Offseason News about trades

[Brueck]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=1741531

Having hogged the headlines for much of the offseason -- with the hiring of Joe Gibbs, the trade for quarterback Mark Brunell, and the dangling of cornerback Champ Bailey in trade talks -- the Washington Redskins and owner Dan Snyder aren't likely to let up on the throttle anytime soon. Look for the Redskins to be very active players in the free agent market as Snyder attempts to fill the wish list provided him by Gibbs and his staff. Near the top of that list is Minnesota Vikings tight end Jim Kleinsasser, a superb in-line blocker who is about to become an unrestricted free agent. Gibbs knows the importance of the tight end position in his offense and Kleinsasser already has a bull's eye on him in the Redskins coaching offices. Washington desperately needs to upgrade its defensive front and, toward that end, will chase at least one tackle and one end. The Redskins have already huddled, ESPN.com has learned, with the agent for Chicago Bears defensive end Phillip Daniels, and expect a quick deal on him after the start of free agency. Former Bears defensive coordinator Greg Blache is now the defensive line coach in Washington and will push for the Daniels acquisition. There is no tampering involved in the session with Daniels' agent, Hadley Engelhard, because Bears general manager Jerry Angelo granted permission for the veteran defensive end (who is due a $1 million roster bonus Chicago has no intention of paying) to speak to other teams. No word yet as to which defensive tackle the Redskins will pursue, but no one should be overly surprised if it is Warren Sapp. Washington's offense desperately requires an upgrade at tailback and, in that regard, Redskins officials were walking around the combine like Cheshire cats, so you can bet they've already got a deal brewing. It will not be, and you can take this to the bank, a trade to acquire disgruntled Cincinnati tailback Corey Dillon, for whom there is very little market right now. The guess here is that the Redskins will sign Philadelphia tailback Duce Staley, who is poised to hit the unrestricted free agent market. Connect the dots here: Staley is now represented by Leigh Steinberg, who is also the agent for Brunell, and who will want to help provide the quarterback a much-needed running game. Plus, Snyder would like nothing better than to score a player from the Philadelphia roster, a move that will weaken the Eagles' depth. And, from a clearly sensible standpoint, Staley is arguably the top tailback available in free agency.

Even with all the excitement they have generated, there could be some negative karma involving the Redskins over the coming months. For openers, the league is again sniffing around potential tampering charges with the team, this time regarding Ted Washington, the mammoth New England nose tackle who is eligible for unrestricted free agency. Agent Angelo Wright told Boston-area newspapers he had preliminary discussions with the Redskins about Washington and then, when pressed about his comments, backed off them. But the Pats feel Washington officials illegally tampered with Lawyer Milloy last summer, before New England released the veteran safety, and are suspicious this time around as well. One thing about the league, where there's smoke, there is usually some sort of an investigation and Washington is likely to be under the microscope. There is also the matter of Patrick Ramsey, and his demand to be traded, a request that isn't going to disappear anytime soon. Ramsey and agent Jimmy Sexton (who, ironically, represents tight end Jim Kleinsasser) will probably turn up the heat in coming days on Snyder and Joe Gibbs, and things could get uncomfortable. Sexton seems to have finally convinced Snyder that he will not help him cap-wise by reworking the contract of left offensive tackle Chris Samuels, who already has redone his deal twice to help the Redskins out of jams. One of the team's two first-round picks in the 2000 draft, Samuels is still due $13.957 million over the final two seasons of his contract. The Redskins offered him an $11 million signing bonus to restructure and extend his deal, which expires after the '05 season, and he has balked. Snyder apparently has conceded he won't be able to get a new deal with Samuels now. There have been rumors the Redskins might release the standout tackle, who suffered two subpar seasons under the loony Steve Spurrier pass protection scheme, but that won't happen in 2004. Samuels will lose some leverage if Brunell is the starter, because the veteran passer is left-handed, and thus, Samuels is no longer the blindside protector. The more likely scenario is that the Redskins will wait until after the '04 campaign and consider releasing Samuels then. Oh, yeah, beyond the potential tampering investigation, there could be one more blockbuster league matter -- one that can't be divulged at this time but which could surface in the next couple weeks -- with which the Washington organization will be forced to deal.