Free agency is underway. And the Redskins are in the middle of the pack.
The beginning of free agency is always reminiscent of restrictor plate racing: Cars lined up side-by-side, in rows by the dozen, jostling for inches at a time. Sometimes, the little things make a big difference, and the Washington Redskins learned that again on Monday.
The 2020 free agency period is still far from over, but after a day of action, we have a good first impression for what the Redskins haul in the first year of the Ron Rivera era might bring. Here are our takeaways!
No. 5 – These aren’t your typical Redskins
If you’re freaking out because the Redskins didn’t make their trademark splash signing on Day One of free agency, don’t. It’s really premature to react too positively or negatively to any moves, and while it is a little discouraging to see the brunt of the action drone on without the Redskins, it’s not a sign of underperformance.
In the past, the Redskins have often been compelled to be heavy players in free agency, and the returns gleaned from that annual investment cycle never quite made it worthwhile. Free agency woes were a staple of the 2000s in Washington, as well as Bruce Allen’s tenure with the team, and the themes were common across those eras: Impatience, unawareness, bad investments, and a lack of cohesiveness.
Yes, Ron Rivera’s Redskins didn’t make the headlines with their haul yesterday. But that’s not a bad thing. Rivera is quickly showing that he’s not going to carelessly shell out money for a player who might not be a good fit, simply because the market demands it. The Redskins’ strategy feels more calculated than normal. And while that’s less exciting and less poignant, it’s ultimately a positive development for long-term growth.
No. 4 – The new Redskins were still aggressive, though
Another reason the results aren’t necessarily indicative of the process: Just because the Redskins didn’t make any major signings, doesn’t mean they didn’t try. According to ESPN’s John Keim, the Redskins were close, but not close enough, in a few major developments on the day.
Washington offered Ereck Flowers $8.5 million annually to stay in D.C., but Flowers opted to take $10 million with his hometown team. Washington offered Amari Cooper a whopping $22 million a year, in hopes to pry him away from the Cowboys, but Cooper chose to stay in Dallas for the long haul. And, per Albert Breer, the Redskins also expressed interest in Stefon Diggs, but didn’t have the necessary draft capital to strike a deal for him.
The Redskins were relatively quiet yesterday, but they were still busy. These efforts appear smart, too. Flowers was a homegrown talent who’s young and ascending at guard. Cooper is a dynamic offensive weapon and an elite route runner who could’ve been a godsend for Dwayne Haskins. And Diggs, like Cooper, is a very good technician in the midst of his prime.
Sometimes, things just don’t work out. Had the Redskins gotten even two of these three deals to go down, their first day of free agency would’ve looked a lot different.
No. 3 – No unequivocally bad signings were made
The Redskins only made three signings yesterday. You can be disappointed about the lack of volume for sure, but I don’t think any of these signings were unequivocally bad.
Now, just as a disclaimer, I’m not jumping with joy over any of these moves. It was smart to bring Jon Bostic back on a cheap deal, but he’s nothing more than solid depth. It was smart to add a lineman with experience like Wes Schweitzer to create competition at left guard, but that situation is still unsettled. And it was a frugal move to sign Kendall Fuller for $10 million instead of Byron Jones for over $17 million, but Fuller wasn’t as good in 2019 as he was in 2017.
All of these acquisitions have question marks hovering over them, but Ron Rivera opted for the path with less risk and good proportional upside. That’s rarely a course of action that will come back to bite you in free agency. It might not be enough, but there are ways to correct that.
No. 2 – A Trent Williams trade needs to happen fast
One surprising development on the first day of unofficial free agency was the presence of trades, and not just run-of-the-mill, middling deals — but blockbuster negotiations sending All-Pro-caliber players across the country for massive heaps of draft capital.
The presence of trades on Monday showed that, while the primary focus is on players with expiring contracts, teams are looking to improve in any way possible not that they have the freedom to do so, and they’re willing to explore multiple avenues to do so. The Redskins need to take advantage of this situational urgency, and push the envelope in the Trent Williams situation.
Washington reportedly has been asking for a second-round pick for Williams, but Williams’ age, combined with his desire for a deal nearing $20 million annually, has soured teams on the value of that agreement. As teams grow more desperate with their options dwindling, such as the New York Jets, that could change. But Washington must be proactive in emboldening that desperation. Otherwise, they could find themselves too far behind to nab peak value.
No. 1 – Opportunity is still out there
The Redskins missed out on some of the most pivotal free agent signings, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t opportunity still waiting for them to capitalize on. The legal tampering window is only just beginning, and the Redskins still have a lot of money to work with.
There are still guys at positions of need who could help Washington out in 2020. It’s gotten to the point where the Redskins need to decide what they can still address in free agency and what they’ll have to look to the 2020 NFL Draft for, but there are still players who can help. It’s just up to Washington’s brass to stay calm and collected, and make the right calls.