Lighter. Heavier. Linebacker. Defensive end.
Jeremy Jarmon continues to transform himself, changing dimensions and positions to find the right fit.
Going into his second season, Jarmon figured he'd be moving to linebacker from defensive end, which he played as a rookie and in college. He wasn't a bulky guy as a 275-pound end but he slimmed down during the spring to prepare for moving back and pass-coverage responsibilities.
Then the Redskins asked him to shift to end again and get bigger. With the Redskins 12 deep at linebacker, he probably won't rejoin that unit.
"I doubt it. The only way you would see me working at linebacker is if we got short at some point during the season and my weight started dropping," Jarmon said. "Right now my weight is on the up and up at 295. Last season I was about 275 but I dropped down to about 260 in March. Once they told me I was going back to end, I hit the weight room."
The Redskins acquired Jarmon last year in the NFL Supplemental Draft with a third-round pick and a solid rookie season ended late in November with a knee injury that required surgery. Neither that nor rehab nor girth has impacted his key skills.
"He's trained his body and got his weight up," defensive line coach Jacob Burney said. "In the 3-4 defense, you've got to have bigger folks up front so he's put the weight on and his body is handling it very well. He's not hesitant in his movements, he's just got to learn the d-line position. He's going to do good things."
In evaluating the players he inherited, head coach Mike Shanahan wanted to see if Jarmon's athleticism could be best used at a different spot.
"We took a look at him at linebacker and he was kind of in-between," Shanahan said. "Looking at the type of athlete he was, we thought if he gained a few pounds, with his quickness he could help at a position that we felt like we needed some depth at and we're glad that we did. He's competing very well at his defensive end position."
He always showed drive and passion. Now that's bolstered by bulk.
"I hate going against Jeremy. He's a heck of a player," said second-year backup center/guard Edwin Williams. "He's quick and he's got some butt to him now. He put on some weight so you've got to be alert for the bull-rush now. He can play nose, he can play end. He was always one of my toughest competitors last season, last camp, and you just have to set perfectly on him."
The all-out effort impresses Burney.
"He's a physical guy. He doesn't always do it right but he's going to go hard at it," he said. "So I like the kid. Football is important to him."
Playing at the University of Kentucky, Jarmon was a rush end in a 4-3 defense. He had 4 ½ sacks as a redshirt junior, made 10 tackles for losses and forced two fumbles. As a rookie, he played in 11 games and had a hand in nine tackles (eight solo).
As a 3-4 end, working mostly on the right side, he's not as comfortable yet as he hopes to be.
"It's a bit different, what they have me doing," he said, "but if I get better every day I'll be where I need to be."
Larry Weisman, an award-winning journalist during 25 years with USA TODAY, writes for Redskins.com and appears nightly on Redskins Nation on Comcast SportsNet. Read his Redskinsblitz blog at **Redskinsrule.com* and follow him on *Twitter.com/LarryWeisman*.*
