Report: Redskins still in on C.J. Mosley even after signing Landon Collins

Landon Collins was the first big free agent signing for the Washington Redskins. Could C.J. Mosley be the second?

NFL free agency is in full swing. The first day of legal tampering saw many teams agree to deals with some of the top players on the market. Trent Brown, Trey Flowers, Jamison Crowder, Tyrann Mathieu, and Landon Collins were among some of the notable players to change teams, and Collins was a huge get for the Redskins.

Collins inked a six-year, $84 million deal with $45 million in guarantees. The deal’s average annual value (AAV) is for $14 million per year. Many assumed that would wipe out the Redskins cap space and keep them from adding more to the team, but they may still be able to open up space and add another player.

According to ESPN’s John Keim, the team may not be done adding on defense. And despite his potentially high price-tag, C.J. Mosley could still be in play for the Redskins.

The Redskins are really trying to beef up their defense. Despite their cap situation and the contract for Landon Collins, they are still in on ILB CJ Mosley.
— John Keim (@john_keim) March 12, 2019

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Given the relative cost of adding Mosley, this report is surprising, to say the least.

After Kwon Alexander set the new market for inside linebackers with $13.5 million annually over four years, it has been widely assumed that C.J. Mosley will get even more. That doesn’t seem like it should be palatable for Washington, as they have minimal cap space and would have to cut some players to get Mosley.

Then, the issue of Mosley’s coverage skills comes up. His weakness is in that area, and that’s something the ‘Skins had trouble with last year. Mosley might be better against the run than the other linebackers, but are his coverage skills good enough to justify paying him $14-$15 million per year? That’s debatable. So, that will be the issue the Redskins have to tackle in negotiating with Mosley.

The reality of the situation is that there aren’t a lot of quality linebackers on the free agent market on in the draft this year. Thus, teams that want to upgrade the position are willing to spend more freely for the available upgrades. That’s why the price of the available linebackers is being inflated. Because there are few options with that strong of a skill set.

Grading the Redskins signing Landon Collins. dark. Next

We’ll see how talks with Mosley progress, and how that may affect the other players on the Redskins. The team is reportedly shopping Mason Foster and Zach Brown, but they may be cut if Mosley comes to town. Right now, everything is volatile. Just know that the Redskins’ interest in Mosley appears to be legitimate.

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