Now that the Rams' 2020 schedule is officially out, it's time to resume our offseason opponent breakdowns on theRams.com. Up next is Los Angeles' Week 5 road opponent, the Washington Redskins.
2019
Similar to their fellow NFC East member New York Giants, the Redskins endured their fair share of challenges. A five-game losing streak to open the season led to them parting ways with head coach Jay Gruden and installing assistant head coach/offensive line coach Bill Callahan as their interim head coach.
By the time Washington reached its Week 10 bye, it had a 1-8 overall record. Little changed after the bye week, as Washington managed only two more wins to finish 3-13 overall and secure the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Changes
Two years after sending him to the Chiefs as part of the trade for quarterback Alex Smith, the Redskins brought Kendall Fuller back by signing him to a four-year contract. Fuller originally entered the league as a third-round pick by Washington in 2017. They also signed former Eagles cornerback and 2015 second-round pick Ronald Darby to a one-year deal to boost their secondary depth.
In the draft, the Redskins also used the No. 2 overall pick in this year's draft to add Ohio State defensive end Chase Young, who was considered one of the best pass-rushing talents of the last decade.
On offense, Washington added former Panthers quarterback Kyle Allen, who backed up and later took over for an injured Cam Newton in 2019, via free agency. It also signed former Falcons offensive guard Wes Schweitzer, who will have a chance to earn the other starting guard job opposite Brandon Scherff.
Head coach
Rather than make Callahan the permanent head coach, the Redskins hired former Panthers head coach Ron Rivera to succeed Gruden instead.
During his nine-year tenure in Carolina, Rivera led the Panthers to four playoff appearances, three NFC South division titles and an appearance in Super 50 after going 15-1 during the 2015 regular season. Including his seven playoff appearances, he posted a 79-67-1 overall record.
What to watch for
Rams defense vs. Redskins second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins
The No. 15 overall pick in last year's draft experienced an uneven rookie year but showed promise toward the end of it. However, the coach whom he credited for aiding his late-season development, Kevin O'Connell, is now the Rams' offensive coordinator.
Instead, Haskins will enter his second season working with Scott Turner, the Panthers' former quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator who followed Rivera to the Redskins to take the latter position.
The Rams defense will have four weeks of film to evaluate Haskins on, so it will be interesting to see how he has developed and how that will affect their preparation leading into this game.
