Washington Redskins Franchise Tag Fred Davis: What It Means for 2012 Free Agency

The New England Patriots just made it to the Super Bowl with an offense predicated on their two athletically-gifted tight ends. The Washington Redskins have enjoyed the presence of tight ends Fred Davis and Chris Cooley over the years, but were looking at the prospect of Davis potentially hitting free agency.

That's not going to happen this year.

According to CSN Washington, NFL Network's Jason La Canfora reported on Tuesday that the Redskins plan to place the franchise tag on Davis.

What does it mean for the 'Skins?

Pros

So perhaps comparing Davis and Cooley to Patriots tight ends Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski is a bit of a stretch, but Davis enjoyed his best season by a long shot in 2011.

Davis isn't exactly known as a blocking tight end, but he is a talented seam-stretching tight end that can create separation and find weak spots in zone coverage. 

The Redskins have plenty of cap space to work with, though, and forking over $5.4 million (according to Dan Graziano of ESPN) to a tight end that has shown as much promise as Davis has is well worth the expenditure.

Cons

Davis has felt the wrath of the league office, and after failing another drug test, he was suspended four games at the end of 2011 and will be suspended four more games at the beginning of 2012.

While putting the franchise tag on him allows the team to avoid any long-term ramifications of any potential character flaws that may persist, Davis will earn the full value of the tag despite missing those four games.

What Does it Mean for Other Free Agents?

This move also has ramifications on other Redskins free agents who might have been candidates for the franchise tag. Linebacker London Fletcher has already earned the support of one of his teammates, who said he wants his captain back. 

Fletcher might have been a candidate for the franchise tag. At 36 years old, he's nearing the end of his career, and it doesn't make sense to sign him to a big, long-term contract at this stage. The franchise tag would have been perfect for him.

Likewise, the team could have used the tag on safety LaRon Landry, who has been battling an Achilles injury all season long and played in just eight games. It would be a low-risk way to get one more year out of him and find out whether he could recover from that injury. With the tag valued at around $6.5 million for a safety, according to Football Outsiders, that may have been a bit much.

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