***Official*** Washington Redskins 2014 Offseason Thread (1 Viewer)

[TxBuckeye]

35? Dang. Ok, color me unimpressed. We're talking stop-gap player.

 

[thayman]

So how good is Clark? Is this someone we'd be upset over if we lose out on him? Or would it really be sort of a "so what?" situation?

I couldn't care less either way with Clark. He'll turn 35 this season and has probably never really been anything other than an average starter. Yeah, that would be an improvement here, but nothing to get excited. I've grown so tired of hearing how horrible it was that we let him go years ago as if he's a special player.

I've never understood the outrage over letting him go. He was a decent player but nothing special, and certainly not worth years of crying over.

 

[fatness]

I've grown so tired of hearing how horrible it was that we let him go years ago as if he's a special player.

I've grown tired of it but only it was because it's another story of how the Redskins let a player slip away who went on to perform well with another team for several years. That's what Clark was.

What he is now is older and slower, still probably better than any S on their roster, and a veteran leader in the secondary. They could use those qualities for a year or two until their secondary rises from the ashes.

 

[fatness]

Donald Penn visiting today.

Penn visited Oakland on Friday, but the Redskins have already been in contact with him about a possible deal, according to multiple reports.

Penn started every game the past six seasons at left tackle for the Buccaneers. But he was cut after Tampa Bay signed free-agent tackle Anthony Collins. Penn would have counted $8.1 million against the salary cap. That figure, plus what the Bucs felt was diminished play, led to his release. But there was still a sense in Tampa that Penn still could be effective -- if he switched to the right side.

With Trent Williams already on the left side, Washington would want Penn to play on the right side. Tyler Polumbus has been the full-time starter at right tackle the past two seasons. Though he improved in 2013, he still was not as effective as the coaches would have liked, hence the interest in Penn.

 

[fatness]

BurgundyBlog.com ‏@BurgundyBlog 17m

Every time a free agent visits #Redskins Park and leaves without a deal, an angel gets its wings.

 

[fatness]

Rich Tandler

After processing the Thursday signings of Jason Hatcher, Darryl Sharpton, and Clifton Geathers, and the release of Will Montgomery, the Redskins had $9.2 million in salary cap space left. That number does not include the contract signed by Tracy Porter on Saturday.

We don’t have the details of that deal so we don’t know what the first-year cap number is. But we can make an estimate based on his reported terms. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that Porter signed for 2 years and $6 million. As a rule of thumb, the first-year cap hit runs about half of what the average annual value of the deal is. And due to the Rule of 51, a player making about $500,000 gets knocked out of the salary cap total when Porter’s cap hit is added in. It all adds up to a net reduction of about $1 million in available cap space.

So that leaves the Redskins with about $8.2 million in cap space. It could be a little more or less but what’s a few hundred thousand dollars among friends.

They still have some needs to fill at safety and possible at right tackle. That is enough space to get some players signed. They also could create some more space by releasing some players.

 

[dgreen]

I've grown so tired of hearing how horrible it was that we let him go years ago as if he's a special player.

I've grown tired of it but only it was because it's another story of how the Redskins let a player slip away who went on to perform well with another team for several years. That's what Clark was.

What he is now is older and slower, still probably better than any S on their roster, and a veteran leader in the secondary. They could use those qualities for a year or two until their secondary rises from the ashes.

The league is full of players who go from team X to team Y and perform well. Players like that switch teams all the time. Clark was completely replaceable...The problem was the failure to properly replace him and not simply with letting him go.

 

[fatness]

Clark was completely replaceable...The problem was the failure to properly replace him and not simply with letting him go.

We're agreeing on this: The team let him go, and failed to replace him adequately.

I think they were dumb to let him go. Look how it worked out.

 

[fatness]

Rob Jackson's visiting the Raiders this week.

Man, you can't feel too good if the only teams interested in you are the Raiders and the Redskins.

 

[RGIII HTTR]

I've grown so tired of hearing how horrible it was that we let him go years ago as if he's a special player.

I've grown tired of it but only it was because it's another story of how the Redskins let a player slip away who went on to perform well with another team for several years. That's what Clark was.

What he is now is older and slower, still probably better than any S on their roster, and a veteran leader in the secondary. They could use those qualities for a year or two until their secondary rises from the ashes.

The league is full of players who go from team X to team Y and perform well. Players like that switch teams all the time. Clark was completely replaceable...The problem was the failure to properly replace him and not simply with letting him go.

The issue with how Clark was not retained and why it seems to be a sore spot with many is that it symbolized how our front office ran things. Instead of cultivating our own talent, the organization tried to buy talent elsewhere. Clark was classic example of this and it was not like the bank would have been broken for him, but the on field chemistry that would have stayed in place would have been far more valuable than just him or his salary.

Is Clark all that an a bag of chips? No, he is not now or never has been. Unfortunately, when it comes to the subject of Clark that is not really the question or the issue...it's all about how the team conducted their flawed business.

 

[fatness]

Kenny Britt coming for a visit after he visits Patriots on Monday.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/03/16/britt-still-on-for-pats-visit-then-heading-to-washington/

There were/are several FA's the Skins were looking at this year who the Patriots were also looking that, I think. That's probably not a bad thing (for the Skins).

 

[Marvelous]

I've grown so tired of hearing how horrible it was that we let him go years ago as if he's a special player.

I've grown tired of it but only it was because it's another story of how the Redskins let a player slip away who went on to perform well with another team for several years. That's what Clark was.

What he is now is older and slower, still probably better than any S on their roster, and a veteran leader in the secondary. They could use those qualities for a year or two until their secondary rises from the ashes.

Letting Ryan Clark go is only half the story. The other half is signing Adam Archuleta to the largest contract a safety had ever signed at the time. And Archuleta lasted one whole season with the Redskins.

If the Redskins had signed a great safety with their record breaking contract, no one would have thought twice about letting Ryan Clark go.

 

[Marvelous]

I've grown so tired of hearing how horrible it was that we let him go years ago as if he's a special player.

I've grown tired of it but only it was because it's another story of how the Redskins let a player slip away who went on to perform well with another team for several years. That's what Clark was.

What he is now is older and slower, still probably better than any S on their roster, and a veteran leader in the secondary. They could use those qualities for a year or two until their secondary rises from the ashes.

Letting Ryan Clark go is only half the story. The other half is signing Adam Archuleta to the largest contract a safety had ever signed at the time. And Archuleta lasted one whole season with the Redskins.

If the Redskins had signed a great safety with their record breaking contract, no one would have thought twice about letting Ryan Clark go.

I will make one more comment on Ryan Clark:

Clark was Sean Taylor's best friend on the team and probably the most involved in helping Taylor mature.

Here's are article from Jason Reid on their relationship:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/ryan-clark-remembers-his-frien.html

 

[fatness]

Donald Penn met with the Skins today, is still around, and will meet again with them on Monday.

https://twitter.com/Russellmania980/status/445365368165793793

 

[dehaven123]

Donald Penn met with the Skins today, is still around, and will meet again with them on Monday.

https://twitter.com/Russellmania980/status/445365368165793793

good sign i suppose.

wonder how the idea of playing RT vs LT sounds to him?

 

[fatness]

First time I had heard this.

Montgomery was released Friday with a failed physical designation.

 

[RGIII HTTR]

Who is going to play safety for us, we still have two open starter spots. Also, was Sharpton really our ILB signing to play with P. Riley?

 

[fatness]

I think Sharpton is at best a backup and special teamer. As for safety, nothing's obvious now. I think they'll sign Doughty and Merriweather cheap, hope Philip Thomas comes back from his lisfranc and plays well in camp, draft a safey (high, I hope). And pray.

 

[fatness]

John Keim's update on some free agents.

My guess is that they will sign Donald Penn who'll agree to back up Trent Williams and to compete for the starting RT spot. Just a guess.

 

[fatness]

Offensive depth chart at this point.

 

[Marvelous]

Offensive depth chart at this point.

On the OL, Tandler talks about Compton, Gettis, and LeRibeus competing for starting spots. But there is no mention of Maurice Hurt. Is he in the mix at all?

 

[Sidewinder16]

Offensive depth chart at this point.

On the OL, Tandler talks about Compton, Gettis, and LeRibeus competing for starting spots. But there is no mention of Maurice Hurt. Is he in the mix at all?

A couple of speculations:

IIRC, Hurt has mainly backed up the tackle spots (didn't he start for Williams when he was out for a number of games a few years ago?), although I think he's supposed to be versatile enough to play guard. If Tandler is assuming he's Trent's primary backup, that may explain the exclusion.

But looking here, of the backup OL guys, Hurt also saves the team the most money if cut. The signing of Campbell, and the potential signing of Penn may very well make Hurt expendable from both depth and cap perspectives.

Or, it could just be a brain fart on Tandler's part.

 

[Sidewinder16]

Speaking of Tandler, for those that have experienced any angst regarding players the 'Skins have "missed out on", he has a good reminder that the reasons those players signed elsewhere may not have anything to do with the competence (or possible lackthereof) of the current front office structure.

Of course, it may have something to do with that , but, by itself, a player signing with another team isn't enough evidence to properly conclude that.

 

[fatness]

Bruce Allen not getting much respect as a GM.

 

[MattFancy]

Bruce Allen not getting much respect as a GM.

That article is junk. When are people going to learn that Snyder has taken a back seat? When was the last time the Skins signed a high priced FA? The Skins haven't been big FA spenders since Vinny left. From 2010 til now, they've taken a very cheap approach to FA.

 

[dehaven123]

Speaking of Tandler, for those that have experienced any angst regarding players the 'Skins have "missed out on", he has a good reminder that the reasons those players signed elsewhere may not have anything to do with the competence (or possible lackthereof) of the current front office structure.

Of course, it may have something to do with that , but, by itself, a player signing with another team isn't enough evidence to properly conclude that.

nonsensical jibberish!

way too much reason in that article!

its been made very clear that in the few wks or so gruden has been here that he and allen are incompetent and the skins FO is lost in the woods.

everybody knows that FAs are avoiding the skins. jeesh. get with the program. gawd.

 

[5 Digits]

Bruce Allen not getting much respect as a GM.

That article is junk. When are people going to learn that Snyder has taken a back seat? When was the last time the Skins signed a high priced FA? The Skins haven't been big FA spenders since Vinny left. From 2010 til now, they've taken a very cheap approach to FA.

"Under Allen/Snyder’s guidance, the Redskins have gotten extremely little bang for their buck, running up huge cap charges while nevertheless fielding one of the league’s thinnest rosters." -2/4 of his years he's been forced to deal with a smaller cap than other teams, and still controlled it well. The only huge spending year was his first here, mostly clearing out overpriced contracts from the Vinny era.

"They dumped an illegal amount of money into the uncapped year of 2010, resulting in the loss of $36 million in cap space to be spread out over 2012-13." -Lost all credibility here. Against the backroom rule established through the other owners' collusion, ok. Should have known he wouldn't get away with going against the other owners, I disagree, but there's an argument there. Illegal? There's no truth to that at all.

"Moths to the big-name flame, there’s little doubt Allen and Snyder will look to compensate for the absence of their first-rounder by spending big in free agency." -Still waiting for this to happen.

I wish I hadn't even clicked that link.

 

[Sidewinder16]

Griffin and a number of skill-position players will work out together next week in Arizona.

Redskins wide receivers Pierre Garcon, Aldrick Robinson, Santana Moss, and new additions Andre Roberts and David Gettis will make the trip. The group also includes tight end Jordan Reed and running backs Alfred Morris, Evan Royster and Chris Thompson.

Wide receiver Josh Morgan, who is a free agent and has yet to re-sign with Washington or catch on with any other team, also will join Griffin & Co.

 

[Archer]

Wonder if we will get any reports about whether Griffin is still wearing that brace. The sooner he sheds that the better.

 

[dgreen]

John Keim

‏@john_keim
can confirm @NBCdianna tweet about brandon Meriweather. He will be re-signing with the Redskins.

 

[fatness]

Bruce Allen not getting much respect as a GM.

That article is junk. When are people going to learn that Snyder has taken a back seat? When was the last time the Skins signed a high priced FA? The Skins haven't been big FA spenders since Vinny left. From 2010 til now, they've taken a very cheap approach to FA.

Yeah, that part was a bit ovedone but I think it's kind of obvious now that Snyder meddled and wanted McNabb and Shanahan and Allen didn't say no. So it's not like Snyder's been totally non-meddling, just much less so than before.

But that's not all it says about Allen. This part is kind of a mixed review of him.

Under Allen/Snyder’s guidance, the Redskins have gotten extremely little bang for their buck, running up huge cap charges while nevertheless fielding one of the league’s thinnest rosters. That’s due in part to the duo’s cheating. They dumped an illegal amount of money into the uncapped year of 2010, resulting in the loss of $36 million in cap space to be spread out over 2012-13. The money is back for 2014, but coach Mike Shanahan is gone. It was alongside Shanny that Allen oversaw four relatively strong draft classes.

 

[fatness]

Griffin and a number of skill-position players will work out together next week in Arizona.

Redskins wide receivers Pierre Garcon, Aldrick Robinson, Santana Moss, and new additions Andre Roberts and David Gettis will make the trip. The group also includes tight end Jordan Reed and running backs Alfred Morris, Evan Royster and Chris Thompson.

Wide receiver Josh Morgan, who is a free agent and has yet to re-sign with Washington or catch on with any other team, also will join Griffin & Co.

Glad to see they're doing this. They need to all get on the same page, learn each other's abilities and tendencies, so they know what each other will do without thinking or hesitation.

 

[fatness]

Wonder if we will get any reports about whether Griffin is still wearing that brace. The sooner he sheds that the better.

I don't have a link. But I seem to recall he's not wearing it any more. Anyone else know?

 

[fatness]

John Keim

‏@john_keim
can confirm @NBCdianna tweet about brandon Meriweather. He will be re-signing with the Redskins.

1 year, $1 million according to her later tweet.

She also says the Jets don't plan to sign Ryan Clark, so there goes part of what he thought would be leverage for more money from the Skins.

On Saturday, a person with knowledge of the situation said that Clark’s asking price exceeds the amount that Washington officials wanted to pay for the aging defensive back.

Mike Jones

 

[fatness]

Skins still after Donald Penn.

The Redskins have free agent offensive tackle Donald Penn at their team facility in Ashburn this afternoon and they want to make him their new right tackle. Here is a report from Fox Sports writer Ross Jones.

 

[fatness]

Who is going to play safety for us, we still have two open starter spots. Also, was Sharpton really our ILB signing to play with P. Riley?

Better answer than I gave earlier. http://espn.go.com/blog/washington-redskins/post/_/id/6217/resetting-the-roster-linebacker

 

[fatness]

Just spoke to Robert Griffin III at the Ed Block Awards and he said “it’s safe to say” he will NOT wear a knee brace in 2014. #RedskinsTalk

— Tarik El-Bashir (@TarikCSN) March 17, 2014

 

[fatness]

thom loverro ‏@thomloverro

Happy birthday to greatest #Redskins player of all time -- Sammy Baugh. Deserves a statue at FedEx Field

 

[fatness]

Mike Jones ‏@MikeJonesWaPo 2m

Heard #Redskins and Donald Penn remain in negotiations. Still hard to say how things will play out, source said.

 

[RGIII HTTR]

Now that we've seen the major moves the franchise has taken to fill holes and roster, I have come to the conclusion that the new front office direction or view appears to be use FA as patch work with fillers (no impact) and build via draft. This is great for stable franchises and has shown to work for those franchises that can remain stable. Considering the amount of holes and the disregard to fill any part with true impact or youth, it's logical to think that they are hoping for RGIII to cover up their deficiencies on defense again, like two years ago. The depth chart is very thin and now many slated starting starter positions filled with marginal players is questionable and somewhat risky. The other issue is the Redskins have not shown to be able to draft well on a consistent basis. We hit on some high picks, but those are easier to hit on. Yes, there are some examples of nice picks, but overall we have missed on far more that are no longer in the league or worth where they were drafted. This is why leaning on our drafting skills is a somewhat scary thought as most of our productive players in the past decade with groomed by another franchise, while our own home grown wilted.

So, that being said...clearly a new approach and direction for our franchise. I don't completely agree with this and my gut says we are in for some more tough times ahead. The tough times we have endured with this team, there was always a n under lying feeling that our team was always willing to go and go and get whatever was needed to help, now we are left to just...hoping.

 

[MattFancy]

Now that we've seen the major moves the franchise has taken to fill holes and roster, I have come to the conclusion that the new front office direction or view appears to be use FA as patch work with fillers (no impact) and build via draft. This is great for stable franchises and has shown to work for those franchises that can remain stable. Considering the amount of holes and the disregard to fill any part with true impact or youth, it's logical to think that they are hoping for RGIII to cover up their deficiencies on defense again, like two years ago. The depth chart is very thin and now many slated starting starter positions filled with marginal players is questionable and somewhat risky. The other issue is the Redskins have not shown to be able to draft well on a consistent basis. We hit on some high picks, but those are easier to hit on. Yes, there are some examples of nice picks, but overall we have missed on far more that are no longer in the league or worth where they were drafted. This is why leaning on our drafting skills is a somewhat scary thought as most of our productive players in the past decade with groomed by another franchise, while our own home grown wilted.

So, that being said...clearly a new approach and direction for our franchise. I don't completely agree with this and my gut says we are in for some more tough times ahead. The tough times we have endured with this team, there was always a n under lying feeling that our team was always willing to go and go and get whatever was needed to help, now we are left to just...hoping.

I would've liked to see us address safety and ILB better in FA, but I like the measured apprach they've taken so far. This is a team that has a bunch of needs so there was no reason to spend big on just 1 or 2 positions. We're lacking depth almost across the board, especially on defense. They took some chances on young guys that didn't get a ton of playing time on their old teams. If we can hit on some of those, it would go a long way.

This draft will really be important. Seems like they'll lean heavily towards defense. Draft a S, ILB, OL early and often. Those are the 3 biggest needs right now IMO. Now if we sign Penn, the OL need isn't nearly as big.

Also reading between the lines on the contracts, it seems like the FO can get out of most of these after 2 seasons. Why is that important? That's when RG3, Alf and Trent are up for new deals. Why no be able to free up cap space for 3 of your most important players?

 

[Todd Andrews]

Now that we've seen the major moves the franchise has taken to fill holes and roster, I have come to the conclusion that the new front office direction or view appears to be use FA as patch work with fillers (no impact) and build via draft. This is great for stable franchises and has shown to work for those franchises that can remain stable. Considering the amount of holes and the disregard to fill any part with true impact or youth, it's logical to think that they are hoping for RGIII to cover up their deficiencies on defense again, like two years ago. The depth chart is very thin and now many slated starting starter positions filled with marginal players is questionable and somewhat risky. The other issue is the Redskins have not shown to be able to draft well on a consistent basis. We hit on some high picks, but those are easier to hit on. Yes, there are some examples of nice picks, but overall we have missed on far more that are no longer in the league or worth where they were drafted. This is why leaning on our drafting skills is a somewhat scary thought as most of our productive players in the past decade with groomed by another franchise, while our own home grown wilted.

So, that being said...clearly a new approach and direction for our franchise. I don't completely agree with this and my gut says we are in for some more tough times ahead. The tough times we have endured with this team, there was always a n under lying feeling that our team was always willing to go and go and get whatever was needed to help, now we are left to just...hoping.

I would've liked to see us address safety and ILB better in FA, but I like the measured apprach they've taken so far. This is a team that has a bunch of needs so there was no reason to spend big on just 1 or 2 positions. We're lacking depth almost across the board, especially on defense. They took some chances on young guys that didn't get a ton of playing time on their old teams. If we can hit on some of those, it would go a long way.

This draft will really be important. Seems like they'll lean heavily towards defense. Draft a S, ILB, OL early and often. Those are the 3 biggest needs right now IMO. Now if we sign Penn, the OL need isn't nearly as big.

Also reading between the lines on the contracts, it seems like the FO can get out of most of these after 2 seasons. Why is that important? That's when RG3, Alf and Trent are up for new deals. Why no be able to free up cap space for 3 of your most important players?

I agree. I am pleased with this approach but it only works with competent drafts.

 

[RGIII HTTR]

Now that we've seen the major moves the franchise has taken to fill holes and roster, I have come to the conclusion that the new front office direction or view appears to be use FA as patch work with fillers (no impact) and build via draft. This is great for stable franchises and has shown to work for those franchises that can remain stable. Considering the amount of holes and the disregard to fill any part with true impact or youth, it's logical to think that they are hoping for RGIII to cover up their deficiencies on defense again, like two years ago. The depth chart is very thin and now many slated starting starter positions filled with marginal players is questionable and somewhat risky. The other issue is the Redskins have not shown to be able to draft well on a consistent basis. We hit on some high picks, but those are easier to hit on. Yes, there are some examples of nice picks, but overall we have missed on far more that are no longer in the league or worth where they were drafted. This is why leaning on our drafting skills is a somewhat scary thought as most of our productive players in the past decade with groomed by another franchise, while our own home grown wilted.

So, that being said...clearly a new approach and direction for our franchise. I don't completely agree with this and my gut says we are in for some more tough times ahead. The tough times we have endured with this team, there was always a n under lying feeling that our team was always willing to go and go and get whatever was needed to help, now we are left to just...hoping.

I would've liked to see us address safety and ILB better in FA, but I like the measured apprach they've taken so far. This is a team that has a bunch of needs so there was no reason to spend big on just 1 or 2 positions. We're lacking depth almost across the board, especially on defense. They took some chances on young guys that didn't get a ton of playing time on their old teams. If we can hit on some of those, it would go a long way.

This draft will really be important. Seems like they'll lean heavily towards defense. Draft a S, ILB, OL early and often. Those are the 3 biggest needs right now IMO. Now if we sign Penn, the OL need isn't nearly as big.

Also reading between the lines on the contracts, it seems like the FO can get out of most of these after 2 seasons. Why is that important? That's when RG3, Alf and Trent are up for new deals. Why no be able to free up cap space for 3 of your most important players?

Good points Matt, you are right in that one or two players would not make a huge impact or fix our issues for sure. Although I don't see where they are talking any chances on young guys that didn't get an opportunity on their old team. The only guy who fits that bill is Roberts (WR) and they paid him more than what most thought he would command. I'm not worried about the pay because I like the approach of you see something/player that you like and think will help and you go and get it.

All of our picks are just that, one to two year stop gap type pick ups. Though they are not Ryan Clark ancient, they are all pushing close to 30 or more. Of course, friendly contracts that won't weigh us down, but this is not the NBA and team's are not aligning themselves for a run at when LeBron becomes a FA.

Anyway, we appear to be locked in for who or what we have to draft and at least from the look of things do not have the option to take best player available. Then again, we have to make sure we hit on those picks and that is where it starts to get really scary...

As far as locking up those three, I think Alf won't get locked up...ride that horse hard and then put her down. Get on the next horse and then ride that one hard too. That seems to be more in line with the current NFL now, since RBs break down easily and are not drafted as high anymore. As for Trent and RGIII, those will be hefty contracts and for them to be worthwhile and for the team to be able to take advantage of their prime & cap space they will take...the other pieces will have to be in place or else it all for nothing. It will be a classic seize the moment type thing...which hopefully can be done.

 

[Ted Mullins]

Good point about a lot of the deals being easy to get out of after 2 years...seems like that is pretty common throughout the league at this point. My guess is there will be a lot of turnover on the roster in the next couple years, as Shanahan was very big on his system - a lot of these guys might not appeal to Gruden much. I agree that Alf might not get extended when his time is up, unless they go to a committee he will have a lot of carries in his first four years and I can't see them paying a lot for an RB that was intended for someone else's system. I guess we will cross that bridge when we get to it, but if that is the case I do hope someone gives Morris a good deal, he seems like a great dude.

Not sure if anyone else feels the same way, but it really seems like we did not get anyone expensive other than Hatcher (moderately expensive) and our cap space seemed to just disappear. I guess tagging Orakpo was ~1/3 of the space alone, so that's a big part of it.

 

[Brunell4MVP]

Good point about a lot of the deals being easy to get out of after 2 years...seems like that is pretty common throughout the league at this point. My guess is there will be a lot of turnover on the roster in the next couple years, as Shanahan was very big on his system - a lot of these guys might not appeal to Gruden much. I agree that Alf might not get extended when his time is up, unless they go to a committee he will have a lot of carries in his first four years and I can't see them paying a lot for an RB that was intended for someone else's system. I guess we will cross that bridge when we get to it, but if that is the case I do hope someone gives Morris a good deal, he seems like a great dude.

Not sure if anyone else feels the same way, but it really seems like we did not get anyone expensive other than Hatcher (moderately expensive) and our cap space seemed to just disappear. I guess tagging Orakpo was ~1/3 of the space alone, so that's a big part of it.

Coming in as a late pick, guys like Morris really have it tough. He's been a standup guy and a very good player. He isn't getting paid much (from an NFL perspective). He puts his heart into it and plays great. Yet by the time he's up for FA, the market will be slim because there's a limited market for RBs in today's NFL. I hope they find a way to use him effectively and that he somehow gets a contract extension and stays around. He's a guy that long ago would have been a lifetime Redskin. Now I think it all depends on how well Gruden uses him.

 

[fatness]

The only part of Santana Moss's contract that is guaranteed this year is a $65,000 bonus. So there's another cheap, reasonable one with an older veteran.

I agree with most of you above that the FA signings have mostly been older, 1-3 year fixes, which isn't bad to do if the players have something left now, the contracts are reasonable, and drafting is done well. I think they just underestimated what other teams would pay for safeties this year, and with ILB's there wasn't much available besides Dansby who, at his age, got paid more than the Skins would've wanted to part with. The one that stings a bit was missing on Mitchell.

This year's draft is going to be way more critical than most years. They actually need 1 or 2 immediate starters out of the draft plus at least 2 more to become starters in time.

BTW I love this thread. There's more realistic thought here about the Skins than just about anywhere besides a few of the beat reporters' columns. 3-13 sucks ### but here we are, back again talking. It's hell when you love it.

 

[Ted Mullins]

I agree with most of you above that the FA signings have mostly been older, 1-3 year fixes, which isn't bad to do if the players have something left now, the contracts are reasonable, and drafting is done well. I think they just underestimated what other teams would pay for safeties this year, and with ILB's there wasn't much available besides Dansby who, at his age, got paid more than the Skins would've wanted to part with. The one that stings a bit was missing on Mitchell.

I was disappointed that we missed on what seems to be all of the good safeties, but I am pretty sure this is spot on - when it came down to it, some other teams needed safeties pretty bad as well and they paid more than we were willing to. Even Mitchell, I believe I saw Cooley thought he'd be someone we could get for ~$2M/year, think his deal was around 5yrs/25mil. Mitchell was someone I liked if we weren't going to pay for Bryd though, I really wanted someone that excels in coverage. The draft will be big as I really don't like that the secondary has basically stayed the same other than Porter, though an improved pass rush will help mask this some.

 

[Sidewinder16]

LB Akeem Jordan is visiting with the Redskins. John Keim tweeted this about him:

Jordan is a good special teams player with starting experience and has played in 3-4...

 

[fatness]

LB Akeem Jordan is visiting with the Redskins. John Keim tweeted this about him:

Jordan is a good special teams player with starting experience and has played in 3-4...

Jordan seems like a modestly good player to add. 6 teams want to talk to him. I think he was an ILB with KC last year and Philly before that, and is supposed to be good against the run.

 

[fatness]

But yeah, the Redskins did their homework on what kind of paydays certain players at areas of need wanted, and team officials now appear to have had a dollar figure in mind and stuck with the decision not to exceed those marks. Some of their moves remain rather curious considering a quality safety like Mike Mitchell got away for a relatively affordable cap figure. But, maybe they decided they weren’t completely sold on him. They certainly went at him hard from the start of free agency and even used current players as recruiters, but then watched as he signed with Pittsburgh. But as a whole, the Redskins kept cap figures in the affordable range, committing no more than $3.75 million (Jason Hatcher’s figure for 2014) to any one player in free agency this year.

It took them seven days, but the Redskins finally made a move for a starting safety when they re-signed Brandon Meriweather to a one-year deal for around $1 million. Now, this obviously isn’t a long-term move. But Washington’s coaches and talent evaluators deemed Meriweather a better option than any of the other safeties on the market. We’ll see what happens with Ryan Clark. Thus far, the two sides have yet to reach an agreement. I was told that the figure he hoped for exceeded the pay day that Meriweather received. If the Redskins didn’t want to pay a younger Meriweather much more than the minimum, would they really do so for the 34-year-old Clark, who some believe has lost some range? I guess never say never, but it would seem unlikely. The Redskins have Phillip Thomas (coming off injury), Bacarri Rambo (struggled as a rookie) and special teams contributors Jose Gumbs and Trenton Robinson on the roster. Is that enough? This draft class doesn’t boast the best depth at safety. Only two prospects (Ha’Sean Clinton-Dix and Calvin Pryor) that appear to be difference-makers, and because Washington lacks a first-round pick, it’s not likely they could snag either one.

Mike Jones