Why it makes sense for the Redskins to wait on a tight end in the 2020 NFL Draft

The Washington Redskins could use a tight end. But waiting to draft one in the 2020 NFL Draft could actually be their best option.

The Washington Redskins once had one of the deeper tight end groups in the league when Jordan Reed, Vernon Davis, and Niles Paul were all on the team. But in the past few seasons, that room has gotten weaker.

Because of Reed’s injury issues, the Redskins lacked top-tier talent at tight end. Davis was a solid fill-in, but he was in his mid-30s and eventually slowed down a bit. And this offseason, he retired. Reed was cut, so Jeremy Sprinkle was set to be the top tight end on the depth chart before free agency.

The Redskins didn’t make any big moves at the tight end position this offseason. They added some depth in Logan Thomas and Richard Rodgers, two players who will compete with Sprinkle, Hale Hentges, and Caleb Wilson for playing time. But are any of them true starters? That remains to be seen, but seems unlikely.

As a result of the weaknesses at this spot, many have presumed that the Redskins could be in the market for a tight end in the 2020 NFL Draft. And some have assumed that the ‘Skins could target one as early as the third round.

But that’s looking less likely. Both Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan and John Keim of ESPN are hearing that the Redskins aren’t looking to target a tight end in the third and will look to add one later.

This is actually good news for Redskins fans. Why is that? The 2020 draft is weak at the tight end position. There simply aren’t a lot of players that look like top-level contributors in the NFL, and most players drafted will be backup quality players.

A few players could turn into starters. Cole Kmet and Adam Trautman stand out as the best options in this class. But would the Redskins target them over some of the better talent at the deeper receiver and offensive tackle positions in the third round? It doesn’t seem likely at this point in time. And that’s the smart way to build the team, as they can add better prospects that still fill positions of need with the all-important 66th pick. In short, it’s unlikely that a tight end will be the best player on the board in the third round.

The Redskins have too many holes to plug during this draft to realistically fill them all. If they wait until the late fourth or fifth round to take a tight end — or eschew the position entirely — it may not make that big of a difference for the squad. They may be best served to let their tight end depth jockey for playing time this year while focusing on the other needs and deeper positions in this draft.

For example, filling the hole they have at the left tackle position could both be easier to do, given the depth of this tackle class, and could have more of an impact on the team than drafting a tight end.

We’ll see very soon what the Redskins have in store for their picks. But if their draft strategy includes waiting to take a late-round flier on a tight end or ignoring the position entirely, that may not be a bad thing. It’s simply not a great year to need a tight end and the ‘Skins could be better served to wait until 2021 to find a true fix at that position. Or they could target a guy like O.J. Howard if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to dangle him as trade bait.