Should Washington Football Team buy or sell at trade deadline?

The Washington Football is 2-5 entering a road tilt against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. With the bye on deck in Week 9, it’s imperative that Washington gets a little wind in their sails after losing three in a row.

If you think about it, this game could determine how Washington attacks the trade deadline, too. With the Dallas Cowboys running away with the division, most fans have their sights set on what lies beyond 2021, like the draft.

Washington hasn’t been particularly busy on the transaction front during the season, so fans have been wondering whether Ron Rivera and the front office should buy, sell or stand their ground before 4 p.m. EST on Nov. 2.

Let’s attack this question from all angles and try to determine the most logical course of action for the franchise, shall we?

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How should the Washington Football Team approach the upcoming trade deadline?

Let’s get the obvious answer out of the way. Should Washington choose to buy, they should do so with great diligence. In other words, buy at the right price. Dont’ just spend willy-nilly to bolster a roster that’s likely not making the playoffs.

If Washington is attracted to a player who’s disgruntled with his current organization, we’d be open to the idea of acquiring said player. For example, Brandin Cooks or James Washington would be smart, low-risk purchases. Trading for Odell Beckham Jr. on the other hand, would be asking to blow up in their face.

That goes for all positions. Not just wide receiver. In terms of positions we’d be looking to upgrade, receiver, cornerback (for depth purposes), linebacker and potentially a backup defensive end would fit the bill.

That brings us to the selling debate. We understand fans who want Washington to engage in a firesale at the deadline. We really do. This roster has a lot of deadwood, or players who don’t belong in the franchise’s future plans,

It’s not that simple, though. You can’t just ask for your team to get rid of its scraps and just assume someone will take them (and their contracts) off your hands. In other words, Landon Collins is likely unmovable.

As far as players who Washington can actually make a profit off of, veterans like Brandon Scherff, Adam Humphries, Bobby McCain and Cornelius Lucas make the most sense, at least in our eyes.

When it comes to Scherff, he’s on another expiring franchise tag. With no negotiations of a long-term deal, shouldn’t Washington cash in while they still can? There are a cavalcade of teams in the market for OL help and Scherff, if he’s made available, could help the front office recoup maybe a third-round pick.

Humphries, meanwhile, has just 18 receptions, which sadly ranks third on the team, for 185 yards through seven games. It’s probably time for Washington to cuts their losses and sell the shifty slot receiver to a team that can actually make use of his attributes, because he hasn’t contributed diddly squat to this offense.

As for McCain, he’s had some good moments in the Burgundy and Gold this season. Unfortunately, they’ve been few and far between and Washington would be wise to sell him to a team in need of secondary help. Sending McCain to the Buccaneers for a fifth- or sixth-round pick is an idea we can get behind.

Lucas, on the other hand, is too good to be a backup. His contract is up at the end of the year, and you have to think teams will be vying for his services in free agency. As much as Washington might want him back, they’re not going to blow past their budget for a backup swing tackle. The smart move here would be to ship Lucas off to an OT-needy team in exchange for another draft pick.

Those are just some ideas to think about. If it were up to us, we’d trade A LOT more players and start from scratch in the offseason. Unfortunately, fans will likely have to wait until the offseason for sweeping changes to be made.

So, what’s the final verdict? Truthfully, we’re open to any and all possibilities. If the right “buy” option presents itself, go for it. If Washington can sell some of that deadwood we were talking about, be our guest. If the front office would rather stand pat and take the rest of the season to evaluate the roster, then that’s fine, too.

The good news is that Washington has options, and we’ll know by late afternoon on Tuesday if they exercised any of them.