Three questions the Redskins must answer before free agency

No. 3 – Where does the buck stop at quarterback for the Redskins?

With this year’s quarterback crop almost doomed to disappoint, Bruce Allen has let it be known that the Redskins likely won’t be interested in taking a first-round signal caller. Obviously, all such claims must be taken with a grain of salt, as a lot can change from now until April. But for now, that statement puts a spotlight on free agency.

Washington would be brash to add a free agent signal caller on a starting salary, even a modest one, by current standards. Set to have just $21 million in cap space by the turn of the league year, and with $50 million in dead cap tied up in Alex Smith’s contract, in addition to over ten percent of the Redskins overall cap space, the Redskins can’t afford to shell out more hefty quarterback guarantees.

Thus, an interesting question arises for the Redskins: Where does the buck stop at the quarterback position in free agency? Is Josh Johnson set to return as a capable backup, and fill a spot on the roster, or will the Redskins be a bit more aggressive?

To fulfill the latter option, the Redskins would have to make some cuts, as we’ll get into later. While it’s possible, such a move could have drastic long-term implications, depending on how much the Redskins are willing to give a Ryan Tannehill or Joe Flacco type. It would easily be better to simply wait and fill the roster with value deals at other positions, but Bruce Allen is on the record saying they’re “close” for yet another year. He knows as well as anybody that only teams with quarterbacks compete. The question is, how bold are he and Snyder willing to get, in an effort to maximize another annual opportunity?