NFL Trade Rumors: What Donovan McNabb Leaving Would Mean to Washington Redskins

When the Washington Redskins pursued a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for Donovan McNabb last offseason, the feeling was that McNabb would at least be a nice transition option for them until they found the quarterback of the future.

Despite a Pro Bowl season in 2009, that feeling was quickly put to bed. McNabb struggled mightily in 2010, throwing more interceptions (15) than touchdowns (14) for the first time in his career.

Although it would be another in a history of rash decisions by Redskins brass, it makes sense at least from that standpoint.

Sure, he didn't nearly play well enough to live up to the five-year, $75 million contract extension he received last offseason.

Maybe, then, the Redskins should have thought twice about actually offering it.

Last year was the first year for McNabb in any system other than the West Coast Offense employed by Andy Reid. To make matters worse, he commandeered Mike Shanahan's newly-implemented system. Not only was he brand new to it, but so were pretty much every player on the Redskins roster.

Washington's offense was pretty bad as a whole in 2010, ranking 25th in scoring offense and 18th in total offense. More specifically, their Offensive Hogs also weren't up to snuff. They ranked second-worst in third down conversion (29.33 percent), 23rd in negative pass plays (9.98 percent) and 16th in yards per attempt (4.16).

Those numbers tell me that while McNabb may have had a worse season than we're used to seeing from him, it wasn't without assistance from the offensive line in their poor protection.

To make matters worse, there isn't much for depth behind McNabb, either.

Shanahan might think Rex Grossman is a better option, but he might be the only one that feels that way.

After all, Shanahan subbed Grossman in for McNabb against the Detroit Lions last season because, "I felt with the time and no timeouts, he was the best chance to win in that scenario. Just knowing the terminology of what we've done, how we run it."

The day Grossman is a better option than McNabb as Redskins' starting quarterback is the day Hogs fly.

There was a report on Monday afternoon from ESPN's Dan Graziano that John Beck tried to show up to the team's facility to work out, but was turned away when a security guard didn't recognize him. When your own security guards don't even know who your starting quarterback is, your team could be in trouble.

There are some cheap free agent options out there, in the form of veterans Matt Hasselbeck and Marc Bulger. Although either would be a better option than Beck or Grossman as starters, neither would offer any form of long-term stability.

If McNabb truly wasn't a fit or was truly over the hill, it would be a smart decision to move on without him. Otherwise, the Redskins might be mortgaging their 2011 season before it even begins.