Redskins Deal Jarmon for Jabar Gaffney

I just don’t understand what the purpose of this move is for the Redskins. They have already drafted 3 WR’s, resigned Santana Moss, and signed Donte Stallworth (and later Brandon Stokley) this offseason, and decide to for yet another number 3 WR. This is a horrible move by the Redskins as they totally are overvaluing the WR position.

While the position gets a lot of press and hype, WR’s simply aren’t as valuable as people make them out to be. And they certainly aren’t more valuable than defensive ends. Especially since the Redskins passing game, still was among the top half in the league (and this was despite poor QB play, O-line play, no running game to count on, and only two WR’s (plus TE’s) that could be counted on). At the same time the Redskins defensive line was among the leagues worst, and while Barry Cofield and Jarvis Jenkins help, they barely cover the impending loss of Albert Haynesworth.

Jeremy Jarmon is a 23 year old DE, who hasn’t shown much thus far in his career, but when he has played he has shown good promise. Many people will point to his performance last year (or lack there of), but they ignore the facts. Jarmon was asked by the staff to slim down to take advantage of his pass rush potential and be a part of the OLB corps. But, by mid-training camp they realized that wasn’t his fit, and asked him to bulk back up to be a 3-4 DE. That meant that Jarmon couldn’t contribute for much of the year. When he did get a chance to play, he actually played fairly well, particularly against the pass. While Jarmon’s stats (1 sack, 2 QB hits, 3 pressures) won’t blow anyone away but considering he had just 48 snaps rushing the passer, they are actually quite good. Now I don’t think Jarmon is an every down starter, as he hasn’t shown he has the bulk to completely handle the run, but he can be an effective situational pass rusher. And considering the fact that NFL offenses usually throw the ball 60% of the time, he could get quite a few snaps. Starting DE Adam Carriker (who is an impending FA) is a far better run stopper than pass rusher, making Jarmon an ideal platoon mate for him.

For Jarmon and his under $500K salary the Redskins receive WR Jabar Gaffney and his $2.5 million salary. While Gaffney isn’t pricey, it just doesn’t seem to make much sense given all the other cheaper receivers on the roster. Gaffney is a solid wide out, but I really don’t know if he would out perform Leonard Hankerson, Niles Paul, Anthony Armstrong, or even Stallworth. He’s a solid possession receiver, but doesn’t really add much in that the Redskins don’t already have. Sure he is 6’2″, but he doesn’t really use his size to his advantage. He’s by no means a red zone weapon, and isn’t really a speed guy as well.

Overall I just see this as an unnecessary trade where the Redskins take on the more productive player, but also the older, more expensive and least important position. And even if the Redskins ink a big time DE like Cullen Jenkins, they still could have used Jarmon in a reserved role (which is how Gaffney will be used).