Salary Cap and Roster Madness, 2018 and Beyond

April 3, 2018

by Steve Thomas

Since we’re now at the point of the offseason in which the major free agents have signed and the draft is still a month away, it seemed like a good time to talk about the Redskins’ salary cap and take a look at some of the issues the team may be facing in the next few years.  It’s a never-ending battle for all NFL teams, one that some handle better than others, and Washington has been on both sides of that particular ledger.

The fact of the matter is that, as much as some of you don’t want to hear it, Bruce Allen has transformed for the better the way the Redskins operate financially.  Under the leadership former general manager/Dan Snyder puppet/dufus/all around crummy person Vinny Cerrato, the Redskins had a well known and somewhat infamous habit of signing players who were either at the back end of their prime, not worth big money, or just old to massive contracts that tied up the salary cap.  Then, when it came time to clean up the mess, the team’s modus operandi was to restructure contracts by extending them and taking existing base salary and converting it into signing bonus.  This sort of cap management is akin to misusing credit cards by running up balances and not paying them monthly – it works for the here and now, but the debt grows and at some point always needs to be paid.  The impact of the Redskins constantly kicking money into the future was that it culminated in several seasons of “cap hell” and allowed for perhaps the worst free agent signing in NFL history in 2009, Albert Haynesworth.  The Haynesworth situation ultimately caused the Redskins to be assessed a $36M penalty by the NFL in 2012.  When Bruce Allen was hired, he broke the cycle of stupidity (yes, the cap penalty happened on his watch; no, I just can’t see a legitimate legal argument in favor of the penalty, although I’ve spent more time than I care to admit thinking about it), stopped the insane free agent signings, and started cutting players to create space rather than putting it on the virtual credit card of restructuring.

As a result, the franchise has been decent shape cap wise for the past few years, and 2018 is no exception.  We’ve updated our salary cap projection chart on our website to reflect all of the latest numbers (click here)[1].  As of right now, by our calculations, the Redskins have obligated $161,062,697 in cap space for the 2018 season under the Rule of 51.  This means that the team currently has $17,621,665 in available cap space.  Including the new 5th round pick and the higher 4th and 5th round picks from the Su’a Cravens trade with Denver, $7,100,776 will be obligated to the 2018 rookie draft class; however, the addition of those rookies will come with cap savings as a result of the Rule of 51, which I calculate to currently be $2,628,607.  That savings will go up if/when the team signs more free agents. Taking the incoming rookies into account, the Redskins currently have $13,149,496 in unobligated cap space.  In other words, if the Redskins want to maintain a bit of wiggle room for emergencies, they can safely spend something in the neighborhood of about $10M for more free agents this offseason.

The following is the current cap usage data by position group for 2018[2]:

Grp  # Starters    Total Cap Usage by $    Total Cap Usage by %      ave %/starter

QB       1                $22,000,000                            13.04%                             13.04%

OL       5                $33,459,474                            20.53%                               4.11%

RB       1                $  5,854,582                            3.66%                                3.66%

WR      3                $10,204,217                             6.17%                               2.06%

TE       1                $16,101,208                             9.86%                               9.86%

TOTAL                   $87,619,481                            53.26%

 

DL       3               $16,105,083                            10.02%                               3.34%

LB       4               $23,360,239                            14.70%                               3.68%

DB      4               $28,228,029                            17.90%                              4.48%

TOTAL                 $67,693,351                            42.62%

 

ST     3               $  4,216,785                              2.72%                              0.91%

As you can see, the three position groups (other than quarterback, which is understandable) with total cap usage rates grossly out of proportion to the other groups are offensive line, defensive backs, and tight ends.  Not unsurprisingly, the players who have the biggest cap hits this year by far are QB Alex Smith ($18,400,000), DB Josh Norman ($16,937,500), OL Trent Williams ($13,856,250), LB Ryan Kerrigan ($12,500,000), and TE Jordan Reed ($10,143,750).

The next closest player by cap hit is Brandon Scherff at $6,750,432. Two players, Morgan Moses and Vernon Davis, have cap hits in the $5M range, and four more, Stacy McGee, Terrell McClain, D.J. Swearinger, and Paul Richardson, Jr., are in the $4M range[3].  For those keeping score, that’s 12 players at $4M or more.  Everyone else is under $4M.  The Redskins also have over 40 players either on their original rookie contracts or under contract prior to their unrestricted free agency.

23 players are signed beyond the 2019 season, and of those 23, only three, Jonathan Allen, Paul Richardson Jr., and Alex Smith, have contracts that are structured so that their dead money exceeds their cap hit after the 2018 season; meaning, the team cannot cut them without incurring a cap penalty, or at least having to spread the hit over two seasons via the post-June 1 cut process.  Allen’s fully guaranteed contract expires in 2020, and the contracts of Smith and Richardson both contain out clauses after the 2020 season.  The team is not “stuck with” a single player beyond 2020 who cannot be cut without penalty.

As the roster is currently constructed, Washington has approximately $166M in cap space obligated for the 2019 season, $132M for the 2020 season, $59M for the 2021 season, $44M for the 2022 season, and $0 for 2023.  Like I mentioned above, though, none of the money in 2021 or 2022 is something the team would not be able to dump if they so choose.

With that overview, let’s take a look at what’s coming for the team in the future.  The three most important names are Brandon Scherff, Preston Smith, and Jamison Crowder – all three are starters who will become unrestricted free agent after the 2018 season.  The team holds a one year, $12,525,000 fully guaranteed option on Scherff as a result of him being a 1st round draft pick.  While this amount is a bargain for a player of Scherff’s status, it should only be used as a last resort.  The Redskins would be fools not to lock him up to a 5 year extension.  His contract will be more than what Andrew Norwell just received from the Panthers, which was 5 years/$66.5M/$30M guaranteed, and an average annual value of $13.3M.   Think $15M per year or more for Scherff.  The team needs to make sure it maintains enough space in 2019 to make this happen.  Preston Smith isn’t on the level of Brandon Scherff, but he is a well respected edge rusher and quality run stopper who will likely command $10M or more in both average annual value and cap hit on the open market.  Crowder is perhaps worth less, but at a minimum is more accomplished and valuable than Paul Richardson, so think between at least $5M – $8M per year as a ballpark guess.

In other words, Washington will need to take on an additional hit in the general neighborhood of $30M – $33M in 2019.  If we assume that the 2019 salary cap will rise about $10M next year, as it did this year, and further assume that the team will have about $5M in rollover space from this year (it could be more; we’ll see), this means that the Redskins will need to take on an additional net of about $10M – $15M in liabilities to pay for these three players alone.  The more space they save this year the more space and rollover cap they will have for them.  And that’s just the big names; lesser players the Redskins may or may not want to keep such as Ziggy Hood, Anthony Lanier, Ty Nsekhe, and Colt McCoy will also be unrestricted free agents.

Fans may think that the team is being cheap with its approach to free agency, but the truth is that there may be a plan in place to retain next year’s free agents without ruining the fairly good place the player payroll is in right now.

To look even further into the future, Matt Ioannidis, Mason Foster, Deshazor Everett, D.J. Swearinger, Josh Docston, and Chris Thompson will reach free agency after the 2019 season, and presumably Washington will want to keep some of those players.  Finally, the Redskins will see the expiration of the contracts of Trent Williams, Jonathan Allen, Zach Brown, Ryan Kerrigan, Josh Norman, and Chase Roullier after the 2020 season.

The conclusion here is that the Redskins are in pretty good shape going forward in terms of unbreakable obligations, but it isn’t until the 2020 season that they once again will have a large amount of free cap space available, at least right now.  The Redskins aren’t the Cleveland Browns (thankfully) in that they don’t have $70M in unused cap space, but they also aren’t in cap hell like the Eagles, Saints, and Cowboys.  Congrats, Bruce, on a job fairly well done.  I can’t believe I just wrote that, but credit where credit is due.  Now go get us back to the playoffs, please.

Have thoughts?  Think I’ve lost my mind?  Let me know in the comment section below.

 

 

 

[1] The data in this column is shown on our salary cap page.  The individual player data on our salary cap page and in this column is derived from a combination of sources, including www.spotrac.com, www.overthecap.comwww.nflpa.com, www.nflcontractmetrics.com, www.espn.com, and www.washingtonpost.com, but the cap calculations are the work of The Hog Sty.  All salary cap analysis sites contain variations and differences from the other sites resulting from varying information and contractual interpretations, which is why our page exists.  We’ve taken what we believe is the most accurate information from all of these sources and combined them, and we therefore stand by our work and believe it to be accurate to the best of our knowledge.

[2] The dollar figures take the Rule of 51 into account, whereas I’ve left the percentages in for everyone currently on the roster.

[3] There’s a bit of uncertainty as to the 2018 dead money for Terrell McClain for 2018, which has always been $7,000,000 as a result of his contractual guarantees; however, according to ESPN’s John Keim, McClain agreed to a contract modification wherein his fully guaranteed 2018 contract was changed to become guaranteed only for injury.  This has the effect of significantly reducing his 2018 dead money, making him cutable this year.  See http://www.espn.com/espn/now?nowId=21-40018083-4.

530 comments

  • noonefromtampa

    Phil Taylor gets in the Pro Bowl, when he sacks Aaron Rodgers/Tom Brady, accidentally killing him and every other Non-GB/NE defensive player votes for him

  • Different_Cat

    There are reports of an active shooter on YouTube’s campus in San Bruno, Calif.

    Several YouTube employees tweeted on Tuesday that an active shooter was in the company’s headquarters.

  • Scrolling through the posts, it appears that there is unanimous consensus that Trump is unfit to serve and is a national embarrassment.

    Glad to see some of you folks coming around to the light of the truth.

  • Different_Cat

    Not just a liberal fantasy?

    “WASHINGTON ― Reps. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) called for Scott Pruitt’s resignation Tuesday, becoming the first Republicans to demand the embattled Environmental Protection Agency administrator step down amid growing controversy over his spending and ties to lobbyists.

    In a tweet, Curbelo said Pruitt’s “corruption scandals are an embarrassment,” and urged President Donald Trump to fire the nation’s top environmental regulator if he does not quit.”

    • Pruitt can be fired, and it won’t matter hardly at all, because again, he’s a figurehead. It’s still the WH that sets the agenda and such, often through the office heads, who are often folks that worked significantly on the POTUS’s campaign. He kind of reminds me of a George W Bush if he was played (in this theatre) by C Montgomery Burns; or maybe, that’s backwards.

      • Different_Cat

        I disagree that it doesn’t matter. Trump will give the general marching orders but beyond that he won’t have the first idea what his EPA chief is actually doing. It’ll be hard for him to find a bigger fox than Pruitt to put in that hen house.

    • No Punt Intended

      Go outside, look up into the cosmos and yell as loud as you can.

      Let it out.

      Let it all out, son.

  • Who is most likely to make the pro bowl next year?

    Su’a Cravens
    Phil Taylor
    Will Compton
    Pernell McPhee

    • I”ll take none of the above, please.

    • For fun, of that list I’d say Compton. He could go to a new team, get the right role, crush it.

      • Least likely is Taylor, not because he can’t be effective, but because he will be playing NT and NT’s don’t put up any stats that get you into the pro-bowl.

      • I think that’s right. In the right role, an ILB can rack up the stats too; though he’d have to win a starting job.

        • He always racked up good numbers, just was never an impact player. But the lack of a D-line didn’t help. I think if he’s got guys in front of him who can open the holes, he will be good.

          • McPhee, if healthy, could possibly rip off a big sack number, esp if Allen and Kerrigan stay healthy and they don’t draft his “replacement”

  • VillaSquinns Nation

    Has the news that the Skins are re-sigining Phil Taylor been posted up here yet?

  • Oklahoma teachers need to get back to work

    • Yes.

      • And here’s the thing to me about teachers: I respect what they do, because it’s a hard, thankless job that happens to be vital to our future, but at the end of the day, they only have to go to work for 9 months per year, and in the case of public school teachers, work for a local governmental entity. There’s a limit to how much money a teacher should get; I don’t know what the numbers should be.

        • Most teachers work in the summer, summer school, not to mention there’s usually 2 weeks at the beginning and end of summer break where they have to do reports/prep for the next year. Some have part time work in summer if they are in a system that doesn’t pay them year round salary. Then you have folks like my mom who work in year round schools.

          • Teachers who work in the summer as tutors get paid privately by the students, and summer school teachers make additional money from the school district – and they don’t have to do it if they don’t want to.

            I believe most districts give the option of receiving salary year round, from what I understand.

          • No they don’t

          • Every teacher I’ve ever known had a job in the summer. Except back when my grandfather was a teacher in the 50’s – 70’s he had off.

          • I know plenty who might tutor a few kids, but that’s it, because they want the time off (which is fine, because that’s what they signed up for).

          • Lifetime pensions

            Say it over and over until you get the concept

          • Everyone should have one. And the fact that we don’t makes US the suckers.

            Say it over and over until you get the concept.

          • I completely disagree – there’s no way the government should mandate that, if that’s what you’re getting at. The free market economy will always sort that stuff out.

          • I didn’t say the government should mandate it. I am saying the fact that we let them get taken away from the average working American is why middle class has fallen apart.

          • though, to be fair, the new model makes you more mobile, and had I not taken a loan out to myself, I’d have more money in my 401K mid-career than I would hypothetically get in a partial pension over 10 years. Which means but the time I retire, likely I’ll have 40 years. and pensions sound like a good thing, agreed, but in fact, they are often terribly mis-‘managed’ by politicians and often rely on the same markets we do for 401K and other retirement investments. Pensions hoard market index funds, which is where most of the smart money is… but still… it’s the stock markets.

          • All well and good, but 2/3rds of Americans don’t even have a 401K at this point, either no access or they don’t pay into it for some reason (I assume it’s the case for most lower income folks).

          • And that’s their own missteps

            Not something my tax dollars should assist

          • If people don’t save money that’s the system

          • Do you realize that they are Ponzi schemes

            At some point they are funded by someone else’s money because the initial investment was depleted

          • So, a 401 K is making money by doing nothing, off someone else’s work.

          • Making money in the stock market

            If my pension money runs out I still get paid

            If my 401k money runs out there is nothing else

          • No, the pension money is invested in stock market, and they are often driven by need for yield to keep up with payout demand to invest in garbage bonds to balance it out. all I am saying is pensions would be better if politicians never touched them, they were required to be fully funded, and they could make what they need on good bonds and mix of sane index funds

          • Public sector sure

            Why should I have to pay for someone’s private sector pension it’s a Ponzi scheme

          • They have the option of either getting paid for 9 months or 12 months

    • and change their racist state name!

      • Change it to the more accurate Bilagáana-tʼáágééd-’aghoo’ which is a rough translation of navajo for “White people missing teeth”

  • Slowed down

  • So I went to do a draft, but somehow the system did the whole thing as an auto draft not letting me pick as any team.

    But here is what the machine picked for the skins:
    13: R1P13 DL TAVEN BRYAN
    44: R2P12 RB KERRYON JOHNSON
    109: R4P9 CB DUKE DAWSON
    142: R5P5 S QUIN BLANDING
    163: R5P26 WR JALEEL SCOTT
    188: R6P14 S JEREMY REAVES
    231: R7P13 LB TEGRAY SCALES
    241: R7P23 EDGE JOE OSTMAN

  • noonefromtampa

    President Trump suggested Tuesday he might try to put U.S. troops on the Mexican border until his anti-migration wall is built.
    ====================================
    Why did you let those people pass, soldier?

    Hey, those were my cousins from Juarez, jefe

    • Back in the 90s my dad worked on a lawsuit where a sniper shot and killed a kid who was out tending a flock of sheep.
      Problem with Soldiers on the borders, they don’t know which brown people around there are from the US and which aren’t.

      • Speaking for the military contingent…Border Patrol officers have alot more latitude with regard to usage of weapons. AF or Army Security forces and/or, or Army/Marine infantry usage of weapons is alot more regulated. They can’t just start shooting people.

        • And that’s why there was a lawsuit. This guy was army, killed a kid. Family wanted restitution.

          • DoD could do and does currrently assist with, border security, but if President Trump was serious about using military personnel in a greater fashion (which he probably wasn’t), there’d need to be some training and specific guidelines.

          • This was in the mid-early 90’s when this happened so I don’t know what the policy was at that point.
            Clearly can’t go “shoot first ask questions later”

          • That’s never been military policy. Whatever incident you’re talking about might have just been a mistake.

          • this is why we should put passive RFID tags on all citizens

          • passive is bland
            a flashing red gem stone in your palm would look better

  • “Top Pruitt aide helped find housing for EPA administrator”

    You can be a top wiz bang wall street clever AND silicon valley smooth and intelligent guy, which Pruitt is not, and still be a total dummy when it comes to working with and for the g’man. Personal services dummy. That’s Day 1 of employment ethics 101. Musta had his aide take the class for him.

    • Of course, the quote has no context at all. There’s dealing with brokers and looking at houses for your boss, then there’s spending 5 minutes pulling up an internet search, printing it, and giving it to him, both of which could be construed as “helped find housing”. This is why I hate the media.

      • even-though that might be seen as de minimus, you’d still not do it because of the “optics” should it get out. like everyone else, he shoulda gone to his personal national security scif and done it there.

        • The printing a list thing is, as you say, de minimus and while technically illegal, not a big deal. There’s levels to this that the headline didn’t address and instead allows imaginations to run wild.

          • de minimus useage of gov equipment is allowed on your own (break/lunch) time and within certain restrictions, usually related to illegal or unethical use. so, you can’t sit at your computer during lunch and partake in some online gambling. that’s prob got an InfoSec firewall block anyway.

          • Who’s talking about gambling? What I meant is that Pruitt might have just leaned out of his office and asked his assistant to print him up a list of available houses, which is most certainly not anything to get shorts wadded up over no matter when it’s done. Or it could have been something much more involved. Don’t know.

    • Different_Cat

      Aha! That’s how he ended up renting a duplex a stone’s throw from the capitol for $50 a night — only on the nights he used it — in a building owned by a lobbyist, who happens to be married to a lobbyist in the energy sector! Nothing suspicious there.

      • I need to see how often he was staying in that place and what have you. Was he using it like an Air B&B and only there a few times? Because $50 a night is a great deal for a hotel/Air B&B
        But then I also heard it was $6,000 in rent for the year.
        So # of nights spent really is important.

        • Different_Cat

          # of nights isn’t important because it was apparently reserved for him 24/7/365 whether he used it or not.

          • That’s why I’d need more details. Because yes even renting a single room in that area is gonna cost you 2 or 3 times what he paid.

      • Honestly, DC, I respect the fact that you hold an opinion, which is great, and it’s okay that your opinions are pretty much 180 degrees from mine on, well, everything except love of the Redskins, but it appears to me that your perspective is so biased that it doesn’t really matter what this administration does. I get the sense that if the Trump administration saved 100,000 babies from drowning, you’d find a reason to say it was bad. Respectfully.

        • Different_Cat

          To be candid with you, Steve, you have zero objectivity with respect to this administration. This apartment deal looks shady as hell. Someone researched similar apartments and found one that was pretty close … for about $10,000 a month.

          • You mistake me for some sort of Trump cheerleader, which I’m not and never have been, even though that’s what you choose to believe. I’m just happy that Hillary isn’t the president, mainly, and I approve of most of Trump’s policies. I don’t particularly like the way he’s gone about things. I doubt you or I know anywhere close to the full story for whatever this apartment issue is, but you’ve chosen to jump to conclusions. Which is fine with me – jump away.

          • Different_Cat

            I have not jumped to any conclusion. Just saying it’s suspicious and should be investigated, since it appears to be a below market, unusual deal, and the owner is a lobbyist married to another lobbyist who regularly has business before the EPA.

    • Different_Cat

      More Scott Pruitt sliminess. Turns out he brought two of his favorite aides to EPA. He wanted to give them raises and submitted the request through proper channels. His request was denied by the White House. So what does our boy Pruitt do?

      “A provision of the Safe Drinking Water Act allows the EPA administrator to hire up to 30 people into the agency, without White House or congressional approval. The provision, meant to help expedite the hiring of experts and allow for more flexible staffing, became law in 1996. In past administrations, it has been used to hire specialists into custom-made roles in especially stressed offices, according to Bob Perciasepe, a former acting EPA administrator.”

      So Pruitt terminates the aides and rehires them under the Safe Drinking Water Act, giving them the raises that had been previously rejected.

      https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/04/pruitt-epa/557123/

      • What a tragedy. You mean a government official found a provision of the federal code that allowed him to legally hire people he wants for his department? How awful.

        • Different_Cat

          The people were already working for him and he made improper use of another law to get around the rejection that he’d already received when he followed proper procedure.

  • Bad Reputation

    Louis Riddick

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    Derwin James is special. He can do everything you need a safety to do on the field in today’s game. He has the same body language of another safety I scouted a long time ago who I hold in THE highest regard. #FSU #NFLDraft

  • Bad Reputation

    Buster Olney Retweeted

    Marc Topkin

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    42m42 minutes ago
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    #Rays Kiermaier will try something new today to combat cold weather vs #Yankees – covering his whole body with Vaseline to serve as an extra layer against the wind.

  • My weekly Fanspeak mock draft, for your criticism. I wasn’t too wild about this one in the bottom half and I didn’t solve the starting guard problem, but this is the way it worked out:

    R1P13 RB DERRIUS GUICE LSU
    R2P12 DL HARRISON PHILLIPS STANFORD
    R4P9 LB SHAQUEM GRIFFIN CENTRAL FLORIDA
    R5P5 S JORDAN WHITEHEAD PITTSBURGH
    R5P26 CB CHRISTIAN CAMPBELL PENN STATE
    R6P14 G COLBY GOSSETT APPALACHIAN STATE
    R7P13 WR ANTONIO CALLAWAY FLORIDA
    R7P23 TE JORDAN THOMAS MISSISSIPPI STATE

    • No Punt Intended

      If we add Hankins to our D-line and draft Shaquem Griffin in the 4th we will be racking up sacks hand over fist.

    • Bad Reputation

      First 2 guys you’d assume would start..the rest are depth, teams guys…or PS fodder. Probably accurate tho.

    • Not sure Jordan Whitehead is a great pick, and I recall from my mocking, Jordan Thomas is a guy who just isn’t consistent. in fake mockeries you should have at least 6 all-world starters, and I only see 4 in that draft.

    • One of the biggest holes on the team is Guard
      You don’t address it until the sixth round

      Failure of the highest

    • And by the way, Nelson, James, Fitzpatrick, Smith were all gone when I picked in rd 1. I passed on Baker Mayfield to get Guice.

  • Bad Reputation

    NBC Sports Redskins

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    1m1 minute ago
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    Su’a Cravens on his Redskins tenure: ‘I think there is a false narrative on what exactly happened.’ http://bit.ly/2IqL48S

  • Bad Reputation

    Taylor was beasting before a freak injury. Let’s hope he doesn’t have a repeat and goes out and helps the team.

  • Bad Reputation

    Evan Silva

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    51s52 seconds ago
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    Updated #Browns WR Corps:

    Josh Gordon
    Jarvis Landry
    Corey Coleman
    Rashard Higgins
    Ricardo Louis
    Jeff Janis
    Kasen Williams

  • Bad Reputation

    Mark Bullock Retweeted

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    Redskins will add to defensive line depth, plan to re-sign Phil Taylor Sr. via @lizclarketweet

  • Bad Reputation

    NFLTradeRumors.co

    @nfltrade_rumors
    47s47 seconds ago
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    Bears Expected To Sign G Earl Watford http://bit.ly/2GvjISx
    ___
    Been a lot of signing today..of course none for us.

  • Bad Reputation

    John Keim

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    2m2 minutes ago
    More John Keim Retweeted Scott Baldwin
    Excellent point. I will just ignore a key player because someone is frustrated. Hard to keep up with fans Do Not Name List.
    __________________

    Scott Baldwin

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    Replying to @john_keim
    Can we please stop talking about Jordan Reed. Most Skins fans I know, could give an S about him any longer. He is and has been just another “Hope for this or that” injury plagued player.

  • Bad Reputation

    If one of the QBs is left at 13…whoever needs one that didn’t get one will trade up to get it done.

  • noonefromtampa

    The HogSty should do a draft prediction contest with 3 predictions could be a player, a position or make a trade

    1st round – makes a prediction
    2nd round/4th round – make a prediction
    rounds 5-7 – make a prediction

    then can make fun of the losers or congratulate the winners

    examples could be
    1 – trade down
    2/4 – draft a RB
    5/7 – draft a QB

    1- Vita Vea
    2/4 – Austin Corbett
    5/7 – draft a CB

  • They could surprise , and go get a TE higher than expected . hammer toe being what it is .

    • With the 13th pick, the Redskins select, Dallas Goedert TE, SDSU;

      can you imagine the consternation?

  • Bad Reputation

    Who is the safer pick? Payne or Vea? Read some things about Vea’s effort is sometimes not there. Would that red flag him in your eyes? Also is Payne worth the 13 if we can’t slide back? It’s going to be very interesting. Maybe they grab Guice at 13 and there is a DL prospect they like in the 2nd.

  • If and that’s a big IF , they sign Hankins ,I could see them taking Fitzpatrick or James .

  • Different_Cat Big Buck64 • 4 minutes ago
    Just don’t sign the prenup.
    __________________

    There was a massive legal battle over the prenup (it might have been a post-nup; can’t remember) between Frank and Jamie McCourt. The law firm that did the agreement had them sign multiple originals (which is common), but one of the originals had the Dodgers listed as community property and one of them had the Dodgers listed as Frank’s sole and separate property. After two years of courtroom battles, Jamie agreed to let the Dodgers be Frank’s sole and separate property in exchange for $130M. MLB then removed Frank from governing authority and replaced him with a league-appointed trustee. In response Frank put the Dodgers into bankruptcy, which had the effect of staying MLB’s action and ultimately resulted in the sale of the franchise and Dodger Stadium for $2.2B to a guy whose investment fund has the name “Guggenheim”.

    The divorce ended up being the most expensive divorce in CA history at the time.

    Frank and Jamie so bungled the franchise’s finances, and stole so much money from the team, that by the end they were borrowing money to make the monthly payroll – not for the players, but the staff.

  • Bad Reputation

    Bryce Ritchie

    @Bryce_bunkered
    Follow Follow @Bryce_bunkered
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    Just been told security staff at Augusta National have been handed a sheet with a list of sayings that are prohibited. I’m told “dilly dilly” is one of them. Patrons who shout out these phrases will be “removed” immediately. #themasters

  • Bad Reputation

    Walter Cherepinsky

    @walterfootball
    51s52 seconds ago
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    Live 2018 NFL Mock Draft: Top half of Round 1. Redskins take S Minkah Fitzpatrick; Ravens pick DT Da’Ron Payne – http://walterfootball.com/draft2018.php

  • walter_in_fallschurch

    steve,
    i really like how you broke out the money for each position group instead of each player. lot more info that way. kudos.

  • noonefromtampa

    Reed had his Hammer-time toes repaired

    this season you won’t be able to touch this

  • Wow, I’d have thought Brees was smarter than this. Bought an $8 MILLION ring….

    https://twitter.com/smartfootball/status/981203938740449282

  • noonefromtampa

    If you get made Ambassador of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan or Israel you have some diplomacy chops

    If you are Ambassador of Holland, Denmark, Norway etc – it’s a political payback, enjoy your stay and don’t embarrass the USA and leave the Deputy Chief of Mission alone, they’re busy working so you don’t have to

  • What’s the deal with Reed?

  • Why didn’t Reed get his toe surgery months and months ago? If we ever get a chance to interview him, that’s my first question.

  • No Punt Intended

    So right now, we are rolling with ZB and Mason Foster with Anderson, Spaight, Vigil and maybe Robertson rotating?

    Yeah, I believe the team will look to add to that mix. I gave Anderson the benefit of the doubt last season and he started contributing (even on offense) toward the end of the season. I need to see him take a big step forward this year. I like Vigil a lot for what he gave last year.

    I think a stout front 7 makes a mediocre secondary (and ours is above mediocre) so much better. See Bacarri Rambo and David Amerson.

  • So, they chopped off Reed’s toe……

  • Guys, there’s no Gronk trade. That started as an April Fool’s Day joke.

  • this is old now, but what if…

    Boston Sports Report

    @celtics18x
    23h23 hours ago
    More
    Per insider source, Patriots and Giants in talks for blockbuster trade that could send Odell Beckham Jr. to New England and Rob Gronkowski to the big apple.

  • We sign Hankins yet?? lol

  • Bad Reputation

    Gronk to the Rams.

  • Incompetence:

    Trump hasn’t even managed to staff scores of extremely critical positions, like … you know, Ambassadorships to South Korea, European Union, Syria, Jordan, Lybia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Panama, Cuba, Venezuela, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Turkey, and the UAE, among many others. And these aren’t cases of nominations being hung up in Congress. This is are all cases where Trump simply hasn’t gotten around to offering nominations.

    • No Punt Intended

      WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • I don’t miss not having them, do you? lol

    • Ambassadors are overrated. My great grandfather was an ambassador, it’s just a way to go overseas and get a hot mistress.

      • What really matters is the embassy staff and the CIA presence. The Ambassador is just a figurehead who usually got his/her job as a political reward.

        • BS

        • TY, as usual, NOILRMOT DC! Some just love the bloated, inefficient Government of old…I prefer a leaner, much more efficient one. That’s just me.

          • No Punt Intended

            “Blog Putz”
            “No one is less right…more often…than D_C.”
            “You should just stop posting.”
            “Why’d you get Fenwick killed?”
            “NOILRMOT DC”

            Dude is the “Sybil” of derogatory terms/phrases/nicknames.

        • I mean, the freaking owner of the NY Jets is an ambassador.

        • most high appointees are figureheads, it’s the jr staff appointees that are really loyal folks that really run things. a lot of times the heads of agencies/departments are even there, though “qualified” to fill a PR need and often are off taking pictures for some PR thing (largely) while their underlings, heads of offices are at the White House working with WH staff on a weekly or biweekly basis. Not always.

          • Its like every level of government. Bureaucrats do all the work, will do it with out any oversight as needed.

          • Yes, but in the case of ambassadors, they are usually particularly unqualified, as in no foreign policy experience. At least most other political appointees at least have some experience in the field.

          • Again, this is usually only true with respect to unimportant postings. Usually those appointed to hot spots have a lot of knowledge and credibility.

          • Sure, but it’s the agency head who sets the agenda and organizes the mission. A bad leader, e.g., Betsy Devos or Scott Pruitt, can screw things up royally, and a good leader can push the mission forward.

          • Working where I work I will tell you, the one of those people who I work for is not smart enough too even screw things up.

          • no. the agency head receives the agenda and mission from the White House. The White House is now so big that it mimics the rest of the bureaucracy.

            Has Pruitt done a bad job? Based on what Laws that Congress has passed for EPA to enforce, and within a world of constrained resources, I think the grade on him is “incomplete.” it will take awhile to see if (relatively speaking) the drastic management structure (Lean / Six Sigma) approaches they’ve forced on the agency work in the favor (optimize) or just become more admin burden. but shifting the budget toward the core programs under Law has given those programs the funding they need to accomplish more of the tasks they are charged to. Pruitt is probably an arse, and he’s prob a horrific politician, and how much of all that is him vs the WH staff… dunno. My guess is that it is the WH staff that masquerades around as pseudo appointees than it is Pruitt, who, is prob mostly a figurehead who says the right things.

          • Dude, Pruitt has DESTROYED the EPA, and has actively sought to discredit environmental science. He is exactly working against the agency’s mission, which is to PROTECT the environment.

          • No. He’s just not following your personal agenda. The president establishes the overall direction of the country’s environmental policy, and the president has prioritized industry over the spotted, yellow-throated 15 legged caterpillar.

          • For example, Obama’s second Ambassador to South Korea:

            “Mark William Lippert (born February 28, 1973) is a U.S. public servant who was the United States Ambassador to South Korea from 2014 to 2017. Prior to his tour as Ambassador, Lippert had served as Chief of Staff for Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, Chief of Staff for the National Security Council, and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs in the Department of Defense.

            His tenure in Seoul was widely praised in the U.S. and in Korea. Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea called Lippert the best ever U.S. Ambassador to Korea stating “You left an indelible mark in the history of the U.S.–Korea alliance. … Our alliance relationship is the best it has ever been and you are the best ever American ambassador I have ever seen.”

          • No Punt Intended

            You are a complete wing nut.

          • Saudi Arabia:

            Westphal served as the head of the Department of Political Science at Oklahoma State University between 1975 and 1987 and as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University while working at the law firm of Patton Boggs.[4] He served as Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works from 1998 to 2001 and the Acting Secretary of the Army in 2001.[5] He also served as Chancellor of the University of Maine System[1] from 2002–2006 and was a professor of Political Science at the University of Maine from 2002 – 2009.[6] He later served as the Provost, at The New School in New York City.[7]

            Westphal was a member of President Obama’s Transition Team for Defense[8] and was appointed as the United States Under Secretary of the Army in September, 2009. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Ambassador to Saudi Arabia on March 26, 2014 and sworn in the same day.[9][10] Westphal is a Senior Global Fellow at the Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies at the Wharton School, The University of Pennsylvania. Westphal is also a Senior Fellow at the Wharton Leadership Program at UPenn.

        • This is just a self serving comment. Ambassadors represent the U.S. in foreign countries. They are the go-to person when problems arise our trade issues need to be worked out. Like any business or bureaucracy, it’s the lower-downs who do the grunt work, but leadership is important. Of course it also sends a terrible message when you leave the position vacant.

      • Some are like that, but most of the ones listed are critical to our foreign policy.

      • No Punt Intended

        They are political paybacks. That’s what ambassadorships are. Every single one. Always have been, always will be.

  • No Punt Intended

    Nice post from TI relative to people reacting to Compton leaving and saying “We need to add LB depth but 13 is way too early.”

    9 minutes ago
    Brian Urlacher, Dan Morgan, Terrel Suggs, Jon Vilma, DeMarcus Ware, Patrick Willis, Von Miller, Luke Kuechly, Khalil Mack, Anthony Barr, and several others would beg to differ. All of them were taken before #13 OA in their respective draft year, and all of them have proven to be superior to any current Redskin Linebacker not named Kerrigan.

    That’s not to say that drafting a linebacker guarantees success — there are a bunch of examples from that same draft period (this century) who didn’t pan out, same as every other position in that timeframe. But it does indicate that #13 is not “too early” for an LB.

    My preference would actually be for Roquan Smith out of all the possibilities. He’s a tackling machine and can cover in the middle. If he’s not available, Payne (DT-AL) would be my next preference.

    There are a lot questions about Vea’s motivation, and James looks great, but drafting safeties high doesn’t seem to pan out for us (LaRon Landry still stings.) Edmunds would be a good pick, too, but he profiles more as an OLB, and we seem to take one of those in the first 2 rounds every year since Moses was coaching the Wanderers. Would like to see us continue to focus on stocking the middle of the field on D.

    • As I’ve said in the past, the Skins have never taken a middle linebacker in the 1st round. OLB’s sure.

      • I just don’t think they’ll take Roquan now that Foster and Brown are signed up. Too many other holes. It’s possible, though, obviously. Plus, I’ve had people who are better with film than me tell me that he’s better suited to a 4-3 system.

        • ” he’s better suited to a 4-3 system.” Well, so is the rest of our front 7, so that could work.

    • I think Smith would be a good complement to Brown, where I think maybe Edmunds is actually competition for Brown. Landry (Harold, not LaRon) though, might be a pretty solid pick too, he could even slide up on 3rd and long when the D goes Nickel or Dime.

  • NBC Sports Boston saying Gronk is getting traded

    Hopefully not to us

  • Bad Reputation

    ProFootballTalk

    Verified account

    @ProFootballTalk
    2m2 minutes ago
    More
    Eagles add linebacker Paul Worrilow

  • noonefromtampa

    The top planning and oversight board at the Postal Service has been unable to meet and consider matters such as the agency’s long-term relationship with Amazon, because the president has failed to appoint any of the nine governors to the 11-member Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service.

    Without a quorum, the Postal Service cannot make key operational decisions or provide accountability for operational deficiencies, such as intentional mail delays, drug trafficking through the Postal Service’s network, and dramatically falling mail volumes and revenue.

    • The most incompetent administration in American history.

      • No Punt Intended

        How’d your party lose then?

      • there have been some pretty incompetent administrations; imagine if we didn’t have a civil service, back in the old days each admin brought in ALL new people, from the mail rooms to the White House.

      • The Jimmy Carter presidency ended a long time ago.

        • No Punt Intended

          And Obama…not even that long ago. Now that he is out, I’ll say it…corrupt putz who thought of himself as a king rather than a leader of the (THE) global superpower. Dude was a bitch.

          • Obama was terrible, too. I think he’s way too interested in being a globalist to ever have been president, to say nothing about his domestic policies.

        • Not even close.

          • Jimmy Carter was by far the most incompetent president we’ve had since WWII, and it isn’t close; plus, he was just a terrible leader. He did incalculable damage to the U.S. military, ruined our foreign policy, and hurt the economy. He was an awful president in pretty much every way.

          • he gets the rep for ruining the military, but that was in part inertia from the previous admin, if you look at spending

            Carter was prob a harbinger that went unheeded and put us where we are today, though I was too young to remember his reign.

        • I always thought that we would more carefully consider our government if we actually had an object lesson..

          …like having interest rates skyrocket when the gov’t “printed” money

          but when you’re borrowing faceless future people’s money? spending compromises become “yes” and “yes” and some more, when you look at them over the long term.

    • No Punt Intended

      Amazon will be the reason the USPS will stop being run by the government. This is being booked. The US government can’t run a fucking lemonade stand. This needs to be privatized and no longer run annual losses of billions.

      • noonefromtampa

        They should sell USPS to Amazon or the highest bidder

        • No Punt Intended

          Bingo. I mean, shit, Amazon is getting a massive savings by using the USPS as their courier service relative to the strain they add to it.

  • noonefromtampa

    Jewish people have a right to their ‘own land,’ Saudi crown prince says as he seeks ally against Iran
    =====================================
    Yep cause as Steve said Saudi Arabia would never cooperate with Israel in any fashion

    [like I said they had already on numerous occasions]

    • No Punt Intended

      “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

    • When it comes down to cooperating with Israel to attack another Muslim country, as you suggest? That’s lunacy. Won’t happen. I don’t care what the crown prince says. Did he said that in English or Arabic?

      • Yiddish

        • No Punt Intended

          He was speaking “Flounder” when he said, “We share there interests nobody else no’s shit not sure why these mufuks acting like they know anything its crap and makes no cents.”

      • noonefromtampa

        Problem is that is has already happened where SA has enabled Israel to attack Muslim targets i.e PLO, Hezbollah, etc by providing intelligence and other such support

        • walter_in_fallschurch

          noone,
          steve thinks invading iraq was a good plan, still – even in retrospect… so…. factor that in.

  • Two fences, 50 yards apart, a minefield between them. Illegal immigrants that get caught in country will be sent back home through the minefield, on foot.

  • VillaSquinns Nation

    I see we delved into political discussions. Let’s talk something we can all get behind: VILLANOVA WON THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP (AGAIN)!

  • For the record, the wall is a stupid idea. It’s impractical, expensive and won’t work.

    People sneaking in to the country or overstaying their visas should absolutely be deported, but the wall us just dumb.

  • Bad Reputation

    Payne and Vea were both gone in this Mock. I couldn’t trade out of 13 so I went BPA and made one trade in the 2nd Round.

    Your score is: 20743 (GRADE: B+)

    Your Picks:
    Round 1 Pick 13: James, Derwin, SS/FS, Florida State (A)
    Round 2 Pick 23 (CAR): Michel, Sony, RB, Georgia (A)
    Round 3 Pick 21 (CAR): Settle, Tim, DT, Virginia Tech (A)
    Round 4 Pick 9: Smith, TreQuan, WR, Central Florida (A+)
    Round 5 Pick 5: Phillips, Skyler, OG, Idaho State (A+)
    Round 5 Pick 24 (CAR): Ford, Poona, DT, Texas (A)
    Round 5 Pick 26: Adeniyi, Olasunkanmi, DE/OLB, Toledo (A)
    Round 6 Pick 14: Haley, Grant, CB, Penn State (A+)
    Round 7 Pick 13: Cabinda, Jason, ILB, Penn State (B+)
    Round 7 Pick 23: Brandner, Gabe, OT, Duke (A)

  • Well this meeting I am at got interesting for 2 reasons. 1st no one ate any of the free breakfast, so I may be able to snag about 3 lbs of free muffins. 2nd some random member of the public came to the mic and had a huge crazy rant.

    But I’m mostly focused on free muffins

  • No Punt Intended

    Different_Cat Steve Thomas • 2 minutes ago
    It’s so clearly NOT needed, with the U.S. actually experiencing a net outflow of undocumented immigrants.
    —————————————————–
    Are you babbling about a border wall or the need for identification?

  • Bad Reputation

    The Insider

    @Insider
    4m4 minutes ago
    More
    With Compton departure, linebacker could be in play for Redskins in Round 1

  • I was told there wasn’t going to be any math.

  • noonefromtampa

    Building a wall is a fantastic idea

    it worked so well for the French with the Maginot Line

  • Bad Reputation

    That lightning bold video from Etrod on the last thread is absolutely the greatest thing ever. What kind of people have the time to go to some park or wherever they were and LARP….LOL. Must not have a care in the world.

  • very good analysis, Steve. Thank you. Maybe now some of the ranting and expectations will be a little more realistic. Probably not, but maybe

  • noonefromtampa

    The big Caravan of People from Honduras, now coming across Mexico and heading to our “Weak Laws” Border, had better be stopped before it gets there. Cash cow NAFTA is in play, as is foreign aid to Honduras and the countries that allow this to happen. Congress MUST ACT NOW!

    — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 3, 2018

    ===================================================

    A couple passes with an A-10 should solve that problem

    Invade Mexico now! Solve the problem at the root

  • After writing this column, the more I think about it, the more I think Johnathan Hankins may come around eventually after not getting the deal he wants. The Redskins still have enough money left that they shouldn’t just let it all roll over.

  • noonefromtampa

    Jets claim former Raider Clive Walford off waivers

  • My NCAA bracket ended up in the 87th percentile on ESPN despite a terrible start for me and it not being one of my better efforts overall. Picking the correct winner means alot.

  • noonefromtampa

    Wurst!