Free Agency Eve: Redskins Hopes & Fears

At least this guy isn’t in charge of Redskins free agency decisions anymore.

1- I am not very high on Aqib Talib.  I agree with Steve and disagree with Chris Cooley, and this is not a smart move now.

Add to that I am getting tired of the whole Tampa thing.  When does this stop?  Tampa was not that good under Bruce Allen and Raheem Morris as well as others.  A lot was made of Talib going down versus the Broncos in the playoffs and how much that cost them.  But I heard Greg Cosell of NFL Films after watching the all 22’s say that Talib was getting worked all first quarter by Denver receivers.  Add to that his past history of issues and I think it would a mistake to bring him in especially for a big contract.

If they are dead set on spending big money on a corner I think Antonio Cromartie would be a better option.  He did have some struggles last season but I think he can return his game back to where it was in 2012.  He also gives them a return game option as well.

2- How much is the salary cap going to be a factor in future years?  Even this year?

So many teams have huge amounts of cap room this season and it could get crazy by 2016 when the cap raises almost $30 million from now.  I thought Washington had a huge advantage in their cap situation after many seasons of being right at the cap but that could be gone now.  A team like Dallas almost gets a bailout from all the cap issues they currently have going on.  Add to that the way Jerry Jones has decided to use the old “kick the can” method to free money up, and it may now not hurt them as bad in future years.

Time will tell if they can be big factors in free agency but a team with many holes on defense could lose two if their top defensive talents in Jason Hatcher and Demarcus Ware.  Which could set them back with a defense that was historically awful in 2013.  So the Redskins have that going for them even though their defense has been at the same poor levels.

3- I also agree with Steve on newly available Darren Sproles.  Washington should be interested in Sproles and see how it plays out with him.

He could help this team in many ways so I would expect them to contact him if they have not already.  Helu has been a decent pass catcher and second option at running back but Sproles could do a lot more to make the offense more explosive.  Gruden’s Cincy team added Giovanni Bernard to the mix last season and it paid off as the season went along.  Maybe Sproles isn’t the true 10-15 carry back like Bernard but his ability to make big plays is something this offense lacked all season.

Plus once again he can help in the return game.  Washington got nothing last season and there is no certainty that Richard Crawford is going to be back and the answer.  I have to think that Allen and crew will address the return game quickly.  And Sproles seems like a Dan Snyder type of pickup just hopefully it won’t end up like Chad Morton.  Is there some Kevin Bacon six degrees thing for Sproles and Tampa also?

4- What if another team is very interested in Brian Orakpo?  I think it could happen.

Would the Redskins be willing to move him if he was able to get a long term deal with another team?  I can’t see any team giving up the 2 first rounders via the offer sheet, but maybe a team is willing to contact Orakpo and Allen to work something else out.  Would the Redskins be open to trading Orakpo for a pick in the 20s?  Maybe another mid round pick added in?  It seems like pass rushers are in demand and Rak is considered the best option out there.  Michael Bennett and Michael Johnson seem to be getting a lot of early interest before tomorrow’s start.

What if Ware does get released in Dallas?  Crazy situation but could you look to trade Rak and make a run at him?  Lots of questions concerning paying both players due to past injury concerns.  In the end even though I throw all this out there but I still think Orakpo is a Redskin come September.  In 2015?  Not convinced yet.

5- Not to scare everyone but here is a great list of Snyder-era free agency disasters I came with off the top of my head.

Adam Archuleta, Brandon Lloyd, Antwaan Randle-El, Dave Fiore, Regan Upshaw, again Chad Morton, of course the worst Fat Albert, Trung Candidate, everyone signed in 2000, Rob Johnson, and Jeremiah Trotter.  Please pray before Tuesday at 4pm this does not happen again!