What About The Offense?

And this year was no different. The Redskins threw their money around once free agency began like they usually do and started to cause some commotion heading into the 2009 NFL draft.

Snyder and Cerrato didn’t waste any time when free agency started at 12:01 in the morning on Friday, February 27. The Redskins signed the top free agent of 2009 Albert Haynesworth to a seven-year contract worth $100 million, with $41 million guaranteed.

Haynesworth, the All-Pro defensive tackle, has 24 sacks in seven NFL seasons and is widely regarded as the best defensive tackle in professional football.

Shortly after locking up Haynesworth, the Redskins re-signed cornerback DeAngelo Hall to six-year deal worth $54 million with $22.5 guaranteed.

Before the draft, the Redskins actively pursued quarterback Jay Cutler from Denver and included starting quarterback Jason Campbell in those trade rumors. But Cutler was eventually traded to Chicago. Later, Campbell’s name was mentioned in trade rumors with the New York Jets in order to possibly draft USC star Mark Sanchez. But that did not pan out either.

The trend of focusing on the defensive side of the ball continued when Mark Sanchez was picked with the fifth pick in the draft by the Jets. With Washington’s first pick (13th overall), Snyder and Cerrato chose star defensive end Brian Orakpo from Texas. Orakpo was viewed as arguably the best defensive end in the draft and the Redskins didn’t hesitate when he fell to 13. With their third round pick (80th overall), the Redskins chose cornerback Kevin Barnes from the University of Maryland.

Washington went on to draft two linebackers in the fifth and sixth rounds respectively, including Cody Glenn from Nebraska and Robert Henson from TCU.

Because Snyder and Cerrato have loaded up on defense this offseason, there are not many holes that need to be filled on that side of the ball. With the signings of defensive ends Renaldo Wynn and Phillip Daniels, the defensive line has a lot more depth despite the release of six-time pro-bowler Jason Taylor.

Although they released linebacker Marcus Washington, the emergence of Rocky McIntosh and London Fletcher should be enough to keep a stable linebacker core. Fletcher, the emotional leader and the anchor of the defense, has recorded at least 100 tackles in 10 consecutive seasons.

The secondary has depth as well despite the release of cornerback Shawn Springs. The additions of Hall and Barnes to go along with cornerback Carlos Rogers and safeties LaRon Landry and Chris Horton should provide a lot of productivity in the secondary.

But the focus on defense leaves some very significant holes to fill on the offensive side of the ball, specifically with the offensive line and the wide receiver position.

The biggest problem for the Redskins last season was the inconsistency of the offense. After a 6-2 start, the Redskins scored more than one touchdown in a game just twice in the second half of the season.

The play-makers around Campbell and the o-line are getting older and beat up. Running back Clinton Portis was an MVP candidate after the first half of the season. But his productivity drastically declined in last eight games – he only rushed for 100 or more yards once during the second half.  

Last season, the average age of the offensive line was 32.6. Campbell was sacked 38 times in 2008, the 4th most in the NFL behind David Garrard, Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Cassel. The Redskins didn’t draft any offensive linemen this year and that could prove to be costly in the 2009 season. The o-line will need to stay healthy for the whole season to keep Campbell from laying on his back every game.

Cerrato tried addressing the problem by signing guard Derrick Dockery and tackle Mike Williams, but that might not be enough to keep the pressure off of Campbell.

The inconsistency was caused by an inefficient offensive line and a lack of play-makers at the wide receiver position. Opposing defenses began to double-team wide receiver Santana Moss during the second half of the season – and nobody else was able to step up and make plays.

The Redskins chose not to sign another receiver through free agency. Cerrato eventually drafted wide receiver Marko Mitchell out of Nevada, but it looks like he will rely heavily on the growth of Devin Thomas, one of the Redskins’ 2008 draft picks.

Thomas, a 6-foot-2-inch receiver out of Michigan State, brings size to a receiving core that features to 5-10 receivers, Moss and Antwaan Randle El. But Thomas is only 22 years old and is developing slower than expected.

The lack of size and a possession receiver could expose weaknesses in the offense and its ability to make big plays down field.

The only holes on the Redskins roster are on the offensive side of the ball. If the productivity of the offense remains as inconsistent as it was last season, it will be due to the fact that Daniel Snyder and Vinny Cerrato didn’t focus on the offensive line and the wide receiver position as much as they should have. The defense could be one of the best in the NFL again, but the Redskins still need to put some points up on the score board.