Building for 2019

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March 9, 2018

By Alex Zeese

This is something I like to say about football: if you made the playoffs you need to build your franchise like next year is your year to get to make a run at the championship, and if you didn’t make the playoffs you build you need to build looking two years out. At 7-9, the Redskins shouldn’t be building while thinking Super Bowl or bust, next season is their season. I’d like to think that they take a look at the roster for 2019 and build towards making that a great team for the long-term.

If you examine the roster for the 2019 season as of right now and who’s is under contract with the Skins for at least 2 more seasons, the team isn’t in terrible shape, but we’ve got some glaring holes. I pulled this data really quick from Steve’s salary cap tables (link):

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Obviously a few things are going to be changing for this picture over the next couple of days, but there are some clear pieces in place that the Redskins hope to build around. On offense, it’s clearly the O-Line, Chris Thompson and Jordan Reed, with Alex Smith holding down the QB spot. On defense, it looks like what should to be a solid secondary and a few key pieces in the front seven right now. But, it that nearly enough to win a championship with? Not at all.

I hope we see the team change a bit when it comes to free agents. This is not the year for 1 year stopgaps at positions of need like the team has done in years past. What the Redskins need to do is find and sign talent on 3 to 4 year deals. They need to acquire at least one, maybe two good receivers in free agency over the next few seasons, plus a long term left guard and ILB. Obviously the team needs a running back, but the team has signaled a preference to keep hunting for one in the draft. There’s also no question that upgrades could be made to a number of other positions, including another starter on the D-line, and some backups in the secondary. The team needs to have a sense of urgency when it comes to extending some of their own talent, like Jamison Crowder & Brandon Scherff, and perhaps some of those promising young guys who were playing support roles on the defensive line last year.

It’s no surprise that right now the chamber is empty when it comes to Redskins receiver prospects. But there is one thing that stands out to me: the outlook of our long term depth on the O-line. It is shockingly nonexistent right now. Swing tackle Ty Nsekhe will probably be gone by 2019, ether via free agency, trying for one chance at a payday or retired.

The fact that right now our entire line depth for 2019 consists of Kyle Kalis and no one else should raise an eyebrow for every fan, because odds are if I showed you a photo of Kyle Kalis, you’d not know who it was. The Redskins need to find at least 2 good backups to add to the offensive line, at least one in this draft, to keep it inexpensive.

If you are trying to figure out a method to the madness, well, good luck. What exactly is the big picture plan for the Redskins under the new power structure? It’s anyone guess. Under Scot McCloughan, we knew what the plan was – build through the draft. There’s no doubt in my mind that if Scot were still in charge, a few more of our soon to be released guys drafted 4 years ago would be inked on for another couple seasons. To me, it’s now less clear if the skins are still trying to develop their roster that same way. All we can do is hope for the best, and put our faith in the hands of Bruce Allen. Don’t worry, it’ll be okay.

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