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2008 Position Preview: Tight Ends
INTRODUCTION: The Redskins really surprised a lot of folks when they drafted two wide receivers and a tight end with their early draft pics in this year’s draft. A lot of the fans wanted the team to draft a defensive end but the Redskins chose to draft for value which Vinny Cerrato said he we do. With Jim Zorn bringing a West Coast offensive scheme to the Redskins, drafting a tight end might not have been a bad idea.
PLAYERS ADDED: Jason Goode (Maryland), Fred Davis (USC)
PLAYERS DEPARTED: Brian Kozlowski
CURRENT ROSTER: Chris Cooley, Jason Goode, Tyler Ecker, Fred Davis, Todd Yoder
PREVIEW: With the Redskins switching to a west coast offense, in the passing game, two tight ends are crucial for certain formations. Chris Cooley will definately be one of the tight ends, and chances are Fred Davis will be the other. Fred may not start right away and that depends on the kind of training camp he has. If he learns his assignments and impresses the coaches in training camp, he could earn a lot of playing time this year from the beginning. If he doesn’t, the Redskins may turn to veteran tight end Todd Yoder.
Chris Cooley, who is going into his fifth year with the Redskins, had another solid season in 2007. He participated in his first NFL Pro Bowl and along with Chris Samuels. Cooley ended the season as the leader in receptions for the Redskins again hauling in 66 receptions for 786 yards. He also scored 8 touchdowns. Early in the 2007 season, the Redskins tried to get Cooley in the seams of defenses but Campbell was intercepted several times when trying to do it. I don’t think Cooley is tall and fast enough for the route. What Zorn will do with Cooley is an unknown right now but expect Cooley to catch a lot of balls as he has done in the previous seasons.
Jason Goode was signed by the Redskins as an undrafted rookie free agent. He participated in the mini-camps and impressed the coaches. Jason played his college ball for the Maryland Terrapins and in 2007 he played in all of their games, starting in 4 of them. He caught 17 passes for 213 yards and 3 touchdowns. He’ll be competing with Cooley, Davis, Ecker and Yoder for a spot on the team.
Tyler Ecker was drafted by the Redskins in 2007 with the 216th (7th round) pick but his season ended early during training camp when he went down with a groin injury and was placed on the injured reserve list. When I say early during training camp, I mean it because he suffered the injury on the first day of the 2007 training camp. The 2008 season is starting off too well for Ecker either because he wasn’t able to participate in the mini-camp or the OTA’s because of the groin injury. Also, he recently had surgery on the groin which, according to Jim Zorn, will sideline him for 8 weeks. He definately miss the the start of training camp this season. Zorn said it may be a couple of weeks into training camp before he can get back on the field.
Fred Davis was drafted by the Redskins in the 2008 draft with the 48th pick (2nd round). This was a big surprise to Redskins fans all over. He played his college ball at USC where he set school records for tight ends with 117 receptions for 1,408 yards. He also set a new school record for tight ends with 13 touchdown catches. He won the John Mackey award in 2007 as college football’s top tight end.Davis is listed as 6-3, 247 pounds which makes him a big target for Jason Campbell. Let’s see him work those seam routes. Davis and Cooley can wreak havoc on defenses if used properly. Defenses would have to account for both of them if Davis establishes himself as a formidable target. That will be the big question mark with Davis, can he establish himself. He already has a hurdle to get over because he overslept one night and missed a team practice. Jim Zorn kept everything inside and handled the situation well. Training camp should be fun especially if it’s true that the players bought a clock for Davis to wear around neck as Chris Cooley has stated.
Todd Yoder, the old, 8 year veteran guy in group. The question about him is if he’ll return. He was signed by the Redskins as a free agent in 2006 and provided depth at the tight end position behind Cooley. Yoder provided the spark the Redskins needed to beat the Chicago Bears by hauling in a 21-yard touchdown and giving the Redskins a 7-0 lead in the 2nd quarter of what was a very boring and poorly played game at the time. There hasn’t been any news on Yoder this season so his return to the team is in question especially with the signing of Davis and Goode.
PROJECTED STARTERS: Chris Cooley, Fred Davis
PROJECTED BACKUPS: J ason Goode, Tyler Ecker
What the Skins need to happen?
Chris Cooley needs to improve on his previous season’s performance. Don’t let up and just keep getting better. Davis needs establish himself as a weapon for Jason Campbell. With his size and speed, this shouldn’t be a problem. However, like I said earlier, it will depend on the kind of training camp he has. Tyler Ecker needs to get healthy and stay that way if he wants to make the team. The Redskins need depth and they need some youth to provide that depth. Jason Goode needs to impress the coaches and perform at a high level to make the team. If he’s successful, the Redskins could have some good young guys providing depth behind the starters. Lastly, and this pertains to all the players at the position, they need to improve their blocking skills.
We’ll see what happens in mid-July when training camp starts.
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