Redskins trade for Browns QB Kevin Hogan in swap of draft picks

The Washington Redskins have made another trade to get a former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback. This time, it’s former Stanford product Kevin Hogan.

There was one thing that the Washington Redskins still had to address at the quarterback position in the 2018 offseason. After letting Kirk Cousins walk in the offseason and trading for Alex Smith, the team just had to add some young talent to the position. After all, Smith and Colt McCoy are 34 and 31 respectively, so acquiring a younger player to develop would make sense.

The Redskins didn’t need to get a high-round pick at the position, but they at least needed a potential developmental guy. They had lost Nate Sudfeld before the 2017 offseason as they elected to cut him. He landed with the Philadelphia Eagles and became a Super Bowl Champion, albeit as the third string quarterback.

Still, the Redskins had to get youth and they officially got a young guy on Friday. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the team has made a trade with the Cleveland Browns to acquire Kevin Hogan. Schefter outlined the exact details of the trade on Twitter.

While Hogan, 25, still has some upside, this isn’t going to be a big move for the team. If anything, it’s just a move to add more depth.

More from Riggo's Rag

• Highlighting the best Commanders 2023 NFL Draft betting props
• 3 late Commanders rumors drawing buzz ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft
• 4 bold predictions for the Commanders 2023 NFL Draft
• Commanders News: Chase Young trade, draft day, CB riser and Sam Howell
• Bet365 VA Bonus Code – Claim $200 Guaranteed With Sign-Up Bonus 

Hogan was a fifth round pick out of Stanford during the 2016 NFL Draft when he was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs. In the preseason, Hogan was abysmal in minimal action, and the team elected to release him. Eventually, Hogan landed with the Cleveland Browns where he served mostly as a depth player, but got some action in 2016. He wasn’t very good, but was able to keep his roster spot.

In 2017, Hogan saw more action. Hogan was brilliant after replacing DeShone Kizer in extended action during the team’s fifth game against the Jets. In that contest, he completed 16-of-19 passes for 194 yards, two scores, and a pick. It looked like he had decent accuracy and could potentially become a game manager.

However, Hogan made a single start against the Houston Texans following the Jets game, and it wasn’t pretty. In what was a 33-17 loss for the Browns. In the contest, Hogan struggled with accuracy and threw three interceptions, capsizing the Browns’ hopes of winning the game.

Hogan is a raw, inconsistent player with good intangibles and intelligence, decent accuracy, and nice mobility. It’s not out of the question for him to develop into a good backup. He doesn’t have the best arm, but perhaps working with Alex Smith will teach him how to utilize the short passing game to greatly benefit him as a player. That was the plan for him in Kansas City, so perhaps it will work in Washington.

Next: NFL Mock 8.0 - Redskins grab a nose tackle

This trade is an interesting one to say the least. Moving down 17 picks and grabbing a 25-year-old quarterback with experience to be a third stringer isn’t a game changing move, but it’s not a bad one either. Hogan will be a player to watch in the preseason, and acquiring him should eliminate the team’s need to take a quarterback at any point in the 2018 NFL Draft, unless they see an incredible value on the board.