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The 2000 Redskins: The first super team that wasn’t

By Kyle Hundley

22 Oct 2000: Brad Johnson #14 of the Washington Redskins drops back to pass during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at the Alltell Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. The Redskins defeated the Jaguars 35-16.Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons /Allsport
22 Oct 2000: Brad Johnson #14 of the Washington Redskins drops back to pass during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at the Alltell Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. The Redskins defeated the Jaguars 35-16.Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons /Allsport /
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26 Sep 1999: Dan Snyder of the Washington Redskins watches from the sidelines during a game against the New York Jets at the Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Redskins defeated the Jets 27-20.
26 Sep 1999: Dan Snyder of the Washington Redskins watches from the sidelines during a game against the New York Jets at the Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Redskins defeated the Jets 27-20. /

Redskins 2000 offseason and draft

The Offseason

After a defeat in the divisional round, the 2000 offseason was the first full offseason in which Dan Snyder was in charge of the Redskins with Cerrato by his side, and this is where things get interesting. Snyder wanted to win. And he was willing to do whatever it took to win, including spending large amounts of money on free agents, something not all owners are willing to do.

Once free agency hit, Cerrato made moves and Snyder began to open up his checkbook. Veterans Jeff George and Adrian Murrell were offensive additions, even though they had Brad Johnson and Stephen Davis. To help upgrade the defense, they added a couple of future Hall of Famers in legendary sack artist Bruce Smith and Deion Sanders, plus Mark Carrier to bolster the secondary. And, to go along with the free agency splurge, they also had the draft coming up to add a few more impact players.

The Draft

The 2000 draft wasn’t as famous as was the one the year prior but, this draft was still a memorable one. After Courtney Brown was selected first, the Redskins were on the clock. With the No. 2 overall selection, Washington took linebacker LaVar Arrington, Brown’s teammate at Penn State. It was a rarity to see teammates go one-two A first-team All-American, Arrington won the Butkus and Bednarik awards the year before. He looked like the next Lawerence Taylor, a guy who could single-handedly impact games on the defensive side.

Before the draft, the Redskins packaged their other two first-round picks, plus two more picks, to the San Francisco 49ers for the No. 3 pick in the draft, for a chance to add another elite player. With that pick, the Redskins then selected Chris Samuels, the big left tackle out of Alabama, to help solidify the offensive line and protect Brad Johnson. Samuels just won the Outland Trophy, and had all the makings to be great at the next level.

The Redskins had just added two of the top three players in the draft. They still had six selections after taking Samuels and Arrington as well. Of their next six picks, only four would be on the team for the season: Cornerback Lloyd Harrison, guard Michael Moore, quarterback Todd Husak, and defensive tackle Delbert Cowsette. Only Samuels and Arrington contributed, so their draft was very, very top heavy.

All these additions had the Redskins in a position to win, and win now, as there was no longer a grace period for Norv Turner. The pressure was on. Between the draft and free agency, Snyder and Cerrato had built a team that cost over $100 million.

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