The one player the Washington Football Team should eventually trade

Let me start by noting that, contrary to the title of this little essay, the Washington Football Team does not have to trade anyone.

If you think that is a bit of a bait and switch, guilty as charged. But that’s a good thing. The Washington Football Team, after decades of mismanagement, is finally making smart football decisions. They haven’t all worked out, and future missteps are inevitable. But the current management team is hitting far more than they are missing, and that constitutes a glorious departure from the days of Vinny Cerrato and Bruce Allen.

When I say Washington has to trade a player, I really mean they should trade him. Of course, if you were to ask the fans, they would say the player who should be traded is box safety Landon Collins. But that’s not where I’m going. Collins has a big contract and did not produce very well in 2020. Rookie Kam Curl filled in very well for him after Collins season-ending injury.

Nevertheless, trading Collins would be difficult. It’s not so much his contract or his sub-par play in 2020. He is not the train wreck that some fans seem to think he is. It is more a question of his injury. There are teams who might be willing to take on that contract, but not until he proves that he is fully recovered and hasn’t lost anything physically.

So if the Washington Football Team could find a trade partner for Landon Collins, I assume they would leap at that chance. But I don’t think they will find one.

They would find one – more than one I imagine – for Daron Payne.