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Washington Redskins: Why re-signing Junior Galette is now critical

By Jacob Camenker

LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 24: Quarterback Brock Osweiler #17 of the Denver Broncos is tackled by linebacker Junior Galette #58 of the Washington Redskins in the first quarter at FedExField on December 24, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 24: Quarterback Brock Osweiler #17 of the Denver Broncos is tackled by linebacker Junior Galette #58 of the Washington Redskins in the first quarter at FedExField on December 24, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 12: Linebacker Trent Murphy #93 of the Washington Redskins on the sidelines during the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 12, 2014 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the Redskins 30-20. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 12: Linebacker Trent Murphy #93 of the Washington Redskins on the sidelines during the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 12, 2014 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the Redskins 30-20. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Trent Murphy is now a Buffalo Bill

Trent Murphy re-signing with the Washington Redskins wasn’t a foregone conclusion at any point. But, it’s still somewhat surprising that such a strong market developed for the former second round pick. In 2017, Murphy suffered a torn ACL in the preseason and didn’t log a snap. Additionally, he picked up a four game suspension for violating the league’s PED policy in the 2017 offseason. So, he had a couple of issues going into the free agent period.

That didn’t deter the Buffalo Bills for paying him starter money. Despite the one year of plus production, the Bills gave Murphy a three-year deal that is worth about $21 million. That is a great deal of money, and it’s simply not something that the Redskins could have afforded to shell out for Murphy’s services.

As I pointed out in a piece about Murphy’s deal with the Bills from Wednesday, Murphy wouldn’t have fit on the team’s roster as a backup because of his price tag. I also spoke of how Galette would become a priority for the team after that.

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    • "As for the Redskins, they simply couldn’t retain Murphy at that price. The $7 million in average annual value is too much to give a backup player. Even if the guarantees aren’t high, the Redskins wouldn’t have been able to convince him to stay for less money and what is likely a lesser role. So while Murphy will be missed, there wasn’t much the team could have done about his departure. With Murphy gone, the Redskins should shift their focus to re-signing Junior Galette. He was a nice No. 3 option for the team last year, and getting him on another deal would set the team up for success at the edge position in 2018. That said, it’s unclear what Galette’s market value will be. He has a longer injury history than Murphy, but he was a quality backup last year. Galette also may want a chance to start, so that will complicate things."

    With Murphy gone and Galette on the free agent market, the Redskins don’t have a true No. 3 pass rusher to spell Kerrigan and Smith. Murphy will be missed, as he could have provided that. But as it stands, the team is a bit thin at the edge rush position thanks to his departure, and that will necessitate the team attempting to re-sign Galette if they want to have a potent pass rush.

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