Biggest Questions Facing Washington Redskins This Offseason

Boasting a miserable 3-10 record, the Washington Redskins have little recourse but to turn their minds to the future of the franchise. The 2014 season has been an abject failure, and the issues that have existed long before this season have come back in force.

If the Redskins aren't scrambling for answers to their numerous problems and questions, there is something wrong beyond what is apparent.

The difficult questions facing the Redskins will define their path or at least clear the wreckage the team has become. There is doubt surrounding Robert Griffin III, Jay Gruden, Jim Haslett, the offense, the defense—top to bottom.

Here are some of the biggest questions facing the Redskins in the coming offseason.

Will Bruce Allen Be Replaced?

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

The Redskins have not had a proper front office handling personnel decisions since Charley Casserly and Bobby Beathard. Bruce Allen, despite being the son of former Redskins head coach George Allen, is not a real general manager.

Allen has played a key role in the current dysfunction ailing the Redskins and should lose his job for it.

How much say Allen has ultimately had since his hiring in 2010 is up for debate, though he is viewed as a paper pusher and merely the glad-handing face of owner Daniel Snyder's whims as they pertain to the team.

Regardless of what his role with the team is, he has not earned the right to job security as general manager.

But will he be fired?

Short answer? No. Allen is Snyder's lapdog and will survive the latest turmoil created by coach Jay Gruden and fading star Robert Griffin III this season.

If the Redskins have any notions of success in the future, Allen cannot be the man in charge. He is not a football mind and thus cannot be trusted to make football decisions.

Will the Offensive Line Issues Be Addressed?

AJ Mast/Associated Press

If the last few weeks have proved anything, it is that the man under center is of little consequence if the offensive line can't block for him. The Redskins have given up 29 sacks over the past five weeks, which covers two starts from Robert Griffin III and three from Colt McCoy.

Without a complete overhaul of the offensive line, no quarterback is going to be successful in Washington.

The problem with fixing the offensive line debacle is that it cannot be fixed in a single offseason. However, the Redskins can easily draft an instant starter at one of the four positions of need along the offensive line and hope it has some effect on the overall cohesion of the unit.

And that really only begins to solve the concerns with pass protection. The run blocking has been just as atrocious, though the issue is exacerbated by poor play-calling from Jay Gruden and Sean McVay.

Sure, Alfred Morris could stand to be more patient on some runs, but he's not getting the lanes he was in his first two seasons.

He can't be successful without at least some help from his offensive line, though he can't do much getting just eight carries as he did against St. Louis last week.

Will the Defensive Secondary Be Improved?

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Ryan Clark should have retired after the 2013 season. It might have worked out better for the Redskins to field no one at the free safety position than to have signed Clark.

That's harsh, but the point remains that Clark, as well as the majority of the Redskins secondary, has been awful in 2014.

The loss of DeAngelo Hall hurt the secondary greatly, but rookie Bashaud Breeland stepped up and has been a bright spot, though he has had some inconsistency. But he's a rookie, so you can forgive him.

David Amerson has been a disappointment one year removed from being Washington's top pick in the 2013 draft. He hasn't displayed the ball skills he touted in college, and he has been beaten routinely by most of the receivers he has faced.

In many instances, miscommunication between Amerson and Clark has led to both looking foolish after big plays in the passing game.

Aside from Breeland, only Brandon Meriweather has been reliable, and he's horrible in coverage.

Meriweather has been great as run support and as the eighth man in the box in blitz packages. He has a career-high three sacks on the season, and even though he is still a tackling liability, he has not been the biggest problem.

If Washington's secondary doesn't improve, the strong front seven will suffer, and the talent the Redskins have up front will be wasted.

Who Will Be the Defensive Coordinator Next Season?

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Jim Haslett is probably going to be fired at the end of this season. If he isn't fired, the Redskins have bigger concerns than finding his replacement.

Assuming the former is the case, to whom do the Redskins turn for the 2015 season?

Since Bruce Allen isn't likely to lose his job, making way for a real general manager to find the right coaches, the answer is not so simple.

There are plenty of names floating around who would be intriguing candidates for the Redskins, like maligned coach of the New York Jets Rex Ryan or former Dallas Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips, both of whom have crafted excellent 3-4 defenses in their careers.

The former would likely be a one-year rental due to his desire to be a head coach, while the latter has some ties to Washington, as his son Wes Phillips is the tight ends coach for the Redskins.

As head coaches, neither has been wildly successful, but as coordinators, they have been two of the best defensive minds in recent memory. Both could do great things with the pass-rushing talent the Redskins have on their roster.

Anyone would be better than Haslett at this point. 

Who Will Be the Starting Quarterback?

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

No one could have predicted the quarterback carousel that befell the Redskins this season. Robert Griffin III has been ineffective as a starter, Kirk Cousins became a turnover machine, and Colt McCoy went from zero to hero and back again in a few short weeks.

Will one of them be the starter next season, or will there be an entirely new cast of characters attempting to fill the quarterback position?

Cousins has had his shot and isn't the answer. McCoy is a good game-managing quarterback, but he isn't a long-term solution.

Griffin has looked like a shell of his former self, and that's being generous considering the horrible production he has had this season.

In six games, Griffin is averaging 150 passing yards per game and .3 touchdowns per game. That is not a typo. Griffin has just two passing touchdowns in four full games and parts of two others.

So what can the Redskins do? Do they jettison Cousins and bank on Griffin recovering from what could be just a simple slump? Do they push McCoy as the starter to maintain the situation while searching for their future franchise quarterback?

One question could dictate so much of what the team can and will do in the future.

What Is Robert Griffin III's Fate?

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Robert Griffin III cost the Redskins four total picks to draft back in 2012. They swapped their first-round pick with St. Louis, while sending their second-rounder that same year and their 2013 and 2014 first-round picks as well.

He has been injured, he has been ineffective, and he has been benched in more games than a player who cost that much to draft should.

Blame Griffin. Blame the coaches, both current and past. Blame the offensive line. Blame the owner. The blame game does very little to dictate Griffin's future with the team.

His future depends on whether head coach Jay Gruden is still around and willing to work with him, and whether the Redskins are willing to part ways with the quarterback they so recently bet their entire future on.

If Gruden is retained, are we likely to see Griffin as the starter given how woefully inept he looked running the offense? Can the Redskins afford to bench him for a season, or will they desperately shop him after the season?

Griffin's presence in Washington is a distraction if he isn't playing and will be emphasized in criticism if he is. Perhaps it's better for both sides to split before it gets too messy.

Who Will Be the Head Coach?

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

What can you say about the job Jay Gruden has done with the Redskins? He has shown no acumen for running an offense, and he has mishandled his quarterback situation.

It is possible that Gruden could be on his way out after just one season for no other reason than being overwhelmed by the abundance of problems ailing the franchise.

Is it fair to fire Gruden for failing to do a job no coach of any experience or history could succeed in?

If Gruden keeps his job, what sort of leash will he be on? Will he be allowed to have the level of control necessary to fix the problems he inherited from regimes past? Will he be forced to use RG3 as his quarterback?

Can anyone envision any head coach being able to right this Titanic-like franchise that has been floundering, sinking and crashing and burning for the better part of the last 20 years?

And if not Gruden, then who?