Simulating the Washington Football Team’s entire 2021 offseason
Roster cuts: Keep Alex Smith or cut him?
Alex Smith‘s status would be the first decision Washington’s GM would have to make. The 36-year-old is coming off a season that saw him make one of the most improbable returns from injury of all time and as a starter for Washington, he posted a 5-1 record.
However, Smith’s injured calf didn’t hold up as the year went along and after Week 14, he was basically sidelined or playing on one leg. If the team feels he can’t play and stay consistently healthy any longer, they could opt to cut him to open up either $13.6 million or $19 million if he’s designated as a post-June 1 release.
That will be a tough decision for Washington to make, and they may like to have Smith take it out of their hands by retiring. He’s a valuable veteran who has proven that he can win games, but how healthy will he be?
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At this time, it seems more likely that because of their issues at quarterback, Washington would hold onto Smith at least as a backup. If they like players in free agency enough, they could choose to open up some extra cap space by cutting Smith. But because he’s a well-respected veteran leader and mentor, Rivera and Co. may want to keep him around as they continue to build a positive culture around the team.
Things could change if Smith decides to retire, or if Washington acquires a true franchise quarterback somehow and Smith wants to go elsewhere. Still, for now, it seems more likely that Smith will stick around — if he chooses to play football in 2021.
Smith is the only big-time roster cut decision that Washington will have to make. The likes of Troy Apke, Wes Martin, and Geron Christian could all be on the roster bubble, but they aren’t key contributors nor would they open up much cap space.
For now, we’re projecting them to stick around to compete for depth roles. If they struggle, they may not make the 53-man roster or practice squad, but the team probably won’t give up on the potential of Christian and Martin or the special teams ability of Apke quite yet, especially since they aren’t very expensive.
In short, don’t expect a lot of big-time surprises to come out of roster cuts. There aren’t any Josh Norman-type contracts on the team this season.