Thanks, as always, for taking part in the mailbag. Keep those questions coming, and we’ll do it all over again next week. E-mail me at mike.jones@washpost.com with the subject line of “Mailbag question.” Try to keep them short and sweet, because it takes way too much time to work through three-paragraph essays and figure out the main question! Thanks.

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Here we go.

I’ve noticed that Duke Ihenacho only had 19 snaps. In my opinion, Ihenacho is our best SS. When he’s on the field, you see 29 everywhere. We all knew he was better than David Bruton, but didn’t get snaps and now Whitner is getting more snaps than him. Is something more there outside of play that’s limiting his snaps? Just curious because I feel like better players were sitting on the bench until injuries happened.

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— Brian Forrester

Duke Ihenacho is a bit perplexing. He has always flashed talent, but durability remained an issue. He finally got his chance with David Bruton Jr. done for the year, however, as you said, he’s splitting time with Donte Whitner, with Whitner actually seeing more action. From what I can gather, Redskins coaches and officials view Ihenacho as a solid young player, but they see a lot of room for growth in his game. You’ve got to remember, he’s got ‘fifth-year veteran’ as his description, but he actually hasn’t played a lot. He’s got only 26 career appearances, including two games in 2012, three in 2014 and one in 2015. Only 2013 represented a near-full season for Ihenacho (14 starts, 15 games played). So, while Ihenacho boasts potential, coaches seem more comfortable with experience. That strong safety position requires such versatility that a player needs keen instincts, and also needs to know how to go off script to react to what he’s seeing, but not totally neglect his responsibilities at the same time.

Whitner brings a lot of experience. He’s obviously not a long-term solution at that position. But this team finds itself — somewhat unexpectedly — in win-now mode. And because of that pressure, it’s hard to go young and live with some of the mistakes that might come with that youth when you can go with a more-experienced player — even if that player might have less gas left in the tank. The hope is that the older, wiser player is savvy enough to know how to compensate for his limitations while getting the job done. Hopefully for Ihenacho’s sake, his coaches keep platooning him with Whitner so he can continue to develop and work his way into a long-term role.

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The Redskins defense had its first great game stopping the run. Is it just better execution or are personnel/scheme changes also part of it? Do you think the defensive run problems are now “solved?”

– Tim Foisie, Westport, Conn.

They definitely improved, holding an opponent (the Eagles) below 100 rushing yards for the first time this season. Personnel hasn’t really changed. But on Sunday, Washington’s defensive linemen did a better job of fighting through blocks, clogging running lanes, stringing out runs and making tackles. Running backs rarely found daylight in their initial holes. The linebackers did a better job of reacting as well. This is an area that the Redskins and their coaches have worked very hard at fixing, and they’re starting to see the payoff. I’m really curious to see if they can do this consistently. It’s one thing to match up well with one opponent, but if they can maintain this level for a string of weeks, then we’ll know things have been solved.

Was Kory Lichtensteiger the root problem with the running game the last couple of years? Both last season and now this season, the running game improved dramatically after he was injured and replaced.



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— Jerry Welch

I wouldn’t say he was the root problem. But Lichtensteiger did have some limitations because of a lack of size, age and injuries. Coaches worried about a drop-off in the experience/knowledge/leadership department. But it appears that Spencer Long has worked really hard to learn his role and responsibilities as the signal-caller of the offensive line, and Bill Callahan has done a good job of preparing him. But some of the improvement has to do with Sean McVay doing a better job of setting up the offense, benefiting from a different vantage point (calling plays from the booth instead of the sideline) and sticking with the run more. The Redskins still have work to do. They’re not picking up a lot of rushing yards up the middle. But Long definitely looks like he’s on his way to locking down that spot for a good while.

Is Spencer Long surprising the Skins at center? The failed acquisition of Bryan Stork, and the acquisition of John Sullivan indicate that Long was viewed as swing player who once lost battle with Shawn Lauvao.

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— Ryan Chase

I don’t know if surprised is the word. They’re definitely pleased, however. I think they hoped he could play well here. But concerns remained, mainly about his inexperience. And, I think that officials wanted some insurance in case Long struggled, and Lichtensteiger got hurt. Long has dispelled those concerns by stepping right in, communicating effectively with his fellow linemen and quarterback, and he’s playing well, too. Jay Gruden used the term “entrenched” to describe Long’s standing at center. So, that speaks volumes to his play and his coaches’ confidence in him.

Should there be concerns for the health of Su’a Cravens and Jordan Reed after the recent concussions both players have suffered? (More so because this is Reed’s sixth concussion of his short football career, dating back to college). Why isn’t the NFL investing money in helmet development that would create a type that provides the head much more protection from these hits?

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Plus, I’ve got to ask … how can another team sign a player from your team’s practice squad? I’ve seen this happen at least twice this season. Isn’t a player supposed to be protected while he’s on another team? And if not, what is to stop a team from signing a player off your practice squad just so that they gain an unfair advantage? i.e. steal your team’s secrets. And should there be concern?

— Olufemi Adepoju

I think there’s got to be a lot of concern about Jordan Reed’s long-term health and seeming inability to avoid concussions without having even suffered violent blows to the head. Obviously, he’s an amazing talent, and you’d hope that he can remain a key fixture on offense for years to come. But this is a real problem, and you can’t help but wonder about how these repeated concussions will impact him down the road. You have to wonder how his family feels about him continuing to play, and the risks that he faces by continuing to play. And obviously, the Redskins can’t take Cravens’s situation lightly. No concussion should be taken lightly. The NFL is investing money to try to find ways to reduce the risk of concussions. That’s why you see the players run through stricter protocol, wearing special helmets and such. But it’s a violent game. Rule changes and equipment improvements will only cut down on collisions and concussions but so much.

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As far as the practice squad rules go, another team can sign a player off of an opposing team’s practice squad if they are adding that player to their 53-man roster. They can’t sign him to their practice squad. There have been situations where a team will try to sign a player off of the Redskins’ practice squad, and then the Redskins have negotiated a pay raise to keep him on their practice squad, with an assurance that he soon will likely get a call up to their 53-man roster. Other times, I’ve seen the Redskins promote a player to their 53-man roster to avoid losing a player that they really liked to an opposing team. If they’re not in love with a practice-squad guy, they’ll just let him walk.

Email a Redskins question to mike.jones@washpost.com, with the subject “Mailbag question,” and it might be answered next Tuesday.