Only three weeks into the Redskins season, DeAngelo Hall suffered a non-contact injury and ruptured his Achilles tendon; he will spend the rest of the season on injured reserve. This is a huge loss for Washington and how the defense performs without Hall remains to be seen.
DeAngelo Hall can roll with the best receivers in the league, and he also makes an impact through leadership. Now, second year player David Amerson is tasked with being the top Cornerback on this team. He has shown improvement since coming into this league in 2013, but will he be ready for the challenges in front of him? He is still very young (22), so allow some leniency if he has slip-ups early on.
In 2013, Amerson recorded 40 tackles, 10 pass deflections, 2 interceptions (1 returned for a touchdown), and 1 forced fumble. Another plus is his size. Amerson is 6'1", 205 lbs., giving him prototypical size in today's NFL. He also has spent time being mentored by DeAngelo Hall and 2014 free agent acquisition Ryan Clark. Let's hope that he's soaked in enough knowledge to fill the void left by Hall.
Another player that will have to step up on defense is Cornerback Bashaud Breeland. So far, the rookie has performed nicely in his first few NFL games. He forced a fumble against Eagles' Running Back Darren Sproles, and almost brought in a Nick Foles interception. It's a good start, but now that DeAngelo Hall is missing from the lineup, Breeland will have to do that much more.
Breeland may be a diamond in the rough for the Redskins. They snagged him up in the fourth round of the 2014 Draft. Some analysts thought that, had Breeland waited another year to enter into the Draft, he would've been a first round pick in 2015. If this holds true, Washington's thinning secondary may not be as bad as it seems.
As of right now, Breeland has been given the green light to start against the New York Giants in prime time Thursday Night Football. It will be interesting to see how he performs under such high pressure for a rookie. There is no doubt, the Giants will look to target him a lot in the matchup.
Will the Redskins be able to maintain their stellar defensive performance without Cornerback DeAngelo Hall? If so, youngsters David Amerson and Bashaud Breeland must step up...
