Washington Football Team: 3 early trade deadline targets for WFT

The Washington Football Team’s season is very close to coming off the rails.

With Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City coming to town this weekend, they run the risk of dropping to 2-4 with tilts against the Packers, Broncos (both on the road), Buccaneers, Panthers (in Carolina), and Seahawks on the horizon.

Tough to envision much, if any, wins during that gauntlet, so it’s not crazy to say that Washington’s season will be defined by this upcoming stretch … one that leads up to and well beyond the annual trade deadline.

With the NFL’s playoff contenders and bottom-feeders beginning to reveal themselves as we enter Week 6 of the campaign, there figures to be no shortage of players who are made available by their respective teams before Nov. 2.

Seeing that Washington could use a reinforcement (or several) to save their season, let’s highlight some early potential trade targets, shall we?

Washington Football Team: 3 early trade deadline targets

3.Bryce Callahan

After the offseason Washington put together — including free agency and the 2021 draft,  coupled with the return of some promising talents — it seemed like the secondary was going to improve upon a dominant 2020 campaign.

Through five games, though, Washington’s secondary is ironically battling the Chiefs for the most points allowed per game this year. By this time next week, the WFT could be in sole possession of last place in that category.

The group’s fall from grace has been gobsmacking, to say the least. William Jackson looks more and more like a bust. Kendall Fuller has bounced back after a rough start, but he’s still not living up to his contract. Benjamin St-Juste looks in over his head as a rookie. And Jimmy Moreland. Wait, nevermind. Washington cut him loose after the preseason. Oops!

So, who could the Football Team turn turn to as a potential saving grace? The truth is, we’re not sure any one addition could save the secondary. However, we’re intrigued by the idea of acquiring Bryce Callahan from Denver.

The Broncos are loaded with four solid cornerbacks: Callahan, Kyle Fuller, Patrick Surtain and Ronald Darby. Following the latter’s return from injury, Denver could feel compelled to unload one of them in exchange for a draft pick.

Callahan would be a quality addition for Washington. The 29-year-old has never earned a coverage grade lower than 77.3 (!) for an entire season and has averaged a picturesque 80.2 coverage grade over his five-year career.

Washington’s current corners couldn’t sniff those remarks. We know coverage grades don’t tell the whole story of a CB’s production, but Callahan is a proven commodity who could lockdown the slot position for Jack Del Rio’s defense.

2. Marcus Maye

The safety position has been — how do we put this? — an absolute calamity for Washington this season.

Landon Collins has come back down to earth (and then some) after reports during training camp indicated he looked better than ever. Bobby McCain is more adept at calling out the media than he is offering help over the top.

Assuming one (or both) of them aren’t back next season, Washington could use a dependable playmaker in the backend of their secondary to line up alongside Kamren Curl, or Jeremy Reaves if he’s re-signed.

Marcus Maye comes to mind as a potential fit amid reports that he would welcome a trade at the deadline. The Jets didn’t sign Maye to a long-term extension this offseason, which resulted in him signing the franchise tag.

Maye is a loyal player, but he felt undervalued during negotiations, and rightly so, as second-year general manager Joe Douglas doesn’t value the safety position nearly as much as he does the offensive and defensive line.

At 28 years old, Maye is coming off the best season of his career in 2020, when he tallied 88 tackles, 11 pass breakups, two interceptions, two sacks, and two forced fumbles. He also graded out highly by Pro Football Focus, earning a 73.0 run defense grade, a 64.7 pass rush grade and a sublime 85.8 coverage grade, respectively.

A trade for Maye might not be overly realistic given that Collins’ contract is still on the books, but desperate times call for desperate measures and we’d welcome it with open arms if Washington is able to hash out the financial logistics.

1. Mack Wilson

Washington has a gaping hole at linebacker. That was the case before Jon Bostic’s season-ending pectoral injury and it was re-accentuated during the team’s Week 5 loss to the Saints.

While Cole Holcomb recorded an interception, his limitations in coverage were on full display. For the game, he allowed three first downs and 70 yards, per PFF. Jamin Davis, meanwhile, logged just 13 snaps, so the coaching staff clearly isn’t ready to take the training wheels off the No. 19 overall pick.

Without Bostic, we didn’t see any three-LB sets. Collins and Kurl dropped into the box on numerous occasions. Washington also deployed five defensive linemen personnel a lot. Given that the Saints posted 33 points, Ron Rivera and Jack Del Rio should see to it that this strategy never sees the light of day again.

Rather, the front office should look to find them a competent linebacker to play alongside Holcomb. Enter Mack Wilson.

Wilson has fallen out of favor in Cleveland’s linebacker rotation. He’s still involved, but not heavily, as he’s managed a total of 28 snaps over the last three weeks (including just five in Week 5) following the return of Anthony Walker from IR and continued emergence of rookie Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.

A former fifth-round pick out of Alabama back in 2019, Wilson has exceeded expectations with the Browns. He started 14 games as a rookie, compiling 82 tackles and seven pass breakups, which is a lot for a linebacker.

At 23 years old, Wilson fits the age profile of Washington’s defense and was teammates with Daron Payne for two years in Tuscaloosa. Given his lack of playing time lately, he could likely be acquired for as little as a late-round pick.

Wilson won’t solve all of Washington’s problems, but he’d go a long way towards solidifying a LB group that’s been a black hole this season.

Washington Football Team: Positives and negatives from Week 5

The Washington Football Team lost a very winnable game on Sunday afternoon to the New Orleans Saints. Here are your takeaways from week 5.