Washington Redskins: Franchise Goes All-in by Trading Up for Robert Griffin III

The Washington Redskins fired the first real shots of the 2012 NFL offseason last night.

Mike Jones of The Washington Post reported that they landed the No. 2 overall pick from the St. Louis Rams by giving up three first-round picks and a second-rounder. It’s more than widely expected that they will draft Robert Griffin III with the selection.

It’s imperative that he pans out for the beleaguered franchise, as they have killed any plans to rebuild in the next few years by sending out their first-round pick in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Many fans and pundits believed that the ‘Skins were only an elite signal-caller away from competing. They threw out the Pu Pu platter of Rex Grossman and John Beck for the 2011-12 season and still somehow managed to pick up five wins.

RGIII is a superior QB and the skill he showed at Baylor and the incredible athleticism he flashed at the draft combine just proves that theory.

It’s honestly about time that Washington made a splash to land a QB. In recent years they have overpaid guys like Albert Haynesworth and others who have made an insignificant impact.

But the ‘Skins largest problem, and it’s been the same for the past 20 or so years, is the fact that they continue to employ awful signal-callers.

By making this brash move, they are—almost recklessly—attempting to fix that issue.

You cannot fault them for it and owner Daniel Snyder is always a star during the offseason, but his bold moves may finally pay off. If RGIII becomes a star and leads this franchise back to the playoffs, it will all be worth it.