Is there room for Orakpo and Rob Jackson?

[jdlea]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

You can't just say the defense has raised it's game in vacuum. Rob Jackson is a big part of that reason. You can't dismiss that. And when Orakpo was starting the Redskins were abysmal in the turnover category.

Are we conflating better athlete with better football player?

Are we basing this on the 1 1/3 games that we actually saw Orakpo on the field this season? If so, I have to point out how small of a sample size that is. If not, I feel like it's a little ridiculous to compare any other year to this one given the way winning seems to have inspired this team; the defense in particular.

I think this team really needs to keep as much talent as it possibly can on the defensive side of the ball, particularly when you consider how bad they were to start the season. Having depth should be a luxury. I'm glad Jackson stepped in and made some plays, but I don't think he's better than Brian Orakpo and I wouldn't cut or trade Orakpo in order to keep him. Also, I think creating a hole behind Jackson is a bad idea. I like Wilson and Alexander as situational players, but I think banking on Jackson and thinking he'll never get hurt would be a mistake. For me, if you get rid of Orakpo, you also need a new guy to back up Jackson.

As happy as I've been with Jackson's impact, which surprised me, I still think Orakpo comes back and is the starter on this defense. If the front office decides Jackson is the better player, I'll be very surprised.