Redskins May Have To Cut 15-20 Players (Adam Scheffter NFL Network)

[RDSKNFN_48]

Talk about a Pepto Bismol Moment. Don't know if there is any validity in this report but if it is...I think all of us may have to try out.

http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/9269708

Let's try door No. 3

By Adam Schefter

Special to NFL.com

Combine times, measurements: Feb. 27 | Feb. 26 | Feb. 25

Adam Schefter's "Around the League" reports and commentaries can be seen regularly on NFL Total Access.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Once, few thought that former University of Miami running back Edgerrin James would be drafted ahead of former University of Texas running back Ricky Williams.

And he was.

Jay Cutler completed nearly 60 percent of his passes for over 3,000 yards in 2005.

Now, few think that Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler will be drafted ahead of USC quarterback Matt Leinart or Texas quarterback Vince Young.

And he could be.

The man who ultimately might make the decision is New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, holder of the draft's No. 2 overall pick.

Those close to Payton say that, behind closed doors, the Saints coach has conveyed the opinion that Cutler could turn out to be the next Brett Favre. Payton has yet to study extensive game tape of Cutler, but he has seen enough to believe that the quarterback has a real chance to be a bona fide star at the next level.

Because he never even played in a bowl game, Cutler did not receive the offensive line protection that the higher-rated quarterbacks did. Yet he performed admirably, impressing his teammates plenty and NFL scouts even more.

If Payton is as enamored with Cutler as people say, then the debate over whether Leinart or Young will be the first quarterback picked could be moot. Cutler could pull the upset.

This would not surprise NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock, who has maintained that Cutler is this draft's top-rated quarterback -- ahead of Leinart, ahead of Young.

And if Payton is, in fact, thinking the same way as Mayock, then this draft's first surprise could come at No. 2.

Should Cutler go No. 2, it would rearrange the projected first-round order. Then, Leinart would fall to No. 3, where he would be reunited with his former offensive coordinator at USC, Norm Chow. And it also would leave Young to go No. 4 to the New York Jets, who need a quarterback. Yet, should the Jets opt for a bigger need with Virginia's D'Brickashaw Ferguson, then Young could fall to the Oakland Raiders at No. 7.

Of course, these are purely hypothetical. And there will be countless variations of them between now and draft day.

GETTING THE EDGE

It's no surprise that James already is being recruited to sign with a certain team in free agency. What's surprising is who is doing the recruiting.

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning recently took time out of a golf trip in South Florida to visit with his running back, trying to convince him to re-sign with Indianapolis.

James listened to his quarterback's pitch, but ultimately, in the end, money is going to do all the talking. Still it was a noble gesture on part of the Manning, who knows how valuable James is to the Colts offense.

Now it will be up to another team to determine how valuable James is to their offense.

SKINNED

Without an extension of the collective bargaining agreement, this could be one of the bloodiest weeks the NFL has witnessed, with more teams cutting more players at this time of the year than the league ever has seen.

Walt Harris finished fourth on Washington with 57 total tackles.

And no team is in worse shape than the Washington Redskins, who some league insiders believe will have to cut anywhere from 15 to 20 players.

Those numbers will depend on how many players will be willing to restructure their contracts, but one NFL general manager who reviewed Washington's salary-cap situation wondered how the Redskins will even be able to field a team.

For starters, the Redskins are expected to release defensive backs Matt Bowen and Walt Harris, defensive linemen Renaldo Wynn and Brandon Noble, wide receivers James Thrash and Taylor Jacobs, center Cory Raymer, and kicker John Hall. Even with all those moves, the Redskins still will be significantly over the salary cap, requiring them to release even more players from their roster.

No team is rooting for a CBA extension any harder than Washington. Otherwise, the Redskins team next weekend will be considerably different from the one they have this weekend.

ARMS TRADE

Not all the Redskins moves will be cuts. At least one will be a trade.

The Redskins also are expected to trade quarterback Patrick Ramsey this week. At least three teams have expressed a serious interest, and one should be able to put together an enticing enough package to lure away a player the Redskins once drafted in the first round.

The Redskins are not expected to get a whole lot in return for Ramsey, due to the fact that there are so many quarterbacks expected to be on the free-agent market. But they will get something for a team that soon could have many holes.

[sableholic]

... search function = friend

[TODD]

It's scary coming from a reliable source like Schefter... but as far as I'm concerned, all of those aforementioned players are expendable; Wynn and Harris would be our only significant depth losses out of the bit. Bringing in some youth to replace might be a good thing for this squad.

[Butz65]

Not really new. The thing that bothers me is that he could have mentioned at least 6 or 7 other teams in the same situation. Once again focus is on the Skins because the writers have been wrong about the "gloom and doom" cap stories in the past.