Player Name: | Position: | New Team: |
| Zach Brown | ILB | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Stacy McGee | DT | Unsigned |
| Jamison Crowder | WR | New York Jets |
| Ty Nsekhe | OT | Buffalo Bills |
| Preston Smith | OLB | Green Bay Packers |
| HaHa Clinton-Dix | FS | Chicago Bears |
Analysis: - Zach Brown: Brown's departure won't have too negative of an impact, at least in terms of pass defense. Brown's repeated inability to cover Tight Ends- often resulting in huge chunk plays being given up to opposing offenses resulting in far too many extended drives- ultimately lead to Brown becoming one of the highest-paid backups in the league by the end of the season. He could very well bounce back in the Eagles' defense, which features far more talent than that of the Redskins and thus is more equipped to mask Brown's substantial deficiencies, but this was a necessary move and shouldn't lead to any further struggles despite the lack of depth at the position. Decision Grade: B
- Stacy McGee: McGee's departure won't be noticeable, as he was little more than a rotational player and didn't make that big of an impact overall. Decision Grade: A
- Jamison Crowder: This one will ignite some debate amongst the burgundy and gold faithful, but in my opinion, there is no chance Crowder should've been brought back, especially not for the money that the Jets eventually paid for his services. His play and efficiency dropped markedly over the last couple seasons and although his presence in the locker room will certainly be missed, allowing him to walk makes sense. Decision Grade: B+
- Ty Nsekhe: This is the lone departure that will hurt the team entering the 2019-2020 season. Nsekhe was a supremely valuable asset, as he was able to fill in either Tackle position and perform respectably. The mere thought of Ereck Flowers having to replace Trent Williams, as opposed to Nsekhe, makes me feel nauseous. The Redskins will likely regret not bringing Nsekhe back. Decision Grade: D
- Preston Smith: Preston Smith was a reliable player health-wise during his tenure with the Redskins and he flashed brilliance at times, but his Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde style of play (some weeks he looks like a pro bowler, while others it's hard to even find his name in the box score) made the decision of whether or not to bring him back a fairly simple one for the team. The Packers gave him a gigantic contract, meaning he likely would've been priced out of the Redskins' range even if they had wanted to re-sign him. Letting him walk was a relative no brainer. Decision Grade: A+
- HaHa Clinton-Dix: Clinton-Dix never really panned out as planned in his 1/2 season or so as a Redskin. Initially, it looked like the Redskins knocked it out of the park when they traded for him just before the deadline last year, but for whatever reason, his ability never seemed to translate into Manusky's scheme. Injury certainly played a factor, but even when he was healthy Clinton-Dix Struggled to make an impact. Chalk this one up as a failed experiment. Decision Grade: C+
Players Acquired/Re-Signed:
| Player Name: | Position: | Previous Team: |
| Landon Collins | SS | New York Giants |
| Case Keenum | QB | Denver Broncos |
| Ereck Flowers | OT/OG | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie | DB | Oakland Raiders |
| Adrian Peterson | RB | Washington Redskins |
- Landon Collins: Collins signed a massive deal (potentially worth $84 million, though it's worth noting only $44.5 million of that deal is fully guaranteed) with the Redskins shortly after the Free Agency signing period began. By his own account, Collins idolized Sean Taylor since he began playing football and wore #21 for the duration of his professional career in honor of ST. That is not where the comparisons end between Taylor and Collins, however. Much like the "Meast" used to do back in the day, Landon Collins is an absolute head buster. He is an extremely physical presence, both in run defense as well as in pass coverage. He is typecasted as an exclusively "in-the-box" type safety, however, if you look deeper into his stats, last season was the only time he struggled noticeably in pass defense. Not like he was all-world or anything in other years, but he was at least above average in pass coverage. By many accounts, Collins will bring something the Redskins are in dire need of: leadership. He was a vocal leader within the Giants' locker room, and if there's something the Redskins could truly benefit from, it's having more vocal leaders on and off the field. I was thrilled with this signing, admittedly more than most fans whom I read reactions from. I think he will prove to be worth every penny of the large contract he was given, however; as a Redskins fan, I fully understand the reality that he may never pan out and just become another bust to add to the collection. Overall Grade: A-
- Case Keenum: Keenum was acquired via trade with the Denver Broncos, with Denver and Washington swapping late-round picks in exchange for the journeyman QB. In addition, Denver agreed to eat a large portion of Keenum's contract. Essentially, the Redskins wound up getting Keenum for free. This acquisition was savvy, and Keenum does technically fit Gruden's scheme, but so does just about any QB with a pulse. Overall Grade: B-
- Ereck Flowers: He's terrible, and has been for his entire career. So far this offseason, all the stories regarding Flowers involve him getting absolutely worked by undrafted rookies during mini-camp and OTAs. Yuck. We're in big trouble if he has to play. Overall Grade: F
- Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie: This signing reminded me a lot of the Orlando Scandrick experiment from the last offseason. Low-risk signing for a possible nickel or dime back who at one time was among the league's elite. He definitely is not capable of playing up to the previous level he displayed with the Giants, but he could potentially find his way into a beleaguered backfield, especially if (God forbid) somebody goes down during training camp. Overall Grade: C+
- Adrian Peterson: One of the few bright spots on our offense last season. Just an absolute freak of nature. He showed shocking burst and vision and had a knack for making something out of absolutely nothing, I'm glad to have him back for another year. Particularly since Guice will be limping into training camp. Overall Grade: A
Draft Results & Pick Analysis:
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School |
| 1 | 15 | Dwayne Haskins | QB | Ohio State |
| 1 | 26 | Montez Sweat | DE/OLB | Miss State |
| 3 | 76 | Terry McLaurin | WR | Ohio State |
| 4 | 112 | Bryce Love | RB | Stanford |
| 4 | 131 | Wes Martin | OG | Indiana |
| 5 | 153 | Ross Pierschbacher | C | Alabama |
| 5 | 173 | Cole Holcomb | ILB | UNC |
| 6 | 206 | Kelvin Harmon | WR | NC State |
| 7 | 227 | Jimmy Moreland | DB | James Madison |
| 7 | 253 | Jordan Brailford | DE | OK State |
- Dwayne Haskins: Superb steal of a pick here. Absolutely loved it. Dwayne Haskins checks all the boxes for what you want in a franchise QB in the NFL: smart, hard-working, able to manipulate defenses with his eyes, above-average arm strength, decent enough footwork. He'll push to be the day 1 starter, and frankly, I think he's the most talented and deserving QB outside of Alex Smith currently on the roster. Some believed this pick to have been forced on the front office by Snyder and co. in an effort to sell jerseys and put butts in the stands. If that's the case, I drank the Kool-Aid. I could care less if this was Snyder's doing or not. I could very well be wrong, but I think this kid will be a stud and I absolutely love the fact that they stayed at 15 and still got their man. Overall Grade: A+
- Montez Sweat: Just as the excitement of drafting our franchise QB without trading up started to wear off, up pops the Redskins' name again trading up into Indianapolis' 26th overall spot. Who's name does Goodell call? None other than Montez Sweat. Bye Preston Smith, we just drafted a more athletic and explosive version of you. The thought of pairing Kerrigan with Sweat on the outside with Jon Allen and Payne on the inside is tantalizing. Sweat is as explosive as any OLB/DE you'll ever see. His combine numbers were ridiculous enough, but the craziest part is that when you look at the game film, his on-field production was every bit as impressive as his 4.41 (!!!) 40 time. The guy was a sack machine at Mississippi State, and he certainly projects as a day 1 starter. Overall Grade: A+
- Terry McLaurin: Another pick I absolutely loved. "Scary Terry" should see the field early and often, and if Haskins does as well it won't shock anyone if they develop a rapport very early on. McLaurin has speed, above average height and flashed some pretty decent hands in college playing with Dwayne Haskins at Ohio State. He also adds value as a potential returner. Overall Grade: A
- Bryce Love: This one was a bit of a head-scratcher to me at first, but after thinking about it, who cares if we have plenty of bodies at running back? This guy ran for over 2,000 yards in the season before last. He definitely has some red flags, namely the fact that he's still recovering from surgery from an injury he suffered at the end of last season. But if he can come back healthy for any part of training camp, he might turn some heads out there. He was a home run hitter and three-down back in college, and he should be able to become a productive player in the NFL assuming he heals up properly. Overall Grade: B-
- Wes Martin: I had never heard of the guy, but listening to Cooley after the draft definitely got me hyped on him. He put up strong numbers during the combine bench press, and from the limited highlights I was able to watch of him, he was a physical presence at Indiana. Sort of reminds me of a poor man's Brandon Scherff, and you could make the case for him to push for a day 1 starting job, but that's more of an indictment of the current state of our line more than a compliment to Martin. Still, a solid run blocker with the potential to develop into a starter. Nothing to whine about there, even if it was a bit of a reach. Overall Grade: C+
- Ross Pierschbacher: This one felt like a bit of a reach, as well, much like the Wes Martin selection. A lot of boards I looked at had him undrafted. But he was a part of a very physical (discounting the national championship game, of course) offensive line at Alabama. With the lack of elite talent at the position, I'd expect Pierschbacher to push for playing time a few years down the road. Yet again, you can have too many offensive linemen, however, so I can't knock the pick too much. Overall Grade: C
- Cole Holcomb: Ran a sub-4.5, solid number of tackles during his three years as a starter at UNC after walking on, this pick will get overshadowed by the sexier names the Redskins selected during the draft, but watch out for Holcomb. Another great value at a position with paper-thin depth. He's athletic enough to cover in space, and that athleticism should translate well to Special Teams. I'd be surprised if he's on the field much as a rookie, but I would not be surprised if he develops into a reliable starter one day. Solid pick. Overall Grade: B
- Kelvin Harmon: One of my favorite picks in this draft. Harmon is big, physical and has great hands. How he lasted all the way until the 6th round is beyond me. Not the fastest guy in the world, but he checks all the other boxes for what you'd like to see in an NFL WR prospect. He'll have a shot to push for early playing time, and should present whomever the starting QB winds up being with a great jump-ball target in the red zone. Overall Grade: A
- Jimmy Moreland: A local prospect out of James Madison University, Moreland has already flashed his ability during off-season training. He was a pest during OTAs, and managed to pick off a half dozen or so passes throughout. He should make the team, but there is a steep learning curve at the position, especially for a smaller school prospect. Overall Grade: A
- Jordan Brailford: He's a project, no doubt, and struggled to stay healthy during college, but he had a very productive season during his junior year at Oklahoma State and he's got decent enough measurables. Brailford will likely be a bubble 53-man/practice squad guy, but he could develop into a rotational player if he's able to stay healthy. Overall Grade: C
Other Offseason Notes:
- Fairly quiet outside of the Collins splash signing and the stellar draft, but there's some looming danger because Trent Williams, arguably the top talent on the team let alone its best offensive lineman, is threatening to never play for the team again (*allegedly*). It's all very murky, but apparently, it's a result of the team's mishandling of a non-cancerous tumor on Williams' head. Hopefully, it all blows over and he reports to camp, but a situation worth monitoring. Another buzzkill came when news broke that Reuben Foster tore an ACL on one of the first plays of mini-camp, leaving us back at square one in terms of starting ILB.
Projected Starting Lineup:
QB1: Dwayne Haskins
QB2: Case Keenum
QB3: Colt McCoy
Injured: Alex Smith
- This may go against conventional wisdom, but as I stated in the draft re-cap, I have a lot of faith in Haskins to come out and win the job. His physical skill set is vastly superior to either Keenum or McCoy, so the lone roadblock standing in his way is the learning curve. However, Haskins has a strong reputation for putting in extra hours in the film room, as well as for being the first one in and the last one out at the practice facility. Keenum is a very experienced veteran, though, so I wouldn't be too shocked to see him beat Haskins out for the starting job (at least for the first few weeks of the season). This battle is definitely worth monitoring as Training Camp goes along. I don't think Colt McCoy will outshine either Keenum or Haskins despite his immense knowledge of Gruden's playbook. He'll definitely make the team, but I'd be shocked if he came out on top of the QB depth chart by the time it's all said and done, especially since he's still working his way back from additional ankle surgeries that were not made public until fairly recently.
RB1: Derrius Guice
- Guice has the potential to be the shining star in this offense. He teased us with his talents during the last pre-season before suffering a heartbreaking ACL injury that wound up costing him the entire 2018-19 season. Although he recently tweaked his hamstring, that doesn't sound like anything major and all indications are that he should be good to go midway through training camp. The sky is the limit for this potential stud. One thing is for certain, though: the fanbase will definitely be pulling for him. Few players in team history have been more actively engaged with fans than Guice has during his short stint with the team thus far.
RB2: Adrian Peterson
- In the event that Guice cannot stay healthy, fear not! Adrian Peterson, the ageless wonder, is waiting in the wings to take over as the starter. Even if Guice is healthy, there's definitely going to be a heavy split in carries between these two. And that's a good problem to have if you're the Redskins. Peterson defied all expectations last season and ended up being one of the few bright spots on an otherwise listless offense. No matter which guard the team had to sign off the street and insert into the lineup as a last-minute injury replacement, Peterson made it work. He showed the vision and patience he's been known for his entire career, but the most surprising thing was that he showed the burst and physicality he's historically been known for, as well.
RB3/Utility: Chris Thompson
- It's almost unfair to list Thompson as the 3rd running back, since he's such a focal part of the offense as long as he's healthy. He's the prototypical receiving back, and he's primed to flourish in a featured role yet again. Gruden utilizes Thompson's abilities fantastically, drawing up creative plays to get the speedy scatback in 1-on-1 matchups with linebackers or safeties and that's where Thompson really shines. He was dinged up coming into last season, but he showed he's still got it multiple times last year nonetheless. He will be a nice luxury to have no matter who starts at quarterback, but particularly if Haskins wins the job coming out of camp.
WR1: Josh Doctson
- Do or die time for this former first-rounder. Doctson has shown glimpses of becoming a consistent starter, and his route running ability definitely improved as the season progressed last year. But he has a long ways to go, and if he doesn't finally break out and develop into the weapon the team had envisioned when they invested a high draft pick into him, he'll be taking his talents elsewhere next season. I have him slotted as the starter by default, but it's worth noting, on most teams, he'd be a WR3. At Best.
WR2: Paul Richardson
- Richardson was signed to fill in as an explosive playmaker, but injuries and the constant turnover at the QB position prevented us from seeing what Richardson is truly capable of last year. He's got a lot to prove if he ever wants to live up to the gargantuan contract he was given, though. He'll be worth keeping an eye on during camp to see how he meshes with the quarterbacks.
WR3: Terry McLaurin
- Much like with Haskins, I'm very confident in McLaurin's chances to take advantage of the opportunity and work himself into a starting role in this offense. His speed will be a welcomed addition, and as long as he's able to use that to his advantage like he was able to do at Ohio State, he may well be one of the early surprises for the offense.
TE1: Jordan Reed
- Another oft-injured star, Reed will need to prove that last season was simply a fluke and that he's ready to get back to his dominant ways at Tight End. He'll be a crucial piece in determining how successful Haskins will be if he's the starter. Hopefully, he develops a better rapport with whoever is under center this year than he did with Alex Smith. That was a big reason why he struggled mightily last year.
TE2: Vernon Davis
- Much like the Guice and Peterson situation, Vernon Davis presents a nice alternative in the event that Jordan Reed struggles again this year. Davis is still a potent receiving threat, and accounted for some of the team's biggest plays last year. Don't expect anything different this year.
LT: Trent Williams
- Perrenial pro-bowler, mauler, leader, and the heart and soul of the offense if not the team altogether, Trent Williams is vital to the Redskins. Despite holding out for the moment, most insiders believe he'll be back Week 1 even if he holds out for the duration of Training Camp. If he decides to sit for any portion of the regular season, it will prove difficult for the Redskins to have any chance of success.
LG: Tony Bergstrom
- Yeah, I don't really know much about him, either. He's the starter by default, and the only reason this is a good thing is because his name is not Ereck Flowers.
C: Chase Roullier
- One of the quietest solid performers on this team. Roullier is solid, but not spectacular. He's proven capable at Center, though, and there's certainly something to be said for that.
RG: Brandon Scherff
- This is a baaad man. Despite a suffering a torn pec last year, Scherff has otherwise been healthy and consistent since the Redskins spent a top 5 pick on him. Since then, he's been an absolute monster on the line and is definitely the second most talented lineman trailing only Trent Williams. He's fun to watch when he's healthy, as he has such a massive nasty streak in him and always finishes blocks with authority.
RT: Morgan Moses
- Rarely does Moses get the appreciation he deserves, but he's definitely been a blessing to have at Right Tackle. Most weeks you'll hardly notice he's there, and that's a good thing, since it typically means he's keeping his assignment at bay. He's a huge asset for the team, and one of the few linemen we've got who is able to stay on the field week in and week out.
LDE: Jonathan Allen
- Jon Allen has lived up to the hype and then some after falling to the Redskins in the draft two years ago. Since then, he's gotten better each and every week and has been an absolute terror for opposing teams to block. Allen is one of the key pieces in the strongest position group on the team. If he, Da'Ron Payne and Matt Ionnidis are all able to stay on the field together, they'll be fun to watch this season.
NT: Da'Ron Payne
- Finally, the massive presence the Redskins have been searching for since transitioning to a 3-4 defense under Mike Shanahan back in 2010. Payne was a nightmare at times during last season, and his otherworldly strength helped prevent the Redskins from giving up the huge run plays as frequently as they had in seasons prior. Payne added an unexpected element to the pass rush last season, as well, finishing with 5 sacks on the year. Payne is one of several emerging stars that the Redskins have on their defensive line, and it should prove to be one of the strongest position groups on the team.
RDE: Matt Ionnidis
- As mentioned previously, the defensive line is one of the most promising position groups that the Redskins have, and Matt Ionnidis is one of the most promising members of that unit. When he was drafted out of Temple, expectations were not very high for Ionnidis. He put up a solid number of bench reps at the combine, but his other measurables were mediocre at best. Luckily, the Redskins' scouting staff did their homework and obviously saw something in his game that made them overlook his pedestrian combine because ever since he joined the team, Ionnidis has steadily improved and may very well be the most formidable lineman that the Redskins have. If you haven't paid specific attention to him before, make a point to do so next time you watch a Redskins game. You'll surely be able to see why the Redskins decided to sign him to an extension this offseason.
ROLB: Montez Sweat
- What an acquisition for the Redskins. They traded up with the Indianapolis Colts to take Sweat with the 26th overall pick, and according to several reports, they were thrilled to have the opportunity to do so, as several members of the staff were pushing to draft Montez Sweat with the 15th overall pick. Sweat will step in and start day 1, barring an unforeseen improvement from projected backup Ryan Anderson. Jay Gruden has been singing Sweat's praises early and often ever since he was drafted, and he should prove to be a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate if all goes according to plan.
ILB: Mason Foster
- Foster is a decent Inside Linebacker, but he can be a liability at times. He struggles to cover opposing tight ends without help, and his lack of strength and explosiveness hurt his effectiveness in the run game as well. He is definitely a borderline starter, and on most teams, he would more than likely be a backup. However, due to Reuben Foster's season-ending injury during one of the first plays of OTA's, Foster will return for another season as the Redskins' starting interior linebacker.
ILB: Shaun Dion Hamilton
- SDH is a bit of a wild card selection to start at ILB alongside Mason Foster, but I give him the edge to win the job based on the fact that he was given the opportunity to start towards the end of last season. He's very raw, but he showed some promise last season and he at least has the range to cover receivers in space, but that will require him to develop the instincts needed to be an effective pass defender. He could wind up becoming a nice surprise, but he's got a long ways to go in order to get there. Due to the lack of depth at inside linebacker, though, Hamilton should get a lot of first-team reps in camp, so it will be apparent very early on whether or not he's up to the task of being a starter. If he's not, the Redskins will struggle yet again to get off the field on 3rd downs.
LOLB: Ryan Kerrigan
- Where to even begin with Kerrigan? He's got it all, and he's been at the top of his game for a number of years now. He's hands down the best player on this defense, and he's very quietly turned into one of the most formidable pass rushers in the entire league. He has a plethora of pass rush moves, and he uses all of his moves phenomenally. He's also one of the most reliable players on the team year in and year out, and has done a great job at staying healthy up to this point. Kerrigan should continue to produce at a Pro Bowl or All-Pro level, especially now that he's paired with a formidable pass rusher in Montez Sweat on the other side.
CB1: Josh Norman
- Norman is a big personality and certainly a capable player, but he's never really lived up to the massive contract he was given following his exile from Carolina. Still, he's a highly talented cornerback capable of shutting down an opponent's top receiver on his good days. That's the problem, though. He's great on his good days, but he can be aggravating to watch on his bad days. He definitely played well more consistently last year than he had in years prior, and he'll have to continue to play consistently if the Redskins are going to be a competitive team in 2019-20. They need him to find the form he had with Carolina, because there is no other shutdown-caliber talent on the roster as it currently stands.
CB2: Quinton Dunbar
- Quinton Dunbar was one of the biggest disappointments of last season. He entered as one of the most unexpected surprises in recent memory, working his way up from being an undrafted wide receiver in 2015 all the way to becoming the unquestioned starting cornerback alongside Josh Norman a few seasons later. His struggles last season could have certainly been the result of a nagging nerve injury, though, and according to the team he's since recovered from the lingering injury and is primed to come back this year fully healthy. If he's right, Dunbar is a good corner who can be great at times. He's 6'2" with long arms, making him an imposing physical presence, especially when matched up against smaller receivers. He's a solid bump and run type guy and he's proven capable of holding his own in one on one matchups on the outside.
CB3: Greg Stroman:
- Stroman got a trial by fire last season, as the former seventh-round pick was forced into significant playing time due to several injuries in the Redskins' defensive backfield. He performed about like you'd expect a rookie would when forced into a prominent role early on, and he had his fair share of hiccoughs. But his game began to rapidly improve towards the end of the season, and he ended up ranking fifth among all rookie DBs according to Pro Football Focus. He might get picked on a bit until he proves himself some more, but as long as he continues to develop like he did last season he should be fine.
SS: Landon Collins
- Landon Collins adds an element to the Redskins' defense that they have been severely lacking for a long, long time. He's by far the highest caliber safety they've had since Sean Taylor. He's not perfect, however, as he struggles at times in pass defense, but Collins should improve the Redskins' defensive unit overall nonetheless. He's extremely physical and imposing and does not hesitate to initiate violent contact with opposing players.
FS: Deshazor Everett
- Everett is okay, and that's being pretty generous. The Redskins desperately need to address the Free Safety position sometime very soon, though, or there will be consequences. Everett can lay the lumber, but he's average at best in basically every other aspect of the position.
K: Dustin Hopkins
- Kicks the ball into the endzone on kickoffs, and makes most of his Field Goal attempts. What else do you need from a kicker?
P: Tress Way
- Perrenial Pro Bowl snub, and a legitimate stud. Also gets a lot of practice thanks to a lackluster offense that never seems to be able to drive into scoring range.
KR: Greg Stroman
PR: Greg Stroman
- Yet again, decent, but replaceable.
Position Group Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths: - Pass Rushers: The Redskins' pass rush is loaded with first-round picks, and their investment in improving the pass rush is starting to really evolve into something special. This year should be no different, with Kerrigan and Sweat on the outside and Jon Allen, Da'Ron Payne and Matt Ionnidis starting on the inside. This group will be exciting, and will need to be in order for the Redskins to finish the year with a respectable record.
- Backfield: The Redskins already had a pretty solid trio going with Derrius Guice, Adrian Peterson and Chris Thompson and they just added Bryce Love, who is one year removed from a ridiculous 2,000 yard rushing season at Stanford, to the mix. As long as the line can stay healthy (unlike last year), this group should be very effective. They'll have to be, too, because there isn't much talent anywhere else on the offense.
Weaknesses: - Pass Catchers: The Redskins are paper-thin at wide receiver. The fact that Josh Doctson is being viewed as their #1 receiver gives me heartburn to even think about. There has been a void at receiver ever since DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon left. This group needs help, and it's unclear if they found anyone able to help during this offseason.
- Quarterback: Haskins is exciting, but he's still a rookie and expectations must be adjusted accordingly.
Schedule Prediction
Week 1: Washington @ Philadelphia
Not an ideal way to begin the season. The Redskins will be heavy underdogs coming into this game, and for good reason. Never say never, but it'll definitely take a herculean effort to come out of this matchup victorious. I simply don't see it happening. Philly takes this one, and probably with ease.
Projected Outcome: Loss (0-1)
Week 2: Dallas @ Washington
Luckily the Redskins catch a break after they had to face a division rival on the road in Week 1, right? Guess not... This is a brutal way to open the season, and much like the week prior, everything will have to align perfectly for the Redskins to have a chance to emerge victoriously. They will have to play mistake-free football to knock off the Cowboys in the 2019-20 home opener, and I just don't see that happening. I'd love to be wrong, but for now, I see the Cowboys taking this one in ugly fashion.
Projected Outcome: Loss (0-2)
Week 3: Chicago @ Washington
Is this some sort of sick joke, Goodell? As if back to back division games weren't bad enough, the Redskins have to face the extremely formidable Chicago Bears. Khalil Mack probably has this game highlighted on his calendar already, because he very well might just break the single-game sack record. The Bears are a matchup nightmare for the Redskins, and I'd be shocked if the 'Skins weren't double-digit home underdogs coming into this game. I don't see any way the Redskins pull off the upset here.
Projected Outcome: Loss (0-3)
Week 4: Washington @ New York Giants
Cool, as if the first three weren't brutal enough, why not add in another division road game in Week 4?! The Redskins have historically struggled in New York, but I have a sneaky feeling they'll right the ship and eek out a win thanks to Eli Manning throwing 4 picks or so and gifting the Redskins their first victory on the year.
Projected Outcome: Win (1-3)
Week 5: New England @ Washington
Oh boy... this is truly a merciless way to start a season. However, they pulled it once upon a time when New England came to town. So I'm going to go against all logic here, and instead of following my brain which tells me New England will make this one look like a spring practice and crush the Skins' soul, I'm going to listen to my gut that is telling me crazier things have happened and predict that the Redskins win this one. I'll reiterate, though, this is based on no logic. But miracles do happen.
Projected Outcome: Win (2-3)
Week 6: Washington @ Miami
Naturally, since I'm predicting the Redskins pull off a gargantuan upset in their week 5 matchup with New England, they'll inevitably follow that up with a mind-boggling loss against Miami. It's the Redskins way- take one step forward and four steps back. This would be a perfect opportunity for the Redskins to crush any and all momentum they'd built by beating the Patriots, and I'd bet my life's savings that they'd embrace the opportunity to let everyone down by actually losing.
Projected Outcome: Loss (2-4)
Week 7: San Francisco @ Washington
Ew, what a terrible matchup. I'm frankly shocked this one isn't being played in London it's such a lackluster matchup. Anyways, back on task, this game will definitely be low scoring and ugly. Since San Francisco is traveling to FedEx instead of the other way around, I'll take Washington in this one. The only certainty, however, is that this game will be painful to watch.
Projected Outcome: Win (3-4)
Week 8: Washington @ Minnesota
The Redskins will yet again be heavy underdogs coming into this one, but I am not intimidated by the Vikings at all. The key to this game will be coming into it with an above .500 record, though, since Kirk Cousins is physically incapable of succeeding against an above-.500 team. Since I'm projecting the Redskins to enter this matchup at 3-4, I have to go with the Vikings here. Jokes aside, the Vikings are loaded at the skill positions as well as along their defensive front seven, and I just don't see how the Redskins will be able to overcome the numerous mismatches they'll have against the Vikings. Even with Kirk Cousins' self-righteous, turnover-prone-self playing quarterback for Minnesota, they still come out on top in this one.
Projected Outcome: Loss (3-5)
Week 9: Washington @ Buffalo
The Redskins aren't more talented on paper than many teams in the league, but one of the teams you could make the case for having less talent than Washington would be Buffalo. The Redskins should win this one, but it'll definitely be close. Still, the Redskins should win a one-possession game here.
Projected Outcome: Win (4-5)
Week 10: BYE
Week 11: New York Jets @ Washington
Coming off the bye week, the Redskins should be able to play well against an up and coming Jets team. It's for that very reason that I'm confident they'll come out totally flat, and sleepwalk their way into an ugly loss.
Projected Outcome: Loss (4-6)
Week 12: Detroit @ Washington
After an inexplicable home loss to the Jets in the previous week, the Redskins should bounce back nicely against the Lions. Definitely not a sure thing, but I'm thinking the Redskins pick up their most convincing victory of the season in this game. They've got enough talent to rattle Stafford, and if Stafford isn't allowed to get in a groove early, he is prone to meltdowns. That's exactly what I see happening.
Projected Outcome: Win (5-6)
Week 13: Washington @ Carolina
The Redskins played extremely well against Carolina last season, but I don't see that happening again. Cam goes off, and the Panthers beat the Redskins handily.
Projected Outcome: Loss (5-7)
Week 14: Washington @ Green Bay
Yet another one of the Redskins' most impressive games from last season was against Green Bay, but that was early in the season and at home. December in Green Bay, however? That's a tough draw. It'll be close, but Aaron Rodgers avenges last year's defeat and leads the Packers to a win late.
Projected Outcome: Loss (5-8)
Week 15: Philadelphia @ Washington
More than likely, the Redskins will be out of contention and the Eagles will be very much in contention by the time this game rolls around. We saw what happened last year under those circumstances: a total takeover of FedEx Field by Philly fans. Odds are, the same thing will happen this year. Philly takes care of business, and Washington's tailspin continues.
Projected Outcome: Loss (5-9)
Week 16: New York Giants @ Washington
After three straight losses, the Redskins find a way to beat a Giants team now being lead by the astonishingly mediocre Daniel Jones. And for once, they beat a team they are better than by a large margin.
Projected Outcome: Win (6-9)
Week 17: Washington @ Dallas
Somehow or another, I think the Redskins scrap out a win here, as well, ending the season on a high note. Or just high enough of a note to keep us fans clinging on to the belief that the Redskins are still worth paying attention to. Even if Dallas is playing all of their starters, I still see the Redskins going toe to toe with them and ending the year positively.
Projected Outcome: Win (7-9)
Season Outcome: 7-9, 3rd place in the NFC East, 13th overall draft pick
Training Camp Battles to Watch
- Quarterback: This will be a hotly contested position battle, especially in the early days of training camp. Most likely, Keenum, Haskins and McCoy will start out splitting first team reps until somebody emerges. I'm of the opinion that Haskins will beat out the veterans and become the unquestioned starter by the end of camp, but there's definitely potential for a different outcome.
- Cornerback: Norman will definitely be the #1 on the team, but all the other spots are wide open. With plenty of young talent and hungry players on the roster, this should be exciting to watch. My money is on Quinton Dunbar to come out as the #2 with Stroman beating out Moreau for the #3 spot.
- Wide Receiver: Sure, it's not the most talented position on the team. But there are some enticing players that have the chance to emerge. Cam Sims is often overlooked, but he really showed a lot of promise during camp last year and he may be able to turn enough heads again this year to win a more prominent spot with the team. What I'm really curious to see is whether or not one of the rookie draft picks will be able to push Josh Doctson and Paul Richardson for the starting spots. Richardson proves himself, I think, but Doctson? That could be very intriguing to see if he's able to definitively prove himself over either Harmon or McLaurin.
Offensive Scheme: West Coast Offense
Defensive Scheme: 3-4/4-2-5 Hybrid
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