Redskins Free Agency Week Two

March 20, 2018

by Steve Thomas

Well folks, we’re deep in the heart of the NFL’s free agency period, week two, so it seems like a good time to stop, take our collective breath, and take a look at what the Redskins have accomplished, what’s left to still get done, and most critically, what players are possibly left on the market that the Redskins could realistically sign.  The fact is that the Redskins had a long list of needs going into the offseason, and it’s almost impossible to think that the team will solve every problem in one offseason.  Progress can and already has been made, though, so I’m going to attempt to sort out what’s already happened and where the Redskins could possibly go from here.

Our website has quite a bit of information available, including our salary cap tracker (available here), roster (available here), a list of players signed by the Redskins (available here), and status of Redskins players whose contracts have expired (available here).  We’ll keep all of these as up-to-date as we can.

Needs

At the start of free agency, the Redskins had big holes in several offensive position groups. First, Shawn Lauvoa’s expiring contract left the left guard position unmanned, and the incredible number of injuries that hammered the offensive line last year made clear the need to continue to improve depth in that group in general.  The wide receiver group lost the player who was supposed to be their “#1” receiver, but wasn’t, Terrelle Pryor, as well as reliable possession receiver and coaching staff favorite, Ryan Grant, to free agency.  As a result, this group still lacks both a receiver who could be a reliable “#1” option with the skill to successfully catch balls using the entire route tree, and a player who could stretch the field in the role that Desean Jackson used to play.  Also, the team’s running game last season was abysmal – the roster is stocked with running backs, but successfully grabbed the role of RB1.  Not to mention, of course, quarterback – we all know the story there, so I’ll spare you.

On defense, both starting inside linebackers, Mason Foster and Zach Brown, completed their contracts and were free agents.  The defensive backfield was hard hit, with slot corner Kendall Fuller traded for Alex Smith, and  #2 corner Bashaud Breeland and safety Deshazor Everett both entering free agency.  The interior defensive line, while not missing starters like the offensive line, underperformed last year even despite the injuries and needs another infusion of talent to go along with Jonathan Allen, who is returning from injured reserve, and surprise 2017 starter Matt Ioannidis.  Finally, the Redskins started the offseason missing outside linebacker depth with the free agency of both Trent Murphy and Junior Galette.

Activity thusfar

On offense, Thus far, the gaping hole at left guard, a #1 receiver, and the RB1 position remain unaddressed. Washington signed wide receiver Paul Richardson Jr., formerly of the Seattle Seahawks, to a 4 year, $40M contract that included $16.5M in guarantees.  Richardson, who is a sub-4.4 level speedster, will fill the Desean Jackson role of deep man who will take the top off the defense.  Richardson was not ranked in my wide receiver free agency preview (read it here), not because he doesn’t have talent, but because his career performance thusfar did not suggest that he was on a path to become a starting-level wide receiver: his best year was 2017, with 44 catches on 80 targets for 703 yards, 16.0 yards per reception, and 6 touchdowns.  On his career, he has a 59% completion percentage for his career.  This isn’t to say that I dislike this signing – Doug Williams and company deserve the benefit of the doubt.  They are professionals and have clearly seen enough on film to believe that signing him is a worthwhile gamble, and I trust them.  We’ll have more to say about Richardson in separate columns.  Brian Quick brings size and experience to the wide receiver corps.  He didn’t produce much last year – 11 games, 1 start, 6 receptions on 8 targets, and 76 yards – so it appears as though the coaching and scouting staffs think highly of him and have seen him perform well in practice.  Quick’s contract is small by NFL standards at 1 year, $880,000, so he does not place a significant burden on the salary cap.

On the defensive side of the ball, the re-signing of Mason Foster and Zach Brown solves a major problem with the front seven.  Brown’s limitations, of course, are well known: he’s bad in coverage, and linebacker pass coverage has been a problem for the Redskins defense for years.  As productive as Brown has been against the run – there’s no doubt he would have led the NFL in tackles absent his injury – the fact is that he doesn’t solve the team’s coverage problems, and probably makes it worse.  Regardless, Brown, who has a 3 year, $24M contract, provides the Redskins with a playmaker and an elite-level weakside pursuit linebacker, and he’ll be a benefit to the team.  His contract is cheap in 2018, with a cap hit of only $2.7M, but comes with an $8M average annual value, which is fairly large for a non-pass rushing linebacker, and a 2019 cap hit of $8.75M, so he’ll need to produce to make this an effective signing.   Foster, on the other hand, is on a bargain-bin contract of 2 years, $4M and a 2018 cap hit of only $1.4M and will most likely vastly outperform this contract absent injury.

The recent signing of former Dallas corner Orlando Scandrick, who allegedly signed for 2 years, $10M, will at a minimum provide much needed depth behind Quinton Dunbar and Fabian Moreau, and may possibly be the much-needed slot corner.  Deshazor Everett’s re-signing gives the Redskins someone who is worthy of starting opposite D.J. Swearinger.  Everett played through a hamstring injury last season to play 14 games, starting 8.  On a 2 year, $2.6M contract, he’s a bargain and not so expensive that the Redskins couldn’t afford to have him transition to a backup role if another talented safety such as Tyrann Mathieu or Derwin James happens to join the team.

The Redskins also signed punter Sam Irwin-Hill, who will provide competition for Tress Way this offseason.

How much do the Redskins have left to spend?

The details of the Alex Smith, Zach Brown, and Brian Quick deals were recently released.  After those contracts are applied, by my calculations, right at this moment, the Redskins have approximately $21.5M in cap space left[1].  This does not include Orlando Scandrick’s contract.  This does not take the 2018 rookie pool figure into account, which Spotrac estimates at approximately $6.5M[2].  However, some of the rookie pool will be offset by the offseason Rule of 51.  Therefore, when applying the rookie pool and taking into account an estimate of the Rule of 51 savings, the Redskins have approximately $16.8M remaining.  If we take an educated guess for these purposes that Orlando Scandrick’s 2018 cap hit will be in the range of $3M-$4M, that puts the Redskins at approximately $12.5M-$14M in free cap space.  The team can free up additional cap space by either restructuring existing contracts or releasing players, which comes with both plusses and minuses.  We may do a separate post on these possibilities.

What’s left to do and who’s still available?

After signing two wide receivers, two starting-quality inside linebackers, a safety, and a corner, the principal holes left on the roster are, in order, at left guard, running back, and defensive line.  It appears as though Josh Doctson is going to be given the opportunity to become the elite receiver he was drafted to become.  While it’s highly unlikely that the Redskins can fill every need, some good players are still available.  Let’s take a quick look at the possibilities:

Guards

  • Jack Mewhort; 6’6”, 309 lbs, 26 years old: The best guard left on the market. Has serious injury concerns. Our full analysis of Mewhort can be found here.
  • Matt Slauson; 6’5”, 320 lbs, 32 years old: Second-best guard still available. Slauson visited the Lions on Friday, March 18.  Our full analysis of Slauson can be found here.
  • Evan Smith; 6’2”, 308 lbs, 31 years old: 2009 UDFA out of Idaho St. Was a full-time start in 2013 for Green Bay and 2014 for Tampa Bay. Played 111 games, started 53. Has played center, left guard, and right guard as a pro, but more center than guard.
  • Jonathan Cooper; 6’2”, 308 lbs, 28 years old: 2013 1st round pick by Arizona out of North Carolina. Considered a bust, but at least he’s young. Has played right guard for most of his career.  Full-time starter for the first time in his career last year with Dallas when he started weeks 4 – 17. Hasn’t generated much interest so far.
  • Joe Berger; 6’5”, 305 lbs, 35 years old: 2005 6th round pick by Carolina out of Michigan Tech.  Has played center and both guard positions. Full-time starter for Miami in 2010 and for Minnesota from 2015-2017. Reports are that the Vikings want him back, and the Lions are supposedly also interested.
  • Jahri Evans; 6’4”, 318 lbs, 34 years old: 2006 4th round pick by the Saints out of Bloomsburg. 6x Pro Bowler and 4x First Team All Pro whose best days are behind him.  Full-time starter his entire career. Was with Green Bay last season and is reportedly considering retirement.

Running Back

  • Orleans Darkwa; 6’0”, 215 lbs, 25 years old: Best combination of youth and proven performance left on the market. Our full analysis of Darkwa can be found here.
  • Demarco Murray; 6’1”, 220 lbs, 30 years old:  2011 3rd round pick out of Oklahoma by Dallas.  3x Pro Bowler, 2014 First Team All-Pro. Has 1604 carries for 7,174 yards, 4.5 yards per carry.  Past his prime and not a RB1 anymore.  Released by Titans on March 8, 2018.
  • Alfred Morris; 5’9”, 220 lbs, 29 years old: The beloved former Redskin finished his contract with Dallas and is available again. Had 115 carries last season and averaged 4.8 yards per carry.  At this point in his career, he’s no longer a RB1 but can still contribute.
  • Thomas Rawls; 5’9”, 215 lbs, 24 years old: 2015 undrafted free agent out of Central Michigan. The one-time Seattle prodigy has struggled with performance and injuries over the last two seasons.  He’d be a big leap of faith at this point.  Averaged 5.6 yards per carry as a rookie. Visited the Kansas City Chiefs.
  • Christine Michael; 5’10”, 220 lbs, 27 years old: 2013 2nd round pick by Seattle out of Texas A&M.

Interior Defensive Line

  • Ndamukong Suh; 6’5”, 305 lbs, 31 years old: 2010 1st round pick from Nebraska by Detroit.  5x Pro Bowlers, 2x First Team All Pro.  Elite talent who is by far the top interior defensive lineman on the market.  Known as a mercurial personality.  Principal downsides are his very high costs, and to a lesser extent, the fact that he’s principally played in 4-3 systems
  • Johnathan Hankins; 6’3”, 320, 26 years old: Picked in the 2nd round of the 2013 draft by the Giants out of Ohio St. Visited the Redskins on Monday.  Has been a starter since his second year. 113 tackles, 71 assists, 12.0 sacks.
  • Bennie Logan; 6’2”, 315 lbs, 28 years old: 3rd round pick in 2013 by the Eagles out of LSU.  Played for Kansas City on a one year deal in 2017.  True nose tackle who is principally known as a run-stopper.  Full-time starter since 2014.  Has 159 tackles, 60 assisted tackles, and 7 sacks.
  • Dominique Easley; 6’2”, 285 lbs, 26 years old: A bust as a 2014 1st round pick from Florida by the Patriots.  Has only started 3 games in his career.  39 career tackles, 20 assisted tackles, 6.5 sacks.  Missed all of 2017 with an ACL injury.

Finally, I’m not going to do a full analysis of outside linebackers / edge rushers, but I’d be remiss in failing to mention that Junior Galette is still on the market and is supposedly negotiating with the Redskins in some form or another.  Get it done, Bruce / Eric / Doug / Mr. Snyder.  The team needs speed coming off the edge.

The remaining defensive line market, in particular, is fairly barren behind Johnathan Hankins, so if the Redskins don’t rope Hankins in, it’s possible that they’ll look to the draft to solve that particular problem.  The running back market is similarly dry – other than Orleans Darkwa, I don’t believe any of the remaining backs have a better than average chance of substantially improving what the team already has.  The nostalgia of a return of Alfred Morris would be great, of course, but that’s another story.

What do you think the Redskins should do?  Leave a comment below.

 

 

 

[1] http://www.thehogsty.com/hog-sty-projects/cap/.  Please note that the website may not be updated every day, despite my best efforts.

[2] The size of the rookie pool will change if the Redskins make any trades of draft picks.

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