There’s no way to sweeten it: In the past two decades, the Redskins have been one of the NFL’s most losing franchises. Burgundy and Gold have made the playoffs only four times since the turn of the century and have not won a playoff game since 2007. Memories of the franchise’s glory days during the 1980s are but a distant memory now. .
An analyst, Bucky Brooks of the NFL Network, believes that things could change soon in the nation’s capital, and the second general election, Chase Young, is one of the main reasons.
In his column posted on NFL.com last Friday, Brooks wrote that if the Ohio state passbacker lives up to the extraordinary expectations that many have set for him, the Redskins expect a resurgence as a franchise.
“If Chase Young, the No. 2 pick overall, is as good as advertised, the Washington Redskins are well on their way to becoming a Super Bowl contender,” Brooks wrote.
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO REDSKINS TALK PODCAST
Brooks’ praise for the Redskins comes just months after the team ended one of the worst seasons in franchise history. The Redskins were terrible in 2019, and there are still plenty of question marks on both sides of the ball as they enter 2020.
But this offseason, the Redskins made several organizational changes, most notably the firing of team president Bruce Allen and the hiring of respected head coach Ron Rivera.
Asked about his comments, Andrew Siciliano of the NFL Network explained that both Rivera and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio have a history of unlocking the full potential of dominant pass riders and mounting a dominant defense to the Super Bowl.
“If you go back and watch the story of Ron Rivera and Jack Del Rio, understand if you get a dominant pin pass on top of the [draft] board, if you play to your potential, you can dominate, “said Brooks.” I have compared Chase Young to Julius Peppers. When I was with the Carolina Panthers, we had Julius Peppers. Julius Peppers anchored a defensive line that brought us to the Super Bowl. “
“We could see that the @Redskins have a parade.” 👀 @ BuckyBrooks has their expectations set for what Chase Young can bring to DC 👇 pic.twitter.com/EaxDkJZlSi
– NFL Network (@nflnetwork) June 29, 2020
Brooks also noted Del Rio’s success with Von Miller in Denver, as Miller and a dominant defense led the Broncos to a Super Bowl victory in 2015.
“So when you think about the meeting between Ron Rivera and Jack Del Rio, Jack Del Rio not only had Peppers during his first stint in Carolina, but he also had Von Miller in Denver,” Brooks said. “Both teams finally went to the Super Bowl.”
During the Redskins Offseason Updates Live show, Rivera himself called Young a mini version of Peppers.
“[Chase Young is] not as big as Julius was. It is built like him; it’s a mini version of him, “Rivera said.” It has a little more of that initial explosion. Julius was very long and his bang was good, but due to his length he looked even better than he really was. I mean Julius was phenomenal, and this is a young man who could be that kind of player. “
RELATED: CHASE YOUNG SHOWS OFF FOOTWORK IN LAST WORKOUT VIDEO
And later in that segment, Rivera also said that watching Young’s movie reminded him of Miller.
“Von Miller comes to my mind when I see Chase and I see him work out and I see the tape he’s pulling out,” Rivera said. “I’m pretty excited to see it.”
The last point Brooks made to back up his belief that a revival could come to Washington was that Young, someone projected to be a world passer, is joining a defensive lineup that is already very talented.
The analyst pointed to the success of the San Francisco 49ers last year and how the 2019 second overall pick, Nick Bosa, was the necessary final piece that transformed his defense. San Francisco mounted its dominant defense to No. 1 in the NFC and a Super Bowl appearance last year.
“A dominant passing runner can make a difference. The Redskins have five first-round picks in that D-line rotation,” said Brooks. “You know who else had that? The San Francisco 49ers. We saw them at the Super Bowl last year.”
Brooks’ comments also caught the attention of Redskins QB Dwayne Haskins, who responded on Twitter.
Bucky knows something 🤔 https://t.co/uSKGGQvzBW
– Dwayne Haskins, Jr (@ dh_simba7) June 29, 2020
While the analyst does not say that Young’s arrival will instantly make a Redskins 3-13 team from a year ago a title contender, Brooks believes the passer-by has the impact of doing that a few years later.
“I’m not saying this year, but in a couple of years, we could see the Washington Redskins having a parade,” said Brooks.
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO DISCOVERED SPORTS
Stay connected to the Redskins with the MyTeams app. Click here to download for complete coverage of your equipment.
MORE REDSKINS NEWS:
