A Very Early Look at Free Agent Possibilities
January 10, 2020
By Noone from Tampa
The Redskins are going to have some cap space to spend on free agents and have needs at a number of positions. The free agent market is far from being set as teams will attempt to re-sign their better players and possibly cut other players to create cap room. Even with all that fluidity, the Redskins will have an opportunity to bring in some quality free agents, so let’s take a quick look at some possible moves which can help improve the Redskins roster.
Redskins’ key positions of need are left tackle, guard, wide receiver, running back, corner, and free safety. For purposes of this discussion, we’ll look only at unrestricted free agents under the age of 31. The players I’ve listed are the better players at that position.
Left Tackles
Kelvin Beachum, NYJ, 30, $8M cap hit in 2019, 78.8% of snaps played
Greg Robinson, CLE, 27, $6.4M cap hit in 2019, 82.2% of snaps played
D.J. Humphries, ARI, 26, $2.2M cap hit in 2019, 99.8% of snaps played
The left tackle market is weak. The offensive line for the Cardinals and Jets were less than stellar in 2019 and the Browns’ unit was just fair. Humphries probably has the most upside, but he is coming off a rookie deal and will be looking for his big money contract. The best option for the Redskins is to draft a new left tackle or get Trent Williams to return.
Guards
Brandon Scherff, WAS, 28, $5.3M, 68.7% of snaps played
Ereck Flowers, WAS, 26, $3.25M, 99.9% of snaps played
Andrus Peat, NO, 26, $2.8M, 54.1% of snaps played
This one is a no-brainer: re-sign Scherff and Flowers since they are the best options out there among a very weak guard group.
Wide Receivers
Amari Cooper, DAL, 26, $5.6M, 75.3% of snaps played
Robby Anderson, NYJ, 27, $3M, 91.2% of snaps played
Breshad Perriman, TB, 26, $4M, 56.3% of snaps played
Keelan Cole, JAC, 26, $556K, 34.3% of snaps played
The big name in this group is Amari Cooper, but the best value of this group is Robby Anderson. Anderson is a consistent four-year performer who averages about 15 yards per catch. He would be a good veteran addition to a young receiver group.
Tight Ends
Austin Hooper, ATL, 25, $800K, 62.4% of snaps played
Hunter Henry LAC, 25, $1.6M, 58% of snaps played
Tyler Eifert CIN, 29, $4M, 45.1% of snaps played
Eric Ebron, IND, 27, $6.5M, 30.0% of snaps played
For this group, the best hope is that the Atlanta Falcons have cap issues and Hooper hits the free agent market. The rest of the group each have lengthy injury histories and with the poor tight end draft options for year, teams will put a premium on re-signing their current players. If Hooper becomes a free agent, the Redskins should definitely pursue him. Tight end play, or a lack thereof, was a large issue in the Redskins 2019 offense.
Running Back
Derrick Henry, TEN, 26, $1.3M, 59.2% of snaps played
Kenyan Drake, ARI, 26, $845K, 38.6% of snaps played
Kareem Hunt, CLE, 25, $1.1M, 29.4% of snaps played
Jordan Howard, PHI, 25, $647K, 23.9% of snaps played
In this group, the thought is Henry and Drake get re-signed by their respective teams. Hunt is a PR nightmare that the Redskins will probably stay away from. Howard was injured a lot during 2019. The Redskins have a club option on Adrian Peterson and he is the type of player Ron Rivera respects because of his leadership. The best move here is to draft a RB to replace Chris Thompson as the 3rd down back.
Cornerback
Logan Ryan, TEN, 29, $10M, 99% of snaps played
Bradley Roby, HOU, 28, $10M, 60.5% of snaps played
Brian Poole, NYJ, 27, $3M, 68.2% of snaps played
P.J. Williams, NO, 27, $2.25M, 75.3% of snaps played
James Bradberry, CAR, 27, $990K, 92.1% of snaps played
Juston Burris, CLE, 27, $720K, 38.6% of snaps played
Ryan and Roby will try and command big money in 2020. Bradberry is coming off a rookie deal, is known to Coach Rivera, and replaced Josh Norman in Carolina. He is the player the Redskins should pursue in this group to be the team’s new #1 corner.
Free Safety
Jimmie Ward, SF, 29, $4.5M, 78.7% of snaps played
Clayton Geathers, IND, 28, $2.75M, 51% of snaps played
Tre Boston, CAR, 28, $2.1M, 100% of snaps played
Damarious Randall, CLE, 28. $2M, 67.3% of snaps played
HaHa Clinton-Dix, CHI, 27, $3M, 99.4% of snaps played
Justin Simmons, DEN, 26, $767K, 100% of snaps played
Darian Thompson, DAL, 26, $720K, 39.6% of snaps played
There are a number of options here. Simmons should get re-signed by Denver since he is an integral piece of their defense. The no-brainer pick here is another former Rivera player in Tre Boston. Boston had a pretty good season in 2019 and would be a good complement to Landon Collins.
Summary of Free Agent Targets
Brandon Scherff – G
Ereck Flowers – G
Robby Anderson – WR
Austin Hooper – TE
James Bradberry – CB
Tre Boston – FS
Signing this group of free agents would allow flexibility in the draft by filling some key holes in the roster. Thusly, the Redskins would not have to focus on positions of need but instead best players available when they draft.
The Hog Sty will have updates to Redskins free agency periodically during the offseason, especially as the market conditions change.
Sources: www.spotrac.com, www.footballoutsiders.com