The Washington Redskins once again find themselves entering the offseason with major questions at quarterback. They could target a veteran stopgap in free agency to help fill in for Alex Smith.
For yet another offseason, the Washington Redskins have questions at the quarterback position. After dealing with the Kirk Cousins debacle, the team was supposed to be set for at least the last few years when they traded for Alex Smith. That investment has quickly turned into a nightmare.
While Smith’s leadership did a lot to help the ‘Skins get off to a 6-3 start, he didn’t perform all too well and left a lot to be desired as a passer. He’s a functional game manager who can make things go right, but he’s more of a league-average quarterback at his peak. Unfortunately, Smith’s value almost completely evaporated after he suffered a brutal leg injury that knocked him out for the season. It is going to be very hard for Smith to return to the NFL, and it’s possible that he may not be able to play in 2019.
Because of this and Smith’s age (35 in May), it will be difficult for the team to trust him going forward. But at the same time, his contract carries a massive cap hit that will make adding another big-money quarterback to replace him cost-prohibitive. That means that the team is also unlikely to be in the Joe Flacco/Ryan Tannehill sweepstakes once those two become available.
For the next couple of seasons, the team will either have to rely on a cheap veteran or draft an early-round prospect in hopes that they can build up the rest of the team thanks to the presence of that cost-controlled rookie deal.
It seems more likely that the Redskins will add some young talent at quarterback. But, if they want to bring in a veteran to compete with Colt McCoy for the starting job if Smith can’t play in 2019, there will be some options available. Here’s a look at three players that the squad could potentially target in free agency.
Sometimes he’s Fitzmagic, sometimes he’s Fitztragic. But one thing is certain. Ryan Fitzpatrick is going to start for an NFL team at some point in 2019. It’s just a matter of who and when.
Fitzpatrick is one of the best spot starters in the league. At times, he has proven to be capable of leading strong rosters to victory and has gotten teams close to the postseason in the past as well. However, for every strong-to-elite performance Fitzpatrick puts up, he puts up a handful of clunkers. For that reason, it’s tough to trust him as a season-long starter.
Still, the Redskins are desperate for competition at quarterback. Even if McCoy can be the full-time starter for them — a proposition that seems likely in 2019 — the team will have to bring in a veteran backup to help them keep things competitive. That’s where Fitzpatrick will come in, as he would be a solid, steady presence to step in if McCoy went down.
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If he’s just appearing in a couple of games, Fitzpatrick can hold up well. In the past five seasons, he has compiled a 23-26 record as a starter. That’s not great, but the fact is that as a backup or part-time starter, he has been able to get close to .500. So, if McCoy went down and Fitzpatrick came in, the team would at least have a shot at remaining competitive.
Fitzpatrick’s fit in Washington is a solid one, but it could become redundant if the team decides to go with Josh Johnson as McCoy’s veteran insurance policy. The team could certainly keep Johnson, then draft a passer, and carry that trio into the season with Smith also on the roster but likely stashed on the PUP list.
Fitzpatrick may not be a young option (36). He may not have a lot of upside. He may not be the type of guy you can rely on for 16 games. But, he has experience and shouldn’t be discounted in the event that Johnson doesn’t return. Of all the potential cheap, veteran options on the market, Fitzpatrick is certainly one of the ones that could make more sense for the ‘Skins.
On the surface, this may seem like a ridiculous idea. Robert Griffin III ended up being a colossal bust for the Redskins as the No. 2 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. So, why would he want to return to Washington?
Sure, Griffin had a terrific rookie season, but an ACL tear in the postseason stunted his growth as a passer. He eventually lost his starting job to Kirk Cousins and became the team’s third-stringer before being cut after just four seasons with the team. It was a shocking fall from grace, to say the least.
Since then, he spent a bit of time with the Cleveland Browns before being cut early in the 2017 season. He remained unsigned until the Ravens came calling before the 2018 season. He served as the team’s third-string option and helped to mentor Lamar Jackson.
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Griffin returning to Washington makes sense for a couple of reasons. The first is that he is familiar with Jay Gruden’s offense and he should be able to step in and execute if necessary. The second is that Griffin won’t have the option to compete for a starting job anywhere else. In Washington, he would at least get a shot, whereas if he stayed in Baltimore, he would almost certainly be the backup at best.
The time away from the game seems to have humbled Griffin a bit, and he may be willing to accept a lesser role to get a better situation. But, the fact remains that there are only a handful of teams across the league that he could legitimately get a chance to start with. The Redskins might be one of them.
Griffin is still fairly young (29) so there’s a chance that he could land another lucrative deal with a solid season as a starter. If he wants playing time, coming to Washington on a cheap deal to compete with McCoy would certainly be a sensible move.
Getting Teddy Bridgewater could end up being a stretch for the Redskins. He is still just 26 years old and has starter potential at the NFL level. However, since he suffered an awful knee injury before the 2016 season, he hasn’t been able to play very much. Because of his injury issues, limited sample size of work in the past three seasons, and other quality quarterbacks on the open market, Bridgewater has gone a bit under the radar and hasn’t gotten a lot of love from NFL teams.
In Week 17 of the 2018 season, Bridgewater finally got a chance to start for the first time since 2015. The Saints were playing in a meaningless game against the Panthers, so Bridgewater got the nod. In that contest, he didn’t have a great showing. He checked the ball down a lot and didn’t look very comfortable in the pocket. Overall, he finished the day 14-of-22 for 118 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.
While Bridgewater’s performance wasn’t great by any means, it is still important to note that it was his first significant NFL action in three years. So, he was probably a bit rusty. And, he settled down a bit more in the second half and performed a bit better. Bridgewater also looked good in the preseason with the Jets, so that’s definitely notable as well.
Last offseason, Bridgewater received $6 million over one year. He may get less this year. Unless the Saints saw something in practice that other teams didn’t, he will probably get a $3-$5 million deal to be a top backup and compete as a starter. Washington may give him a chance to rebuild his value and earn a starting job. So, coming here could suit him well because of that.
Still, Bridgewater seems likely to have many suitors, so this may just end up being a pipe dream for Redskins fans. That said, the team should still have interest in Bridgewater and if they decide to go for a quarterback in free agency instead of early in the draft, Bridgewater should be their top target.