16 FA - CT25, Jr., Ribs, Blackmon, LJLP, Colt, Ked, Foster, Nacho re-sign! JOSH NORMAN, Booth, Toler, Vern, Garvin, Bruton, Reyes sign!

[markmills67]

The 2 biggest needs that I would like to upgrade would be C, kory has done ok but gets pushed around to much for my liking. And DL, we need to get younger as almost all our DL will be over 30 next year.

HTTR

[Boss_Hogg]

Okay, so I'm not saying I have inside info but last night I tweeted to Mohamed Sanu that he would look good in the Burgundy and Gold in 2016. 

 

He favorted my tweet 20 minutes after Monday Night Football. 

 

Probably means nothing, but something tells me he's thought about reuniting with Jay Gruden. 

 

[ILikeBilly]

Many are saying DLine needs some youth.  I agree, but we may have someone already on the roster that will move to DE next year.  If we can re-sign Galette at OLB, and with the development of Preston Smith, Trent Murphy may be moved to DE.  He just needs to add a little more weight and he might be a good/great addition to our DLine.

[daveakl]

Okay, so I'm not saying I have inside info but last night I tweeted to Mohamed Sanu that he would look good in the Burgundy and Gold in 2016.

He favorted my tweet 20 minutes after Monday Night Football.

Probably means nothing, but something tells me he's thought about reuniting with Jay Gruden.

Said his name a page back. He is exactly the type of WR our GM has signed in the past.

[zoony]

I would put RB at the top of the list, surprised to see some of these lists

[dswerdlw]

When we pick in the 1st round, the value will probably be at DL and RB....maybe WR.  My heart tells me that we should re-sign Alfred Morris, but my head says to take the OSU RB if he's still available when we pick.  It would be hard to pass on Alex Mack if he hits free agency -- he's so good and he's the kind of big, nasty that Scot favors -- but he's 30 years old.  If Callahan has his way, I'm guessing we take the center in Round 2... Zach Martin's little brother Nick, also out of Notre Dame.  

[Voice_of_Reason]

I would put RB at the top of the list, surprised to see some of these lists

Alfred is probably not coming back, but jones on year 2 fits more what they want to do, and unthinking hey bring back Chris Thompson.

Probably will bring in a few guys. But probably not big money dudes...

[ZRagone]

I would put RB at the top of the list, surprised to see some of these lists

My general take...

I'm not willing to pay big money on a free agent running back. The only one's I'd be interested in would be Alfred (because I think it's good to show you'll take care of your own), Miller (good all around back), or Forte (great all around back but old). And I wouldn't want ANY of them for an exceedingly expensive price.

If we role into next years camp with Matt Jones, Silas Redd, Chris Thompson, random veteran, and a mid to late round draft pick...I'd be fine with that.

I'm not entirely sold on Matt Jones, but I'm not so cold on him that I want to spend big money on a running back.

[zoony]

My general take...

I'm not willing to pay big money on a free agent running back. The only one's I'd be interested in would be Alfred (because I think it's good to show you'll take care of your own), Miller (good all around back), or Forte (great all around back but old). And I wouldn't want ANY of them for an exceedingly expensive price.

If we role into next years camp with Matt Jones, Silas Redd, Chris Thompson, random veteran, and a mid to late round draft pick...I'd be fine with that.

I'm not entirely sold on Matt Jones, but I'm not so cold on him that I want to spend big money on a running back.

Morris is a fine human being but he is done as a running back. No explosiveness no cuts no power and no vision. He's just done.

Matt Jones is a decent back. Most Redskins fans are enamored with him because they are comparing him to Alfred Morris, but they do not know what a true starting caliber Rb looks like. Watch Ivory or Martin or Gurley or whatjhisface in Atlanta

The Oline has been creating holes and lanes. We don't have a RB on the current roster good enough to really take advantage. I mean, a guy we just signed off the street last week is our best RB right now.

That few if any Redskins fans are seeing this is, to me at least, somewhat remarkable

Ps. I love Alfred Morris. Love him. But he is done as an NFL football player

[50yrSKINSfan]

I want a D line like Arizona has. Did you guys see the way they molested the Pack? That is what I would be trying to do with my FA and draft picks. I don't want to pass on any more Williams type players if they fall to us which will be unlikely now that we will not be picking in the top 6 this year.

[Conn]

I want a D line like Arizona has. Did you guys see the way they molested the Pack? That is what I would be trying to do with my FA and draft picks. I don't want to pass on any more Williams type players if they fall to us which will be unlikely now that we will not be picking in the top 6 this year.

When was the last time Arizona drafted a DL that high?

[50yrSKINSfan]

When was the last time Arizona drafted a DL that high?

I don't know where or how they got them as I am not a Cards fan but they sure made the Pack look like a last place team and remember the Pack should have been in the super bowl last year. 

[Conn]

I would put RB at the top of the list, surprised to see some of these lists

 

I've been feeling this way lately as well. On principle I don't want to spend big money on a RB, or high draft resources unless you're talking about a stud...but that's theory. Its easy to say until you're watching your team's RB's fail week after week. One of our consistent strengths over the years has turned into a weakness and it needs to be addressed, in the draft or in FA.

 

He will cost a nice contract but Miller might be a great answer to this problem. Would become the all-around lightning to Jones' thunder, allowing Jones to remain a change-of-pace, goal line back, and clock killer. And keeping him from accruing too many carries (he's had injury issues now in college and the NFL--though nothing chronic). 

 

Miller can score from anywhere on the field, has the jets to take any carry the distance, and can catch the ball. He's explosive, he's got good vision, and he sifts through traffic up the middle extremely well while gearing up, which I think is a rare quality in a RB. He effortlessly shifts himself inches side to side to minimize contact and glance off tackles bursting through the LOS and all while hitting his top speed. Not only does he not slow down when he cuts and avoids, he actually speeds up, you can see it as he cuts and its like watching someone visibly shift gears in traffic. Its impressive, and reminds me of early Clinton Portis (not the late-career CP that weighed an extra 25 lbs and tripped over his own feet twice a game). 

 

Miller would give us a strong RB1 without a ton of carries on his legs to pair with the promise of a more bruising Jones, and we wouldn't have to spend precious draft capital to get him. The cap is going up, up, up and we have tons of cap space. I actually kind of like the idea of filling in the skill positions in FA and drafting the core of the team--the OL and the defense. Its worked well with Garcon and Desean and could continue to work as long as you don't sign a role player to a contract that expects to pay him for a role he's never filled (I'm looking at you, Andre Roberts).

 

We value our WR and TE that can gain yardage in chunks VERY highly around here...Desean and Reed make this offense go and work very well with Cousins' ability to distribute the ball to his YAC superstars...now imagine if this offense ALSO had a RB that could gain yardage in chunks...and not get run down from behind when he breaks into the secondary.

 

Something to think about, IMO, regardless of how much a lot of us want to avoid putting big resource into the RB position.

[justice98]

Roberts is gone. See ya!

But, you can't bring in another top-flight WR with Garcon/DJax/Reed all on the roster. There just aren't enough plays to go around, somebody will get left out. Unless you go true 2000 Rams, use your RB as a "draw/screen" guy, and just essentially throw on every down. (eegads that team was good. Bruce, Holt, Prohl, Faulk, Az-Hakiim (I'm forgetting somebody too, I think) with Warner pulling the trigger, might be the best group of skill position guys ever to play together...)

I think DJax, Garcon, Crowder as WRs, and Reed as TE is a good group. If you're going to be able to upgrade anywhere it's Garcon. And I wouldn't screw with it unless you got a guy like Johnson, who (assuming he's still got something in the tank), gives you similar leadership/personality and added production.

Moving off one of these receivers might be the move depending on the cap and what's available. I mean, with the QB getting a new deal, you never how that's gonna affect the roster downstream. When the QB gets paid, usually somebody useful has to get sacrificed.

But Crowder being a legit #3 WR is huge, since we can part with Roberts' contract and not miss anything. The general contract give and take will be interesting this offseason.

[Conn]

I don't know where or how they got them as I am not a Cards fan but they sure made the Pack look like a last place team and remember the Pack should have been in the super bowl last year. 

 

Right, but my point is that you said you want a DL like Arizona but you're concerned we won't have a top-10 pick to use on a DL...when Arizona also didn't. Talent evaluators find talent all throughout the draft. That's why the good teams stay good and continue to find playmakers over time even with later picks, and that's why having a ton of top-10 picks doesn't automatically make the perennially bad teams contenders. 

[Conn]

Moving off one of these receivers might be the move depending on the cap and what's available. I mean, with the QB getting a new deal, you never how that's gonna affect the roster downstream. When the QB gets paid, usually somebody useful has to get sacrificed.

But Crowder being a legit #3 WR is huge, since we can part with Roberts' contract and not miss anything. The general contract give and take will be interesting this offseason.

 

We have a ton of cap space right now and the cap keeps going up. Cousins' contract, no matter how large it is, won't be an issue for a while, in terms of limiting our spending elsewhere. Not until (hopefully) our roster gets to the point where we're trying to re-sign all of McCloughan's draft picks in 3-4 years because they all panned out

[Silvernon]

Hard to say with certainty, but I fail to see the need for big additions to the team through free agency. Doesn't matter what I think, obviously, but is there truly many guys out there that are going to make a big difference at the key need positions? Surely, Alshon Jeffrey or Von Miller, but both are likely to be franchised and come at a considerable cost. Even Eric Weddle or Lamar Miller would be a tough get. 

 

Rarely are those contracts worth it (ie. Bowen) and even when they are in the beginning, they are not at the end (ex. Cofield and Garcon). I see Culliver as a bit of a unique situation where the value was not as high as it should have been and fits the mold of a long and physical corner that McCloughan seems to value. Paea as a 34 d-lineman was a real head-scratcher. So, one big addition in 2016? They'll build this team through the draft and we'll see less and less patchwork each season. 

 

Release (cap savings)

Robert Griffin (16.155M)

Pierre Garcon (8M)

Dashon Goldson (8M)

Jason Hatcher (4.25M)

Perry Riley (4M)

Andre Roberts (3M)

 

Total = 42.155M + 6-7M in 2015 rollover

 

Cousins will eat close to a third of that money freed up, the rookies will take the rollover amount. Not a bad idea to keep Goldson and Garcon at reduced rates and Hatcher may get one more year because of the high dead cap hit and the value he provides as a potential mentor for a 2016 d-line draftee. A back-up QB, some insurance at RB, a blocking TE, a possession receiver and some needed depth all over the defense. That alone will bring the team cap up to about 140M - I see the money being used up pretty quickly. 

 

2016 Roster

 

I see Chris Thompson returning at RB, Tress Way and Will Compton as RFAs, and perhaps Darrel Young, Mason Foster, Duke Ihenacho and Keenan Robinson. Otherwise, the rest are gone.

 

QB Cousins

FB DY

HB Jones, Thompson

LT TWill

LG Scherff

C Lich, Long

RG Lauvao, Kouandjio

RT Moses

TE Reed, Paul 

WR DeSean

WR Grant (!)

WR Crowder

 

And then much depends on whether you are going to run a hybrid style like Carroll in Seattle, stick with the 34 or move to the 43. 

 

LE - Kerrigan, Murphy

NT - Baker 

UT - Paea, RJF

RE - Smith

SLB - Galette

MLB - Compton, Foster

WLB - Robinson

CB - Breeland, Dunbar

FS - DeAngelo

SS - Jarrett

CB - Culliver 

 

Looking at that group, the free agency needs are:

 

1 - Possession receiver

2 - Strong safety

3 - LB depth

4 - DL depth

5 - RB depth

[justice98]

We have a ton of cap space right now and the cap keeps going up. Cousins' contract, no matter how large it is, won't be an issue for a while, in terms of limiting our spending elsewhere. Not until (hopefully) our roster gets to the point where we're trying to re-sign all of McCloughan's draft picks in 3-4 years because they all panned out

I don't know about that ton of cap space. According to this, we're not in great shape as it stands today. Moves will be made of course freeing up money, but 26th in the league in cap space doesn't seem that great a spot to be in.

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/cap/

The cap keeps going up, but the contracts are going to go up with it. Agents will see to that.

[50yrSKINSfan]

I agree.  We'd all like the big rangy WR we're missing, but this unit is already a strength of the team.  Other units need more immediate attention.

I agree that receivers are not a priority. I like what we have and I would rather put resources into finding out what happened to our running game and fix that. On D I would like a stronger pass rush and or a stronger D line.

[zoony]

I don't know about that ton of cap space. According to this, we're not in great shape as it stands today. Moves will be made of course freeing up money, but 26th in the league in cap space doesn't seem that great a spot to be in.

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/cap/

The cap keeps going up, but the contracts are going to go up with it. Agents will see to that.

I think we will be freeing up $16 million right off the bat

[Silvernon]

I think we will be freeing up $16 million right off the bat

 

That will essentially be taken up by Cousins contract, unless it's backloaded. You're looking at 12-18 million for that first year depending on the length of the contract and whether it's front-loaded or back-loaded.

 

The money will come from releasing/restructuring the contracts of Hatcher, Garcon, Goldson, Riley and Roberts. That's still 'only' 26 million if all those players are released. It's a lot to work with, but the free agent patches will not come cheap - like Knighton, RJF and Paea. Sign three comparable players this year and half of that money is gone. 

[Murphs56]

Josina Anderson ‏@JosinaAnderson 3 hours ago

Re: #Redskins WR DeSean Jackson, sources tell me that “the organization likes him a lot and wants him around.” Contract expires after 2016.

 

 

Makes sense if we can work something about long term with DJax

[mojo]

I don't know who we will target in FA but one thing I do know is that our GM will target guys he knows personally or players that are vouched for by personnel guys that he trusts. Gone are the days of big money guys just looking for a pay day.

[TheShredder]

For what it's worth, some of our FA's will want to do some cap friendly deals to stay here. 

 

I'm sure KC is going to get paid...with that, he isn't going to create a scenario where he does a contract that hurts getting the players around him to be successful or get him cut in short order.

 

Some of the aging vets will be responsible to stay in a good situation.

 

I don't think there's going to be anymore huge FA contracts like the Old Redskins.  Those days are over.

---------------

[TheShredder]

Does anyone know if we opt out of Desean Jackson's 3rd year -- does that make him a FA where we get potentially a comp pick or is it just like he's been released?  Ditto Garcon?

 

I'd rather keep one of these guys especially Desean versus going shopping for WR.  Love Jeffery but assume the Bears worst case would franchise him.  

DJax and Garcon are not going anywhere and they're not getting new contracts.