Redskins reportedly will have interest in free agent LB C.J. Mosley

Free agency is about to get started and the Washington Redskins have been linked to some big names. One of them is linebacker C.J. Mosley.

With the free agent period getting started with legal tampering on Monday, the Redskins are going to start getting involved in bringing new players to the team. While they may not end up signing any of the big names that they are tied to, they are still certainly looking at adding some talent to their roster. And right now, it seems likely that they will be involved with a couple of the bigger names on the market.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Redskins are expected to be one of the teams that are in on Ravens linebacker, C.J. Mosley. Mosley, a former first-round pick out of Alabama, has been a starter in the middle of Baltimore’s 3-4 defense for the past five seasons. He has been a very solid player, and he is an excellent downhill playmaker and tackler at the position.

In five years with the Ravens, Mosley totaled 597 tackles, good for an average of almost 120 tackles per season. He has only ever missed three games, so durability is a major plus for him. He would help to upgrade the Redskins’ run defense and would be a good long-term partner for Reuben Foster.

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However, some concern remains with giving Mosley a big deal. He is merely decent in coverage at best. He can remain on the field in third-down situations, but there will be some moments that he gives up big plays. Of course, he would still be an upgrade over what the Redskins have in that area, as their linebackers struggled to cover last year anyway. He just might not completely fix that issue.

The question about trying to sign Mosley is, will he be worth what he ends up getting paid? He may be the most popular inside linebacker on the free agent market, so that could drive his value up a bit. If he starts to approach Luke Kuechly territory (12.3 million annually) and becomes the highest paid linebacker in the NFL, the Redskins may have to think twice before adding him.

Mosley would certainly help the Redskins out. It’s just a matter of whether or not the price is right for Washington. They have limited cap space and while they will likely open up some extra space, they have to make sure they don’t overspend, even on an upgrade.

While the ‘Skins may be in on Mosley now, it will be interesting to see if their interest is legitimate. They may be better served to heavily target an oversaturated safety market and let other teams with cap space bid heavily on Mosley’s service.