We're three weeks into free agency and four weeks away from the NFL Draft. It's time to do some mid-offseason assessment. We've signed a couple guys that should contribute to the talent on the roster and breaking down the roster can help in determining what moves still need to be made and the best way to address those needs.

I'm just going to break down the Redskins' roster into a simple depth chart based on the players on the roster right now.

Quarterback

Starter- Jason Campbell

Reserves- Rex Grossman, Colt Brennan

I've felt the same way about the QB position for what seems like forever now. Jason Campbell is serviceable and that may be cutting him a little short. While we could definitely use an upgrade at the position, I think we have more pressing needs. If we are to address this position, I think it's got to be early in the Draft, but I don't think QB is a huge need to try and get winning football games.

Running Back

Starter- Clinton Portis

Reserves- Larry Johnson, Anthony Alridge, P.J. Hill

The running back position definitely needs an influx of youth and speed. I think that Mike Shanahan will do what he always does and use a late draft pick on a guy he likes that can be productive. I think that's the best way to go.

Fullback

Starter- Mike Sellers

Sellers is only a year removed from a Pro Bowl season and I don't think an upgrade or replacement is necessary this offseason. Shanahan will use quite a bit of single back sets and with our limited resources, I don't think we can address a position that is honestly dying out of the NFL.

Wide Reciever

Starters- Santana Moss, Devin Thomas

Reserves- Malcolm Kelly, Marko Mitchell, James Robinson, Anthony Armstrong

The Redskins are about to enter what appears to be a true rebuilding era. We're going to take positions of need and try and inject some youth, and hope they pan out. The Wide Receiver position is two years ahead. It is definitely a position of need, but we've got our young guys and they still have some potential. I doubt Robinson and Armstrong make the roster, so a value free agent should fill the position.

Tight End

Starters- Chris Cooley, Fred Davis

Reserves- Sean Ryan, Lee Vickers

Most teams will only list one starting tight end,  and I almost did. But we have two dynamic tight ends in the truest sense of the word. But in summation, Ryan as the blocking No. 3 tight end fills out the position nicely and I don't believe we need to address it much further.

Offensive Tackle

Starters- Stephon Heyer, Mike Williams

Reserves- William Robinson, Clint Oldenburg

This is where the roster really starts to look bleak. The way they've treated the position so far in free agency leads me to believe that they'll focus on it during the draft which will be a great thing, nnless they don't, then it's an awful thing. That's really all there is to it. We are lacking talent here big time and we have to address it multiple times during the draft.

Offensive Guard

Starters- Derrick Dockery, Artis Hicks

Reserves- Chad Rinehart, Edwin Williams, Paul Fanaika

The young Rinehart vs the vet Artis Hicks could be an intriguing position battle late this summer depending on who else we bring in at guard. Shanahan has been saying good things about Rinehart so far, but we'll have to wait and see. Guard is also a clear need for this team but it is not at the level of tackle. Here at guard, we have one average NFL starter in Dockery, a solid vet in Hicks, and two young prospects. We don't really have any of those things at tackle. Another veteran signing or a mid-round draft pick could be useful at guard.

Center

Starter- Casey Rabach

Reserves- Will Montgomery, Kory Lichtensteiger

Rabach is a servicable center and we could make it through another season with him in the lineup. If we address center, I think there are really only two options: a veteran upgrade over Rabach (Kevin Mawae is the only name that comes to mind), or Maurkice Pouncey with the 37th pick of the draft.

Before I get into the defense, let me say that I'm going to have to do a little speculating with the switch to the 3-4, but I think I've got a good idea of what the defensive front will look like.

Nose Tackle

Starter- Maake Kemoeatu

Reserves- Anthony Montgomery

I was worried that Big Al would be underutilized at the nose of the 3-4. I loved the Kemoeatu signing; he's a prototypical nose tackle and has proven to be productive when healthy. Montgomery isn't as ideal at the nose, but I think he can be productive. A value vet or late round pick could be useful, but we have more depth than it appears because of Albert Haynesworth.

Defensive End

Starters- Albert Haynesworth, Phillip Daniels

Reserves- Kedric Golston, Jeremy Jarmon, Lorenzo Alexander, Antoine Holmes

Albert should thrive at the new position and Daniels is a perfect fit but, definitely not the long-term starter. We could make a move to get a guy like the rumors for Adam Carriker or we could afford to use a late pick on a tweener-type guy we think could fit out system.

Outside Linebacker

Starters- Brian Orakpo, Andre Carter

Reserves- Chris Wilson, Rob Jackson, Darrel Young, Alvin Bowen, Curtis Gatewood

The 3-4 transition from last season should be pretty seamless for Brian Orakpo, but there's some questions about Andre Carter's move to a standup rusher. Some think that could prove to be a problem, but I think even if Carter falters, Chris Wilson is going to thrive in this 3-4 defense, even if it's only situational pass rushes. We may sign someone with 3-4 experience as an insurance plan for Carter, or we could potentially draft someone, I think as early as Round two, but more likely in the later rounds.

Inside Linebacker

Starters- London Fletcher, Rocky McIntosh

Reserves- H.B. Blades, Robert Henson

Here's a position we could definitely use some depth at, but with our two good starters, it's not a huge need to address this offseason. We are definitely thin behind our starters at linebacker though. We could address it with a veteran free agent or a draft pick from Round four or later.

Cornerback

Starters- Carlos Rogers, DeAngelo Hall

Reserves- Kevin Barnes, Justin Tryon, Marcus McCauley, Byron Westbrook, Doug Dutch

I think people are underestimating the effect the switch in defensive philosophy will have on the corners. There's really no way around it; we are soft as Charmin at this position. No one can tackle except Kevin Barnes and a lot of them can't cover very well without a killer pass rush to protect them. And DeAngelo Hall has the only pair of decent hands of the bunch. I think our biggest concern pre-draft is to bring in a tough veteran cornerback that is a sure tackler. We've used two mid-round picks on corners the last two years and I can't see us doing it again for a similar player we'll have to wait on to develop.

Safety

Starts- LaRon Landry (SS), Kareem Moore (FS)

Reserves- Chris Horton, Reed Doughty, Lendy Holmes

It may be a little precautious of me to peg Kareem Moore as the starter, but it's really for two reasons. I like him as a center field type safety and that inherently puts the uber athletic LaRon Landry back into position closer to the line of scrimmage.  Before free agency, I thought we would address the free safety position that way. There were three Pro Bowl free safeties on the market and Ryan Clark on top of that. Granted, two of them were RFAs the Redskins still didn't pursue. Free Safety is one of the team's biggest needs in order to compliment LaRon Landry, who is a liability at FS, but a playmaker at SS.

Kicker

Starter- Graham Gano

Reserve- Justin Medlock

Gano played well for Washington last season, so I don't see any reason to cut him loose unless they wanted to pursue a guy like Shayne Graham in free agency. This team has too many needs and not enough draft picks to address either kicker position.

Punter

Starter- Hunter Smith

Reserve- Josh Bidwell

Hunter Smith was one of the Redskins' top performers last season at any position, but Bruce Allen just brought in his own guy in Bidwell. Hunter Smith says he's open to competition, so I expect Hunter to keep his job.

Well, that's the roster that the Redskins are dealing with right now as they move forwards through the offseason. I touched on special teams, but didn't even mention the gaping hole in the return game. We've got to find a guy that can fill one of our offensive or defensive needs while also adding to the return game.  

Our biggest needs are Offensive Tackle, which I think we need to draft early, Running Back which we need to draft late, and a number of positions that we need to address through free agency, most notably cornerback.

Hopefully we can strike gold with a number of free agents or draft picks and improve both short-term and long-term.