Redskins top storylines to watch in the month of February
By Ian Cummings
No. 4 – Decisions yet to come on top free agents
In the evaluation process, the Redskins will naturally work toward free agency, and not only the potential signing of outside candidates, but also the consideration of interior free agents who are set to hit the market.
Brandon Scherff is the biggest name on that list; he’s widely considered a very good offensive guard at the NFL level, and his market value, per Spotrac, is $12.4 million. There’s talk that Rivera would like to re-sign Scherff, but if there isn’t news of more momentum before the start of the new league year, then things could get tricky.
Other top free agents from the Redskins camp include offensive guard Ereck Flowers, who, at just 25 years old, rejuvenated his career at left guard and became a more-than-serviceable starter in 2019. Washington could look to re-sign him as well, as he’s on the uptrend at his new position. There’s also Donald Penn, who could be brought back as a decent stop-gap at tackle, and Chris Thompson, whose age could be the deciding factor in his retainment.
Other minor team free agents exist at the fringes, such as Case Keenum, Colt McCoy, Adrian Peterson, Jon Bostic, and Caleb Brantley, and while it’s possible the Redskins re-sign some of these players, they might opt to keep as much of their over-$38 million in cap space as they can, and potentially add money by getting rid of certain contracts.
Once decisions are made with team free agents, the Redskins can hit the market and go after some of the big guys. There’s been excitement from the fans, that the Redskins might go after someone like James Bradberry or Austin Hooper, but for now, Washington hasn’t reached that stage of free agency just yet.