The Washington Redskins are in a solid position as they look to enter the offseason, which is set to really get underway after Sunday’s Super Bowl LIV. With a new coaching staff, an encouraging core of young players, and several pieces who are set to enter the prime of their careers, there is a good chance that the Redskins could find themselves competing for a spot in the playoffs in the near future.
Something that will only further help this quest is making the right calls during the 2020 free agency period, which is set to begin on March 18th, at 4 p.m. ET. As it stands now, the NFL Salary cap is expected to increase this season to somewhere between the range of $196 million $201 million, which gives Washington approximately $48 million in cap space to work with. However, a few roster decisions concerning veteran players can be made to nearly double that available cap space, and make the Redskins real players at the negotiating table. Here’s our ranking of the most pertinent moves that Washington should choose to make this season.
No. 7 — Cut CB Josh Norman (Saves $12.5 Million)
This seems like the easiest decision that the Redskins can make this offseason, and it should be the first thing on their to-do list. Norman’s time in Washington probably didn’t go exactly how he envisioned it, but that doesn’t mean that he wasn’t a valuable and loyal member of the team for several years.
After signing a $75 million contract with the team in 2016, making him the highest-paid CB in the NFL, Norman started to show his age a bit down the stretch, and it culminated in him getting benched for a number of rookies, practice players, and guys signed off of the street at the end of the 2019 season. The writing has been on the wall for Norman this past year, and it seems that he will likely be searching for a new team ahead of the 2020 season.
However, there is a slight chance that he stays in Washington, no matter how much the fans may disagree with the decision. The only argument to be made for keeping Norman is that his former coach in Carolina, Ron Rivera, is now in Washington, and he has shown the ability to put Norman into areas of high success in his career. Still, it seems like the best place for the 32-year-old defensive back is somewhere other than the nation’s capital.
No. 6 — Reach Settlement/Cut TE Jordan Reed (Saves $8.5 Million)
It’s a sad state of affairs when it comes to Jordan Reed, but the feeling has got to be pretty mutual at this point — it’s time to hang them up. Ahead of the 2019 season, after having a stellar training camp, Reed suffered his seventh documented concussion in a preseason game, and he sat out for the rest of the season as he tried to recover.
The injury was not just detrimental to Reed’s career, but also the Redskins chances at success. Washington was in dire need of a valuable tight end to pair with rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins all season long, and had Reed been healthy and producing like he was during summer workouts, it would have been a perfect match for the young signal-caller.
Nonetheless, things didn’t shake out that way, and Reed spent yet another year on the Injured Reserve List. Whether Reed decides to hang up his cleats this year or not, it’s become pretty clear that the Redskins could better spend the $8.5 million set to go to the veteran tight end in 2020.
No. 5 — Cut WR Paul Richardson Jr. (Saves $6.5 Million)
Giving Richardson a five-year/$40 million contract in 2018 was a bold move by the Redskins, and it didn’t quite pay off the way that they were hoping it would. After starting to break out a bit with the Seattle Seahawks, Richardson was brought in to Washington to become the No. 1 WR and lead their pass-catchers to success. That didn’t happen. Instead, Richardson has now been passed up by three rookie receivers, and he is currently slotted against Trey Quinn for the WR4 role in Washington.
At $6.5 million per year, Richardson is not needed to fill that role for the Redskins. The team could easily cut bait with him this offseason and look to bring in another veteran wide receiver who has more upside and a better chance to return some value on the dollar.
No. 4 — Re-Sign LG Ereck Flowers (Estimated Cap Hit: 3yr/$19M)
After having a resurgent year in 2019 once he switched from left tackle to left guard with the Redskins, Flowers now stands as one of the more important gree agent decisions for Washington to make this offseason. After playing out his initial one-year deal with the team, worth $3.25 million, the former first-round pick has absolutely earned a second contract with the Redskins.
Though he didn’t quite prove that he’s worthy of becoming one of the highest-paid left guards in the NFL, Flowers at the very least showed that he’s worthy of the teams’ investment. While some of the top-end LGs are getting paid more than $10 million per year, a number slightly under that seems appropriate for Flowers.
At age 26, the Redskins also have a few different ways they could approach a signing for the LG when it comes to the length of the contract. Once labeled a bust, Flowers has only shown what he can really do for one season, so it would be hard to fault Washington for keeping him on a short deal that forces him to prove he’s worth the money. However, they could also decide that Flowers’ play was convincing enough in 2019 to earn a 4-5 year deal, locking him down for the extended future.
Whatever the Redskins decide, we’ve seen enough to know that Flowers deserves to be playing in Washington once again in 2020.
No. 3 — Trade LB Ryan Kerrigan (Saves $11.7 Million)
This is ranked at No. 3 for us, but you could argue that it is definitely the hardest decision that the Redskins have to make in 2020. Kerrigan is the golden boy in Washington, and since being drafted in 2011, he has become one of the best players in Redskins’ history. However, a down year in 2019, coupled with the Redskins’ likeliness of drafting Ohio State defensive end Chase Young with the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and you could argue that the money Kerrigan is due this year would be better spent elsewhere.
With four Pro Bowls and 90 career sacks to his name, fans in Washington might riot if the Redskins chose to move on from Kerrigan, but if emotion were to be removed from the equation, it’s hard to argue against the decision. Washington drafted DE Montez Sweat in the first round of the 2019 draft, and pairing him with Young this year would give the Redskins a young and highly-talented set of edge rushers, leaving Kerrigan fighting for minutes on the defensive line. Of course, new defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio could absolutely find a fit for Kerrigan if he were to stick around, but it may not be worth the cap hit at this point in time. The Redskins could cut Kerrigan, but it would be smarter to find a trade partner for him. At age 31, Kerrigan still has a few good years left in the tank, and he could undoubtedly help a contender shore up their defensive line and be part of a highly-successful pass rush.
There’s no easy decision with this one. Whatever the Redskins choose to do, some people will be upset, and others will be fine with the decision. There hasn’t been much word on Kerrigan’s near future with the team as of yet, but don’t be surprised if this storyline picks up steam in the coming weeks.
No. 2 — Trade or Re-Sign LT Trent Williams (Saves $12.75 Million)
Once again, whatever the Redskins choose to do when it comes to Trent Williams is going to have major ramifications in 2020. After he sat out for the 2019 season and vowed never to play for Washington again, there have been some rumblings that Williams had a change of heart due to the new coaching staff and management that was put into place, and he might consider sticking around with the Redskins, if they’ll have him, of course.
The Redskins should want him, but they know it will have to come at a price. Part of Williams’ decision to not play this past season was due to the fact that he was no longer on a guaranteed contract, and due to his health issues in the past, he wanted to remove the risk of the team cutting him at any point in time. So, if Washington were to keep Williams around, they would need to sign him to a new contract. When healthy, Trent is one of the best left tackles in the NFL, and he is undoubtedly looking to get paid as such. However, at age 31, it becomes a question of how man good years he has left. The seven-time Pro Bowler would likely desire at least $14-15 million per year, so we can work with that number going forward. Our best guess is that Washington would agree on something like a 4-year/$62 million contract, making Williams the second-highest-paid LT in the NFL. Williams could argue that he should be the highest-paid LT in the game, but his year away from football would likely give the Redskins a bargaining chip.
There is also an argument to be made for trading Williams. Washington was a bit late to the game in 2019, but they did try to deal Trent right before the trade deadline, and they reportedly had a few suitors. His value has gone down since then, as he now has one less year on his contract until he hits free agency in 2021. Still, though, the Redskins could deal Williams to a team in need of a pass-blocker, like the Cleveland Browns or New England Patriots, and choose to develop a young LT that they draft and sign in free agency.
No. 1 — Re-Sign LG Brandon Scherff (Estimated Cap Hit: 5yr/$72M)
The Redskins had high hopes for Scherff when drafting him in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, and he has lived up to those expectations, becoming one of the best right guards in the NFL over that time. Because of this, we know two things: 1) Scherff will be made one of the highest-paid RGs in the NFL this offseason, and 2) The Redskins absolutely need to re-sign him.
On the open market, Scherff represents a highly valuable player that any team would be desperate to sign, but his desire to remain in Washington has been made clear, and that gives them a leg up in the bidding war. As a 29-year-old with years of experience in D.C. under his belt, Scherff also presents a great opportunity for new head coach Ron Rivera to plant his flag in Washington and show what is truly valuable to the team; a veteran player who came up in Washington, became great with the Redskins and has a desire to retire as one of the franchise’s great players.
It won’t come cheap for the Redskins, as they will undoubtedly have to pay Scherff top-dollar in order to keep him around. As it stands now, the highest-paid RG in the league is Philadelphia’s Brandon Brooks, who earns $14,050,000 per year. If the Redskins were to offer Scherff a five-year deal worth upwards of $70 million, that should do the trick to keep him around for the future.
The three highest-ranked decisions for the Redskins to make in 2020 present an interesting set of scenarios for the team going forward. Depending on what Washington decides to do when it comes to Ereck Flowers, Trent Williams and Brandon Scherff will greatly impact the make of the team going forward. If they choose to keep those players around, Washington will start the 2020 season with a stout offensive line that is full of veteran players who are well-respected around the league and playing near the top of their respective positions. However, on the flip-side, if Washington were to let all three players go, they will be left trying to fill in the gaps and hoping that whatever players they choose to employ are adept at protecting their young quarterback in Dwayne Haskins.
When you look around the league, some of the best teams are usually built from the offensive line and out. The Redskins already have several young skill-position players that have shown they can get the job done while playing on a cheap contract. Because of this, Washington can afford to spend on the offensive line and build a culture that is rooted in the trenches. There are several ways this can play out, but it seemingly starts with those three players in the front five. If the Redskins can solidify their protection upfront, there’s no telling what they can do in the future.
