Five moves the Redskins need to make for a successful free agency period
NFL Free Agency is quickly approaching, with the legal tampering period beginning on March 16th through the 18th, and head coach Ron Rivera and the new Redskins regime are preparing for their first, quite significant official league year in Washington. From what we know now, we understand that the most common term used for the team heading into free agency is “aggressive”, meaning that the Redskins will be aggressive in free agency trying to acquire their top targets. What does that mean exactly? As it stands, Washington has $61 million in cap space, which is the ninth highest in the NFL right now. Does “aggressive” equal “spend it all”? Not exactly, so, let’s take a look into the top five moves that will declare Washington’s free agency period to bea successful one.
5. Re-Sign both RG Brandon Scherff and LG Ereck Flowers
Trent Williams is gone; that’s just a matter of time. So, what does Trent’s departure mean for Washington? They have enough room to solidify the interior offensive line without needing to commit significant cap space to both Trent and Scherff. The Redskins will have the opportunity down the road to address the left tackle position, which may come across as a casual approach, but there will be stop-gap players as an option, or Washington can (and should) go the draft route.
4. Trade Trent Williams
The value for Trent Williams will be as high as it can get this offseason right now. Some of the latest reporting on Trent Williams was that the market was not as robust as the team initially thought, so if Washington can come away with a 2020 third-round pick (or two), that is a win. Washington must rid themselves of the player, clear more cap space, and move forward with Ron’s organizational vision.
3. Improve the ILB Position
The Redskins need to continue to solidify their front seven, and that includes making sure their mike linebacker position is good to go. Washington is interested in bringing back Jon Bostic, who played all 16 games for the Redskins last year. However, is he the best option? There’s a reason why the 28-year-old has moved around a lot throughout his career. Reuben Foster is a fan option, and if healthy would have made sense, but can you count on a guy who is coming of such a severe injury? Secondly, he and Cole Holcomb may work best as the sam and will backers, respectively. Washington should be targeting former Cleveland Browns Christian Kirksey and Joe Schobert? Kirksey himself has battled injuries recently too; however, giving him the opportunity here to battle it out with Bostic will be nothing short of beneficial. Both of these linebackers will get significant attention in free agency, but Washington needs to be in play.
2. Sign a starting-caliber tight end
As you read that, the first thought that comes to mind I am sure was Atlanta Falcon Austin Hooper. Which is okay; he is a pretty good tight end. However, is Hooper worth breaking the bank for at the position? At the tight end position, a team should only pay top-dollar for a player who established himself and an all-around tight end. Hooper has not identified himself as that elite caliber player, nor is he on that type of trajectory. So what is the next best option for Washington? Signing Tyler Eifert, who will be a cheaper option than Hooper. Eifert and a rookie tight end (like Cole Kmet) will solidify the position, at least for 2020.
1. Sign Amari Cooper
Washington needs a 1-A option to go with their 1-B option in second-year receiver Terry McLaurin. Amari is that player. Furthermore, he has established himself as a top 15-20 receiver, and unlike Hooper, can be paid top-dollar this free agency.
Conclusion
This offseason is about re-tooling defensively while completely upgrading on the offensive side. With the re-signing of guards Ereck Flowers and Brandon Scherff, the Redskins need to make sure that they are focused on getting quarterback Dwayne Haskins some experienced weapons in free agency, players who have had top tier statistical seasons at their position. As a reminder, these five moves are not the only things Washington should do – there will always be other moves made in the offseason, such as addressing the secondary unit and quarterback position. However, if these specific moves are taken care of, consider this free agency period at the very least a B grade, which will be a successful one.