Redskins reputation a serious issue heading into 2019

Brian LaFemina was thought to be the Redskins public relations savior in the summer of 2018. But it’s clear that there’s more work to be done.

Things appeared to be moving in the right direction this offseason. The Washington Redskins had shuffled around their front office, giving more power to officials like Doug Williams, Kyle Smith, Eric Schaffer, and the aforementioned LaFemina. Alex Smith was brought in to be a consummate locker room leader, and judging by the team’s reaction to his career-threatening injury, he did his job well.

The Redskins progress may soon be locked into the past, however. There’s no guarantee Smith plays again, and in the aftermath of his injury, the team has fallen apart. A four-game losing streak has soured the locker room to its core, and the acquisition of Reuben Foster amidst looming criminal charges certainly didn’t help matters. Factor in the team’s sorry quarterback carousel over the past few weeks, and it’s clear that the team’s reputation needs a reset.

The reputation reset, however, is a time sensitive matter, because as it stands, Washington is not the most attractive destination for players and coaches, to say the least. The universe has graciously provided a timely example: Simmie Cobbs was poached off of the Redskins’ practice squad by the Saints, and when the Redskins tried to give Cobbs a counter-offer to consider, his decision did not change.

Cobbs, a young player who’d spent the entire year practicing in Washington, making connections in Washington, chose a change of scenery, and logic says a number of players in the Redskins locker room feel the same way. Zach Brown recently said the writing was on the wall for his future in D.C., and the Alabama alumni have been considerably uncomfortable with losing in every way possible.

Washington’s losing has become almost habitual, and the team’s reputation as a cursed franchise only continues to fester. This offseason, with serious roster and coaching staff changes in the realm of possibility, Washington has a public relations issue on their hands. More likely than not, they’ll have lots of construction on the to-do list. But reconstruction is a tough task when no one wants to pick up the hammer.