Talent-wise, the Washington Redskins didn’t add or subtract anything from their roster with the addition of Alex Smith at quarterback. The difference Smith could make is simply winning, which is all he did with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Regardless, the oddsmakers at BetDSI Sportsbook don’t think it’ll make a significant dent in the final standings. Does that have something to do with Smith or head coach Jay Gruden? We’ll get into that. Here are the odds.
Washington Redskins 2018-19 Regular Season Win Total
Over 6.5 (-140)
Under 6.5 (+110)
The Redskins had every excuse they needed to send Gruden off in a flaming Viking funeral boat after another disappointing season in 2017. There were no unforeseen injury issues, nothing the team couldn’t have prepared for and yet they finished 7-9.
Since Gruden took over the team, their best mark was 9-7 in 2015 and a loss in the Wild Card round. That was the same year the rest of the NFC went completely down the toilet with the exception of the Carolina Panthers. The Arizona Cardinals went 13-3 that year, for God’s sake. It was a bad scene.
Alex Smith led the NFL in passer rating on deep passes in 2017! pic.twitter.com/0ZgQJrbtDF
— PFF (@PFF) June 3, 2018
Gruden, of course, had no business ever getting an NFL head coaching job, but the fact is if the Redskins had fired him (and they should have) the Cincinnati Bengals would have hired him as their head coach immediately. It wouldn’t be so much as failing up, but failing sideways. Regardless, Gruden, barring some spectacular injuries hitting four or five other NFC clubs, will be shitcanned at the end of this coming season and rejoin his brother Jon’s staff next year.
Looking at the roster, as I wrote earlier, Smith and Cousins are about the same, talent-wise, but Smith is a winner. Can that be enough to overcome Gruden’s inept coaching? It’s hard to say. Smith’s career resurgence came with the help of Jim Harbaugh and Andy Reid, so this is a significant drop-off for him. He may be asked to do more than he ever has to pull this team over the hump.
Smith has some solid weapons in the backfield, with Chris Thompson especially standing out as one of the best receiving backs in the NFL. Don’t be surprised to see rookie Derrius Guice take over the bulk of the ballcarrying duties before season’s end.
"Once camp rolls around, I think they’ll be ready to roll."#Redskins head coach Jay Gruden is not concerned with some of the absences along the OL throughout OTAs, he's focused on rehab before they jump into work: https://t.co/tS75WpjzJZ pic.twitter.com/bcAamaFcQd
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) May 31, 2018
At wide receiver, Washington is decent, but doesn’t have a star unless Josh Doctson turns it on in his third year in the league. He and Jamison Crowder won’t light up the league, but they’ll probably be solid and cheap options for your third wide receiver on your Daily Fantasy team. Paul Richardson is a solid deep threat and Brian Quick is a guy that’s barely ever lived up to his potential.
The best offensive player on the team is tight end Jordan Reed, but the kid just can’t stay healthy. If Gruden is smart, and he isn’t, he’s plugged Reed into specialists all offseason to get him healthy and determine the best practice and training regime to keep him on the field. Since I haven’t heard anything about that, I don’t have a lot of hope.
Perusing the Redskins’ schedule, I’m not sure where the seven wins for the over will come from. They have a chance in Week Two when the host the Indianapolis Colts to steal one if Andrew Luck still isn’t 100 percent, but this is a team that could be looking at an 0-5 start.
The under is the safe bet here.
