The Washington Redskins offseason has mostly wrapped up. Here are the grades for their entire offseason.
We’re now over a week into May, and that means that we’re officially hitting the dregs of the NFL offseason. There are still some big-name players that remain unsigned, but aside from those potential signings, most teams will only make minor changes and additions to their roster moving forward.
The Washington Redskins don’t figure to make any more splash moves this offseason. While there is a sliver of hope that the team could sign a free agent now that we’re past the compensatory pick deadline, it seems more likely that they will stick with what they have and maybe target some budget options to fill out their 90-man roster.
So, basically, that means that the major acquisition point of the Redskins’ 2019 offseason is virtually over. And if it isn’t and they do target another big move, consider the previous sentence a bit of a reverse jinx. Still, it would be a surprise if they make another big move in the near future.
With that said, it’s time to take a look at the ‘Skins’ offseason in its entirety. Here’s a look at grades for the ‘Skins during their offseason activities, starting with the changes they made to their coaching staff.
Coaching Changes
The Redskins didn’t change anything at the top of their coaching staff. Jay Gruden stayed on as the head coach. Greg Manusky is still the defensive coordinator. But, there were a few changes, and there were only a couple of silver linings.
The biggest of these silver linings is that the ‘Skins promoted Kevin O’Connell to offensive coordinator. By elevating O’Connell but also keeping Matt Cavanaugh on the staff, the Redskins have positioned themselves to have and retain three savvy minds on the offensive side of the ball. O’Connell, a former Patriots draft pick, is considered to be an up-and-comer in the coaching ranks, so keeping him onboard was key.
Elsewhere, Washington did land a couple of former defensive coordinators to serve as position coaches. Ray Horton and Rob Ryan will coach the team’s defensive backs and linebacker respectively, so that should help add some experience to the defensive staff. Both have failed as coordinators, but they should help Manusky as solid position coaches.
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However, the other moves aren’t quite as inspiring. The team lost their special teams coordinator, Ben Kotwica, a year after he helped the ‘Skins teams put together one of their best performances in recent years. Nate Kaczor, whose special teams peaked at 20th-best during his tenure with the Tampa Bay Bucs, will take over for him.
Elsewhere, the team lost potential-packed tight ends coach, Wes Phillips, to the Rams and Sean McVay. They may not have been able to do much about Phillips’ departure, as he went to coach with his father, Wade Phillips, but their replacement, Jim Angelichio, is only a decent option at best.
The Redskins’ coaching decisions were certainly up and down, and depending on your opinion of Gruden, this grade can be debated. I think the negatives and positives are pretty evenly matched here, so I won’t penalize the team much for their offseason coaching moves, even though it did take a while to get everything sorted out.
Redskins Coaching Changes Grade: C
Free Agency
The Redskins did pretty well in free agency this year. They didn’t overspend for many players and were generally smart with their overall strategy.
The big-name addition was Landon Collins. One of the best downhill playmakers at the safety position, Collins is probably the best safety the Redskins have had on their roster since the unfortunate passing of Sean Taylor. They paid a pretty penny to retain his services, but thanks to some handy contract work, he won’t cost much as a rookie. And having him locked up for five years should make him a key building block on an excellent-looking defense.
Elsewhere, Washington avoided overspending to add C.J. Mosely to their linebacker corps, so that was smart. They also took a couple of calculated risks on players like Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Ereck Flowers. DRC could provide veteran depth in the secondary, but they could part with him easily if needed (much like Orlando Scandrick last year).
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Meanwhile, the team is planning on trying Flowers at guard. While that’s a risk, they have competition for him and aren’t paying him a lot for the one year that they have him. It’s a classic one-year, “prove it” deal.
Additionally, the team brought back veteran running back Adrian Peterson at a reasonable price. He should provide good depth behind Derrius Guice and should serve as a solid mentor. Keeping him in the fold was probably a positive move in that regard, though it remains to be seen if the 34-year-old will be effective as he continues on in the twilight of his career.
In terms of their departures, it was tough to watch Preston Smith, Jamison Crowder, and Ty Nsekhe walk, but all got more money than the ‘Skins could have realistically afforded. Perhaps they should have tried to get an extension done with one of them before last season began, but that is just nit-picking at this point.
The one player that they probably should have made a better effort to retain was Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. He signed with the Bears for just $3.5 million over one year. The Redskins could have kept him to shore up their depth at safety. With Collins, Clinton-Dix, and Montae Nicholson all on the roster, the team’s safety group would be a lot deeper.
Still, the long-term positives are good news for the Redskins, so they should be lauded for their efforts in free agency.
Redskins Free Agency Grade: B+
NFL Draft
The Redskins were largely proclaimed to be winners in the immediate aftermath of the 2019 NFL Draft. And it’s easy to see why. The team landed two of the top prospects at positions they needed and added several quality playmakers in the later rounds of the draft.
Most notably, the team’s first-round haul was impressive. Dwayne Haskins and Montez Sweat both figure to be playmakers for the team, and Haskins answers the team’s quarterback question for the foreseeable future. He may not be ready to start right away, but he will be the starter by the end of the season.
Meanwhile, Sweat should fit well as a starter across from Ryan Kerrigan on the edge. Sweat was a probable top-10 pick before a health concern caused him to drop to the late first round. The Redskins didn’t hesitate to move up and get him and that aggressiveness should pay off.
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In the middle and late rounds of the draft, the ‘Skins were also able to land some quality players. Receivers Terry McLaurin and Kelvin Harmon should shore up the weakness Washington had in the receiver corps. In fact, Harmon may end up becoming one of the steals of the draft after the team was able to get the potential Day 2 prospect in the sixth round.
Elsewhere, offensive linemen Wes Martin and Ross Pierschbacher both will help to provide competition at the left guard position while seventh-round picks, CB Jimmy Moreland and EDGE Jordan Brailford, will challenge for depth roles on the squad.
The only pick that was somewhat questionable was Bryce Love. And that has nothing to do with talent. Love is a very good running back, but he is coming off a torn ACL and the Redskins didn’t have an obvious need at the position. It’s well within the realm of possibility that Love could become a key member of the backfield moving forward. It was just strange to see the ‘Skins spend a fourth-round pick on what was one of their strongest position groups.
In any draft class, teams will look to find at least a few solid starters and a bunch of potential depth players. The Redskins were able to do just that. They helped to set a strong foundation for the future, and they deserve credit for what they were able to do in the draft.
Redskins NFL Draft Grade: A-
Overall Grade
The Redskins front office deserves credit for the work that they were able to do in the offseason. For the second straight year, they have done well to address some of their critical needs and have added a lot of young talent to the roster.
Their free agency was above average, as they were able to add some quality players and only overpaid for Collins. And even that deal is better than the original numbers showed.
In the draft, the team landed a lot of quality prospects, but their best move was grabbing Sweat when he fell to the 26th pick in the first round. They were aggressive but smart with their moves, and they were able to add both talent and depth as a result.
The coaching moves were just average, and they may be worse depending on your opinion of the man in charge. That said, the addition of talent was the most important thing this offseason due to the budgetary constraints created by the Alex Smith deal. And they were certainly able to add talent.
Overall, the Redskins had a good offseason. They deserve praise, and a grade in the B-range certainly makes sense when taking a big-picture look at the team. They may not quite be ready to make the next step in 2019, but they have added some great long-term building blocks that should help them get on the right track.