2016 Washington Redskins season

Last updated

2016 Washington Redskins season
Owner Daniel Snyder
President Bruce Allen
General manager Scot McCloughan
Head coach Jay Gruden
Offensive coordinator Sean McVay
Defensive coordinator Joe Barry
Home stadium FedExField
Radio partnerESPN 980 WTEM
Results
Record8–7–1
Division place3rd NFC East
PlayoffsDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers LB Ryan Kerrigan
TE Jordan Reed
G Brandon Scherff
T Trent Williams
QB Kirk Cousins
Uniform
Washington Redskins uniforms.png

The 2016 season was the Washington Redskins' 85th in the National Football League (NFL), their 20th playing home games at FedExField and their third under head coach Jay Gruden.

Contents

The season saw the Redskins play in London for the first time in franchise history, where they tied the Cincinnati Bengals 27–27.

After a disappointing loss in the final week to the New York Giants, the Redskins were eliminated from playoff contention. Despite missing the playoffs, the Redskins finished the season with a record of 8–7–1, which was the first consecutive winning seasons for the team since the 1996 and 1997 seasons. Along with the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington was the only team in 2016 that played seven regular-season games against teams that would reach the playoffs: four games combined against the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants, games against the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions (as the NFC North was the only division besides the NFC East to send more than one team to the 2016 postseason) and a game against the sole AFC North 2016 playoff team (the Pittsburgh Steelers); the Redskins' 2–5 record in these contests was a major reason they did not return to the playoffs. This is the last time that the team finished with a winning record as the Redskins, and their last until 2024, by which point they were known as the Commanders.

Offseason changes

Free agency

All 2015 contracts expired to coincide with the beginning of the 2016 NFL League Year at 4:00 EDT on March 9, 2016. However, before that date, all teams had until March 1 to place the franchise tag on a player, and could begin negotiations with a player's agent on March 7.

Waivers and releases

On March 8, the Redskins released S Dashon Goldson, DE Jason Hatcher, QB Robert Griffin III, and S Jeron Johnson.

On April 14, the Redskins waived OLB Jackson Jeffcoat.

Team re-signings/contract extensions

DatePlayerPositionContract TypeNotes
March 1 Kirk Cousins QB Franchise Tag 2016 salary worth $19.953 million
March 9 Colt McCoy QBExtensionSigned 2 yr, $15m contract with $6.75m guaranteed
Duke Ihenacho S RFA
Mason Foster LB UFA Signed 2 yr, $3.5m contract with $1.8m guaranteed
Kedric Golston DE UFA
March 11 Logan Paulsen TE UFA
March 12 Tress Way PRFASigned 5 yr, $7.59m contract with $2.95m guaranteed
March 15 Will Blackmon FS UFA
March 16 Junior Galette OLB UFASigned 1 yr, $1.6m contract
Josh LeRibeus C UFA
March 17 Chris Thompson RBUFA

Free agency transactions

DatePlayerPositionPrevious TeamNew TeamNotes
March 9 Robert Griffin III QB Washington Redskins Cleveland Browns Signed 2 yr, $15m contract with $6.75m guaranteed
Tom Compton GWashington Redskins Atlanta Falcons
Alfred Morris RB Washington Redskins Dallas Cowboys Signed 2 yr, $3.5m contract with $1.8m guaranteed
Keenan Robinson ILB Washington Redskins New York Giants
Terrence Knighton DT Washington Redskins New England Patriots
Frank Kearse DE Washington RedskinsNew England Patriots
March 11 Kendall Reyes DE San Diego Chargers Washington Redskins
March 15 David Bruton SS Denver Broncos Washington RedskinsSigned 3 yr, $9.15m contract with $3.4m guaranteed
March 17 Terrence Garvin ILB Pittsburgh Steelers Washington Redskins
March 31 Vernon Davis TE Denver BroncosWashington RedskinsSigned 1 yr, $2.4m contract with $1.1m guaranteed
April 14 Greg Toler CB Indianapolis Colts Washington Redskins
Jackson Jeffcoat OLB/DEWashington RedskinsCleveland Browns
April 18Cody BoothOLB Jacksonville Jaguars Washington Redskins
April 22 Josh Norman CB Carolina Panthers Washington RedskinsSigned 5 yr, $75m contract with $36.5m guaranteed

Draft

The 2016 NFL Draft occurred from April 28 to April 30, 2016. Going into the draft, the Redskins had eight selections, two of which were from another team: the additional seventh-round (#232) selection from the Dashon Goldson trade in 2015 and a sixth-round selection (#187) from the New Orleans Saints (the Redskins sent their sixth-round selection to Tampa Bay as part of the Goldson trade).

During the draft, the Redskins swapped first-round selections (#21 for #22) with the Houston Texans in exchange for their 2017 sixth-round selection, traded their 2016 fourth round selection (#120) to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for the Saints' fifth-round selections in 2016 (#152) and 2017, and traded their fifth-round selection (#158) to the New York Jets in exchange for their 2017 fourth-round selection.

2016 Washington Redskins Draft
RoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollege
1 22 Josh Doctson WR TCU
253 Su'a Cravens ILB USC
384 Kendall Fuller CB Virginia Tech
4120Selection traded to the New Orleans Saints
5152 Matt Ioannidis DE Temple
6187 Nate Sudfeld QB Indiana
7232 Steven Daniels LB Boston College
7242 Keith Marshall RB Georgia

Undrafted free agents

After the draft, the Redskins signed 14 undrafted college free agents to the team as part of the off season roster: [1]

PlayerPositionCollege
Tevin Carter S Utah
Michael Cooper TE Indiana
Reginald Diggs WR Richmond
Ejiro Ederaine LB Fresno State
Joe Gore OT Clemson
Maurice Harris WR Cal
Dominick Jackson OT Alabama
Joe Kerridge FB Michigan
Anthony Lanier DE Alabama A&M
Geno Matias-Smith DB Alabama
Shiro Davis LB Texas
Robert Kelley RB Tulane
Valdez Showers WR Florida

Staff

2016 Washington Redskins staff

Front office

  • Owner – Daniel Snyder
  • President – Bruce Allen
  • General Manager – Scot McCloughan
  • Personnel Executive – Doug Williams
  • Vice President of football administration/General Counsel – Eric Schaffer
  • Director of player personnel – Scott Campbell
  • Director of pro personnel – Alex Santos
  • Director of football operations – Paul Kelly
  • Director of Sports Medicine – Robin West

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Director of player development – Malcolm Blacken
  • Head strength and conditioning – Mike Clark
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Chad Englehart
  • Assistant strength and conditioning/nutritionist – Jake Sankal

Final roster

2016 Washington Redskins roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams (ST)

Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
53 active, 12 reserve, 10 practice squad

Schedule

Preseason

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordGame siteNFL.com
recap
1August 11at Atlanta Falcons L 17–230–1 Georgia Dome Recap
2August 19 New York Jets W 22–181–1 FedExField Recap
3August 26 Buffalo Bills W 21–162–1FedExField Recap
4August 31 [A] at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 20–133–1 Raymond James Stadium Recap

Regular season

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordGame siteNFL.com
recap
1September 12 Pittsburgh Steelers L 16–380–1 FedExField Recap
2September 18 Dallas Cowboys L 23–270–2FedExField Recap
3September 25at New York Giants W 29–271–2 MetLife Stadium Recap
4October 2 Cleveland Browns W 31–202–2FedExField Recap
5October 9at Baltimore Ravens W 16–103–2 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
6 October 16 Philadelphia Eagles W 27–204–2FedExField Recap
7October 23at Detroit Lions L 17–204–3 Ford Field Recap
8 October 30 at Cincinnati Bengals T 27–27 (OT)4–3–1 Wembley Stadium (London, England) Recap
9 Bye
10November 13 Minnesota Vikings W 26–205–3–1FedExField Recap
11November 20 Green Bay Packers W 42–246–3–1FedExField Recap
12 November 24 at Dallas Cowboys L 26–316–4–1 AT&T Stadium Recap
13December 4at Arizona Cardinals L 23–316–5–1 University of Phoenix Stadium Recap
14December 11at Philadelphia Eagles W 27–227–5–1 Lincoln Financial Field Recap
15December 19 Carolina Panthers L 15–267–6–1FedExField Recap
16December 24at Chicago Bears W 41–218–6–1 Soldier Field Recap
17January 1 New York Giants L 10–198–7–1FedExField Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week One: Pittsburgh Steelers at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Steelers014101438
Redskins603716

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

Game information

The Redskins entered this Week 1 matchup against the Steelers having lost five consecutive games against Pittsburgh dating back to 1991. They scored an average of 8.2 points per game in those five losses. The Redskins' 22-point defeat was their worst in a Week 1 game in 15 years. It was also their worst opening day home loss since 1966. [3]

The Redskins defense had a very hard time containing DeAngelo Williams as he exploded for 143 rushing yards and the Steelers explosive receiving corps of Antonio Brown and Eli Rogers who would go on to have strong performances.

Week 2: vs. Dallas Cowboys

Week Two: Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Cowboys1037727
Redskins01013023

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

Game information

Week 3: at New York Giants

Week Three: Washington Redskins at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Redskins6107629
Giants1473327

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

With the win, the Redskins improved 1-2 and won at MetLife Stadium for the first time since 2011.

Week 4: vs. Cleveland Browns

Week Four: Cleveland Browns at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Browns0173020
Redskins14301431

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

Game information

Week 5: at Baltimore Ravens

Week Five: Washington Redskins at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Redskins6010016
Ravens730010

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Game information

Week 6: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Week Six: Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Eagles0140620
Redskins7143327

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

  • Date: October 16
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 78,934
  • Referee: John Parry
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Week 7: at Detroit Lions

Week Seven: Washington Redskins at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Redskins0301417
Lions0371020

at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

Game information

The Redskins rallied with a late touchdown run by Cousins, but the Lions responded with Matthew Stafford throwing the game winner to Anquan Boldin, thus ending the Redskins winning streak.

Week 8: at Cincinnati Bengals

NFL International Series

Week Eight: Washington Redskins at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
Quarter1234OTTotal
Redskins73710027
Bengals70137027

at Wembley Stadium, London, United Kingdom

  • Date: October 30
  • Game time: 1:30 p.m. BST/9:30 a.m. EDT
  • Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 84,488
  • Referee: Carl Cheffers
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Detroit Lions, the Redskins played in the third and final game of the year in London against the Cincinnati Bengals. With a few minutes left in overtime, Dustin Hopkins missed a game-winning field goal and allowed the Bengals to take over. After that, Bengals' Andy Dalton fumbled and allowed the Redskins to take back the ball. A Hail Mary attempt failed, making the Redskins tie for the first time since 1997 when they tied 7–7 against the Giants.

Week 10: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Week Ten: Minnesota Vikings at Washington Redskins – Game Summary
Quarter1234Total
Vikings0200020
Redskins776626

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

Game information

After their tie against the Bengals and their bye week, the Redskins came back home to host the Minnesota Vikings on Homecoming Weekend. After allowing the Vikings to score 20 unanswered points to end the first half, the Redskins shut out the Vikings 12-0 in the second half, improving to 5-3-1 on the season.

Week 11: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week Eleven: Green Bay Packers at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Packers01001424
Redskins7692042

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

Game information

The Redskins avenged their 35–18 loss to the Packers in the wildcard round of last season's playoffs by beating them 42–24. They also were the last team to beat the Packers, as they went on a 6-game winning streak to finish the season.

Week 12: at Dallas Cowboys

Thanksgiving Day game

Week Twelve: Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Redskins0602026
Cowboys71001431

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

  • Date: November 24
  • Game time: 4:30 p.m. EST/3:30 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 93,099
  • Referee: Craig Wrolstad
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Chris Myers
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

An attempted rally by the offense did not pay off. The Redskins dropped to 6–4–1 and were swept by the Cowboys for the first time since 2013.

Week 13: at Arizona Cardinals

Week Thirteen: Washington Redskins at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Redskins0614323
Cardinals7371431

at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

  • Date: December 4
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST/2:25 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 64,939
  • Referee: Walt Anderson
  • TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Chris Spielman and Kristina Pink
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Kirk Cousins attempted to drive down the field but was intercepted by Patrick Peterson to seal the second straight loss for the Washington Redskins. With the loss, the 'Skins dropped to 6-5-1 and allowed the Cowboys to clinch a playoff spot by virtue of the loss.

Week 14: at Philadelphia Eagles

Week Fourteen: Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Redskins0714627
Eagles3100922

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  • Date: December 11
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 35 °F (2 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 69,596
  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Redskins rebounded from a disappointing loss at Arizona to break their two-game losing streak. Chris Thompson scored the game-winning touchdown, while Ryan Kerrigan sealed the game with a strip sack of Carson Wentz.

Week 15: vs. Carolina Panthers

Week Fifteen: Carolina Panthers at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Panthers10310326
Redskins360615

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

  • Date: December 19
  • Game time: 8:30 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 32 °F (0 °C), clear
  • Game attendance: 76,689
  • Referee: Walt Coleman
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Sean McDonough, Jon Gruden and Lisa Salters
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Josh Norman's revenge against his former team came up short in an abysmal Monday Night performance by the Redskins.

Week 16: at Chicago Bears

Week Sixteen: Washington Redskins at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Redskins141071041
Bears0140721

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

  • Date: December 24
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 37 °F (3 °C) cloudy, steady temps
  • Game attendance: 57,953
  • Referee: Brad Allen
  • TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, David Diehl and Kristina Pink
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Week 17: vs. New York Giants

Week Seventeen: New York Giants at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Giants370919
Redskins003710

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

  • Date: January 1, 2017
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 53 °F (12 °C), Sunny
  • Game attendance: 79,471
  • Referee: Gene Steratore
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

With their playoff hopes on the line, the Redskins hosted the 10-5 New York Giants. The Redskins were pressured all day and two picks by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie made the Redskins miss out on the playoffs.

Standings

Division

NFC East
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
(1) Dallas Cowboys 1330.8133–39–3421306L1
(5) New York Giants 1150.6884–28–4310284W1
Washington Redskins 871.5313–36–6396383L1
Philadelphia Eagles 790.4382–45–7367331W2

Conference

#TeamDivisionWLTPCTDIVCONFSOSSOVSTK
Division leaders
1 Dallas Cowboys East1330.8133–39–3.471.440L1
2 Atlanta Falcons South1150.6885–19–3.480.452W4
3 Seattle Seahawks West1051.6563–2–16–5–1.441.425W1
4 Green Bay Packers North1060.6255–18–4.508.453W6
Wild Cards
5 New York Giants East1150.6884–28–4.486.455W1
6 [a] Detroit Lions North970.5633–37–5.475.392L3
Did not qualify for the postseason
7 [a] Tampa Bay Buccaneers South970.5634–27–5.492.434W1
8 Washington Redskins East871.5313–36–6.516.430L1
9 Minnesota Vikings North880.5002–45–7.492.457W1
10 Arizona Cardinals West781.4694–1–16–5–1.463.366W2
11 [b] New Orleans Saints South790.4382–46–6.523.393L1
12 [b] Philadelphia Eagles East790.4382–45–7.559.518W2
13 Carolina Panthers South6100.3751–55–7.518.354L2
14 Los Angeles Rams West4120.2502–43–9.504.500L7
15 Chicago Bears North3130.1882–43–9.521.396L4
16 San Francisco 49ers West2140.1252–42–10.504.250L1
Tiebreakers [c]
  1. 1 2 Detroit finished ahead of Tampa Bay for the No. 6 seed and qualified for the last playoff spot based on record vs. common opponents—Detroit's cumulative record against Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and New Orleans was 3–2, while Tampa Bay's cumulative record against the same four teams was 2–3.
  2. 1 2 New Orleans finished ahead of Philadelphia based on better record vs. conference opponents.
  3. When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.

Notes

  1. The Week 4 preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium, originally scheduled for September 1, was moved forward to Wednesday, August 31, in an effort to avoid anticipated severe weather from Tropical Depression Nine. [2]

References

  1. "Redskins Sign 14 College Free Agents". Washington Football Team. Archived from the original on May 7, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  2. "Buccaneers-Redskins Preseason Game Moved to Wednesday Night". Tampa Bay Buccaneers. August 29, 2016. Archived from the original on August 31, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  3. "Team Game Finder".