Pierre-Louis Leaves Washington; Positional Preview - Linebackers

A need just became bigger for the Washington Football Team...How do they fill it?

Linebacker is a significant need for the Washington Football Team in multiple spots. Jon Bostic, their 'Mike' linebacker, has one year left on his deal and played well at times while struggling at others. Cole Holcomb was hurt early in the season-opener and it took a while for him to get back on the bike, but he's fast and smart.

Kevin Pierre-Louis just left Washington for Houston. It wasn't unexpected that KPL would leave. That was the sense that everyone walked away with after coach Ron Rivera's session with the media last week.

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Rueben Foster has missed the last two full seasons and still has yet to play a down for the Washington organization.

With Lavonte David and Matt Milano off the board, considered the two top linebackers on the original market, the group is thinner than ideal.

The Top Three:

1. Jayon Brown - Tennessee Titans: He's 26 and good in coverage. As PFF notes, he's better in zone coverage than man and not great at stopping the run but with KPL leaving - this might be the best fit for what Washington is losing out on. Just a more costly option.

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2. K.J. Wright - Seattle Seahawks: A linebacker in Seattle who has been productive for a fairly long time. Per PFF, Wright was the eighth-highest-graded linebacker in the NFL last year.

3. Kyle Van Noy - Miami Dolphins: Van Noy was cut by the Dolphins recently and probably is not a fit in Washington as mostly a 3-4 linebacker but he's experienced, smart and a leader who could possibly project into any scheme.

Is he the same player he used to be? Probably not. You would have to be reasonable with a contract but every, team could benefit.

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Other Candidates: Nicholas Morrow, Denzel Perryman, B.J. Goodson, Eric Wilson, Raekwon McMillan

Final Analysis: There doesn't appear to be a sure-fire upgrade from Jon Bostic from what we can tell so that might have to come from the draft. Instead, Washington might have to sign someone to replace KPL and hope that Foster can compete with Bostic along with a rookie.

Our Pick: Nicholas Morrow was brought in and developed with the Oakland Raiders by...Jack Del Rio. That might count for something.