Redskins should strongly consider re-signing Josh Johnson as a backup

The Washington Redskins have some questions at quarterback, and it may be best for them to keep some continuity at the position this offseason. For that reason, keeping Josh Johnson deserves strong consideration.

Alex Smith‘s injury has really muddied the waters for the Redskins quarterback situation for another season. Smith’s unfortunate leg injury was a brutal one, and it’s unclear when, or if, he will return to the team. It’s possible that he could miss a big chunk of the 2019 season — if not all of it — as he is on the road to recovery.

With that said, the Redskins have to spend the 2019 offseason preparing insurance policies in the event that Smith can’t play. They already have a fairly solid one in place with Colt McCoy. Last season, McCoy kept the team competitive in 1.5 games before going down with a leg injury of his own. If he can stay healthy, he can certainly be trusted as a solid stopgap starter.

That said, behind McCoy, the team has to add some depth. They need a veteran backup and could stand to add some youth to the team as well. With that in mind, it may make sense for the team to retain Josh Johnson who ended the season as the team’s starting quarterback.

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There are three distinct options for the Redskins to choose at quarterback this season. They can either choose to add a veteran in free agency to use as a starter, draft a player high in the 2019 NFL Draft, or they can add a low-budget veteran and a later-round pick at QB. In the lattermost scenario, McCoy would be trusted as a starter with the younger player and veteran battling it out for the backup role.

If the Redskins decide that they don’t like many of the options on the free agent market, it may behoove them to bring back Johnson. After all, Johnson would come very cheap and has a knowledge of the team’s offense. He may not be a consistent option if needed as a starter, but in this scenario, he would almost certainly be backing up McCoy. And if he was needed for a few games, he could keep the team afloat. That’s all you can ask for from a backup in the NFL.

Re-signing Johnson wouldn’t be the type of home-run move that the team has been trying to make at the quarterback position for the better part of the last decade. But, he would provide some stability and in the case that McCoy went down, Johnson could at least keep the team competitive if he can avoid turnovers.

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If the Redskins re-signed Johnson, drafted a guy like Easton Stick, and used McCoy as their starter, their quarterback group would be decent. As long as they’re hamstrung by Smith’s contract, that’s about as good as it’s going to get — unless they do decide to target an early-round quarterback in the upcoming draft.

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