The Washington Redskins have made some foolish moves in the past. But this year, they need to avoid making moves that are better off as April Fools jokes.
The Washington Redskins are in the midst of what could end up being a great offseason. The team has added a couple of nice, veteran pieces to their defense in Pernell McPhee and Orlando Scandrick while getting an explosive playmaker in Paul Richardson for their offense. Additionally, they were able to re-sign Mason Foster and Zach Brown to deals to retain key pieces at the linebacker position.
That said, there is still a lot of time for the Redskins to make improvements. Or, they could make mistakes. They have some cap room left and eight draft picks, but they need to utilize the resources properly in order to build a true contender.
The Redskins have to avoid making mistakes and looking foolish in the final important month of big transactions in the NFL offseason. Here are three mistakes that the Redskins can easily avoid.
3. Drafting a quarterback before Day 3 of the 2018 NFL Draft
When the Redskins traded for Alex Smith, the team officially addressed the questions that they had at quarterback. Kirk Cousins was always expected to walk in the 2018 offseason, and he ended up joining the Minnesota Vikings. But, with the acquisition of Smith, the Redskins got a player whose play is close to the same caliber as Cousins. For that reason, quarterback isn’t a pressing need.
That said, Smith is a 34-year-old passer, so it’s possible that he doesn’t have a lot of time left as a high level passer at the NFL level, especially considering his inconsistent arm strength. Because of this, the Redskins are going to have to add a quarterback to develop behind him. And they will likely at least consider doing that in the 2018 NFL Draft.
However, the Redskins simply can’t afford to take a quarterback on the first days of the draft. The reasoning for this is simple. First, Smith signed an extension with the Redskins that will keep him under contract for the next five seasons. Though the deal has some easy outs for the Redskins after three years, they still shouldn’t invest one of their early picks in a quarterback.
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Because of the way that draft pick contracts work, every player selected gets a deal that will keep them under contract for four years. The only players that have an option for a fifth year are the first round picks. In all likelihood, the Redskins would consider taking a quarterback in Round 2 if they were going to select one on either of the first two days of the draft. But if they did that, they would end up with a difficult situation.
In the event that Alex Smith declined three years into his deal, the team would probably part ways with him and then give their young play a chance to start. However, if that happened, the Redskins would get a tiny sample size to evaluate their quarterback before he is eligible for free agency. That could create another Kirk Cousins type scenario in which the team will either be forced to overpay an unproven quarterback, or they will have to play the franchise tag game. And that seems like a route the Redskins would rather avoid.
If the Redskins want to take a quarterback, they’d be better off grabbing a developmental project on Day 3 of the draft. Ideally, they could land a guy like Riley Ferguson in Round 5 or 6 to serve as the third stringer behind Colt McCoy. But either way, the Redskins would be best served to wait until the latter rounds to address this position. It would be foolish for them to repeat the same mistakes they made with Cousins, so grabbing a player who is similar to Nate Sudfeld makes a lot more sense.
2. Selecting any running back not named Saquon Barkley at the No. 13 pick
I’ve been a staunch proponent of the ideology that the second round running backs in this draft class are not too far off from the first round talents. In my opinion, save for Saquon Barkley, there is minimal separation between the second and sixth ranked runners in this draft class.
The name aside from Barkley that is getting a lot of first round buzz is Derrius Guice. It’s undeniable that Guice has talent, and our own Matt Valdovinos recently said that he should be a top 20 pick, but I just don’t see him as an early first round talent. I see him as more of a late-first round value who could end up being a strong starter at the next level.
For the NFL, Guice profiles as a workhorse back in the mold of Ray Rice, as WalterFootball.com’s Charlie Campbell has said in the past. And that means he will be a great three-down back with explosive ability and strength for the next level. But, the draft has so many quality options available that grabbing a running back at No. 13 would be a bad move for the Redskins.
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Say the Redskins did try to pick Guice at No. 13. They would then miss on a top defensive player, and that would mean they would have to find a nose tackle on Day 2 of the draft. That’s not impossible, but they would miss out on the top guys like Da’Ron Payne or Vita Vea who are sure-fire successes for the 3-4 defense.
In Round 2, a potential three-down player like Ronald Jones or Kerryon Johnson could be available. If not, a strong back like Nick Chubb could pair well with Chris Thompson. And for those wondering if Guice or Sony Michel could slip that far, they probably won’t, but they could be available for a trade up at the beginning of Round 2. So, it would be efficient to wait on a talented back in the second round.
At the No. 13 pick, the Redskins are likely going to have a shot at landing a falling, elite level prospect, as it’s possible that four or five quarterbacks will go in the top 12 picks. Ideally, Minkah Fitzpatrick would fall into the Redskins lap and that would allow them to address a need. If not Fitzpatrick, a top quality nose tackle like Payne or Vea could be an excellent option. It just wouldn’t make sense to take Guice at that spot, as they could land an equal value in Round 2. So, unless the Redskins trade down, they shouldn’t take a running back with their lone first round pick.
1. Letting Johnathan Hankins remain a free agent
Currently, the Redskins still have enough cap space remaining to make one quality move to add a player to their roster. They could opt to leave that space open to carry it over into the next offseason, or they could choose to sign an available player.
Of the players left on the free agent market, only a few make sense for Washington. Among them is nose tackle Johnathan Hankins. The former Indianapolis Colt and New York Giant visited with the team after he was cut by the Colts, and he would fill a massive need in the middle of the team’s defense. They have lacked a true nose tackle since moving to the 3-4 defense, and Hankins would be an excellent fit.
That said, the Redskins have chosen not to address the nose tackle position properly in previous offseasons. Last year, they added only Phil Taylor as a potential starting option and that didn’t end up working out to well. If the team doesn’t sign Hankins, it would be a major mistake for the team. They need a guy like Hankins, they have the money to get him, and they probably are the best fit from him.
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Hankins is still on the market, but he probably won’t be there for long. The Redskins have to make a move to get Hankins and if they do, they will be able to land an elite defensive back in Round 1 and a starting running back in Round 2. That would be the best draft strategy for the team, so signing Hankins would be an extremely beneficial move.