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Simulating the Washington Redskins’ entire 2019 offseason

By Jacob Camenker

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 03: Josh Norman #24 of the Washington Redskins walks off the field after the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 3, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Redskins 28-13. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 03: Josh Norman #24 of the Washington Redskins walks off the field after the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 3, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Redskins 28-13. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 03: Wide receiver Golden Tate #19 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates against the Washington Redskins during the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on December 3, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 03: Wide receiver Golden Tate #19 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates against the Washington Redskins during the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on December 3, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Free Agent Signings: Offense

On the offensive side of the ball, we wanted to target two key areas. First, we wanted to plug the hole that has been plaguing the team at left guard for the better part of the last five years. And second, we wanted to see if we could grab a receiver to replace Jamison Crowder, and one that may be able to fit better into the team’s offense.

We were able to do just that.

At guard, we settled on Ramon Foster. The former Steeler was available on the free agent market and we were able to nab him for a total of $21 million over three years. That would tie Foster for the 20th-highest paid guard in the NFL, and that is more than reasonable to retain his services.

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During his career, Foster has started 131 games and has generally been a solid cog on the Steelers’ offensive line. While he is turning 33 in early January, interior linemen tend to stay in their prime longer. So, he can be trusted as a starter, and $7 million yearly to fix one of the team’s problem spots seems like a bargain. Were he to regress early in the contract, the team could part ways with him for with little issue.

Meanwhile, at receiver, we settled on another veteran that could work out in the Redskins’ system. That would be Golden Tate. The YAC machine had trouble getting going in Philadelphia after a midseason trade over from Detroit, but he still posted a solid 10.7 yards per catch and had nearly 800 yards on the season. Because of his ability to produce with the ball in his hands, we wanted to make sure we got him.

At the end of the day, we managed to nab Tate for $30 million over three years. The deal was 45 percent guaranteed. This is roughly what we would have had to pay Crowder to stay, so a case could be made that Crowder (25) would have been a better long-term investment than Tate (30). That is definitely a sensible argument given the age disparity, but Tate’s elusive ability and ability to turn short catches into long gains is why we targeted him. Crowder has a bit of that skill set, but Tate is superior at it.

With the team dealing with questions at quarterback, having a dynamic, explosive, and consistent player like Tate would be helpful. The consistency is the one part of that equation that Crowder lacks.

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