As the free agency period in the NFL starts to draw near, we’ve focused a lot on the players that the Washington Redskins need to try and retain, and several more that they need to try and bring in from outside of the team.
Just as important, however, are the decisions that they need to make on current players who are set to become free agents in 2020. While it seems crucial for the Redskins to try and keep players like Brandon Scherff and Ereck Flowers around, who can Washington allow to walk on to the open market? These top three names might be free to look elsewhere once March 18th rolls around.
Chris Thompson — Running Back
Things never really worked out for Thompson in Washington, unfortunately, and it seems that he’s likely missed his window to be a feature back in the Redskins’ offense. When healthy, Thompson was a solid piece for seven years with the Redskins, but he only amassed five total touchdowns in that time, and he often struggled to fight off injuries. missing 46 games over that period.
While he still holds value as a third-down back when he’s on the field, it’s likely that the Redskins will be able to move away from him in 2020, as they have Adrian Peterson and Derrius Guice shouldering much of the load, and a wildcard in Bryce Love will be available as well. Love, who is virtually a younger and more decorated version of Thompson, has a high ceiling that is almost guaranteed to give the Redskins the confidence to let Thompson walk in free agency this year.
Colt McCoy — Quarterback
The Redskins may not choose to let McCoy go, but between him and Case Keenum, one of them needs to walk. With Dwayne Haskins as the leader in the competition for starting QB in 2020, the Redskins need to find a backup option who can compete for the top job throughout the summer, but will likely act as a stable QB2 once the season gets going. We argued earlier in the week that this player should be Keenum, but at this point, Keenum and McCoy are virtually interchangeable.
There is also the possibility that both Keenum and McCoy choose to walk in free agency, and they may think they have a better chance to find a spot for themselves elsewhere in the league. While it’s possible, they should also consider how competitive this year is for free agent QBs, and they might not find a better situation than what they have in Washington. Whether it’s Keenum or McCoy who stays in Washington, if either, the other should be allowed to find a new team and a new situation in 2020.
Donald Penn — Left Tackle
Penn did a great job in 2019 given the circumstances. Once it became clear that Trent Williams was not returning to the team any time soon, the Redskins brought in Penn to try and learn the offense on short notice, throwing him into the starting left tackle position. Penn wasn’t perfect, but he was good enough to at least be serviceable at the position.
Now, going forward, it looks like the Redskins might be able to convince Williams to come back into the fold, which would be a great addition to the roster. However, it would also take away the need for Penn in Washington. While it’s still possible that Williams continues his refusal to play for the Redskins, Washington would likely still opt for another option at the LT position, as Penn continues to age and doesn’t offer much as far as the future goes.
