2015 Washington Redskins Free Agency: An Early Guide to the Market

The Washington Redskins needn't bother with many strategy meetings ahead of the 2015 free-agency period. General manager Bruce Allen and head coach Jay Gruden simply need to remind themselves to do what they should have have done last offseason.

That means finding marquee upgrades for the offensive line and secondary. They are the two weakest positions on the roaster and have been for the last five seasons.

But the key word is "marquee." No more bargain-basement solutions to longstanding problems. That must mean resisting the temptation to add another big-play wide receiver or another dynamic pass-rusher.

Despite winning just seven games in two seasons, this team doesn't need flash players. What it really needs is solid building blocks at core positions.

Fortunately, the market is set to be ripe in the exact type of players the Redskins need. That's great news for a team that could enjoy over $14 million worth of cap space, per projections from Spotrac.com.

Washington also has options for creating more space by dumping several bloated contracts, such as those belonging to defensive end Stephen Bowen, as well as guard Chris Chester.

Here's whom the Redskins should target once 2015 free agency gets underway.

Identifying Positions of Need

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To get the obvious out of the way first, here it is in the simplest terms: offensive tackle, guard, safety and cornerback. Those are the four core positions Allen and Gruden must significantly reinforce, even if it eventually comes at the expense of other positions.

All the evidence to spend big on the offensive line has been provided by the 58 sacks surrendered this season. The market shows four prime candidates Washington must seriously consider.

Three of those targets earn their respective crusts along the interior. That's a reflection of the strength of this year's market, which certainly favors guards over tackles.

Speaking of the interior, if there's one area of the defensive front that needs immediate attention, it's the man over center. Nose tackle remains a question mark, something that's a major problem for a 3-4 defense. However, one conclusive solution will be available this offseason.

Back to the secondary, this season's 23rd-ranked pass defense won't survive another season with past-it veterans and unheralded, unskilled youngsters. A franchise that's been foolhardy enough to view E.J. Biggers, Tracy Porter, Brandon Meriweather and Ryan Clark as realistic solutions in recent seasons must recruit better talent this time.

That might be easier at cornerback than at safety. Unfortunately, the market isn't as rich at the latter position as it was last offseason.

Finally, the Redskins may feel tempted to dip into the pool of outside linebacker talent.

A hybrid pass-rusher may settle a position that remains in a state of flux every time current franchise player Brian Orakpo heads for the treatment table.

Yet while there are options here, linebacker should be the last concern during free agency. Instead, fortifying the trenches and adding to the defensive backfield have to be the priorities.

Nose Tackle

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It's been a veritable revolving door at nose tackle throughout the 2014 NFL season. The Redskins have tried every chunky road-grader on the roster at the most important position on their 3-4 defense.

Those who've had, and presumably not fully passed, auditions include Chris Baker, Kedric Golston, Barry Cofield Jr. and Jarvis Jenkins. The latter is probably the best fit, but he's rarely been healthy enough to prove it. Now Jenkins is a pending free agent.

But Washington can find a permanent solution over center by turning to the following free agent:

Dan Williams, Arizona Cardinals

Dan Williams is the best nose tackle on the market this offseason. Surrounded by more illustrious counterparts, the 27-year-old has still managed to very quietly establish himself as the bedrock of the Arizona Cardinals' aggressive defense.

At 6'2" and 327 pounds, Williams is tough to move against the run. He absorbs blockers and often shoves his man into the backfield. But he is also surprisingly nimble and active shifting across the line of scrimmage.

He can play one-gap or two-gap alignments and isn't limited to merely stuffing the run. Earlier in the season, Fox Sports reporter Alex Marvel quoted Cards' boss Bruce Arians detailing how Williams has expanded his repertoire:

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.@BruceArians said NT Dan Williams is being used as 3-technique DE in big nickel package subbing 4 Calais Campbell. Discovered a niche there

— Alex Marvez (@alexmarvez) November 5, 2014"

That level of versatility is key. It means Williams wouldn't have to be limited to base packages and obvious running situations. He wouldn't need to leave the field in nickel situations and would also offer Washington the flexibility to shift between three- and four-man fronts.

Williams has been expertly schooled by Arizona coordinator Todd Bowles in a more attack-minded version of the 3-4 than the one Washington has operated. His arrival could be the start of crafting a more consistently aggressive scheme in D.C.

The only concern with Williams? The normally stout run defense he anchors crumbled during the last two weeks of the season, as MMQB writer Peter King stated: "the once reliable Arizona run defense is getting gashed: 473 rushing yards allowed in the last two weeks."

However, Williams has been a key member of one of the league's better defenses for the last three years.

Guard

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While a lot of the focus has been applied to tackle, specifically right tackle, when it comes to Washington's woes along the O-line, the guard spots have been as porous.

Shawn Lauvao and Chester spent most of the 2014 season being tossed around like rag dolls. Any sort of speed inside also overwhelms the slow-twitching pair.

Upgrading them could be easy, provided the franchise is willing to spend big to do it. Here are the three targets Washington must pursue:

James Carpenter, Seattle Seahawks

Carpenter has gone from surprise and unheralded first-round pick to the linchpin of the Seattle Seahawks' blocking schemes. It's his comfort in those blocking schemes that makes the former Alabama mainstay such a good fit for the Redskins.

Seattle runs the same zone-style system Washington has operated since Mike Shanahan installed it in 2010. But Carpenter is different from the type of blockers Shanahan made a feature of this line.

Specifically, he's no lightweight. Instead, the 6'5", 321-pounder is a thunder-hoofed blocker still mobile enough to reach and thrive at the second level of a defense.

He's also very adept in pass protection, especially when it comes to blocking for a running quarterback. That's something that should appeal to a Washington franchise seemingly determined to give Robert Griffin III another chance.

Mike Iupati, San Francisco 49ers

Putting the zone-blocking issue to one side for the moment, the Redskins have options if they want to expand their schemes. The best of those options is San Francisco 49ers trench warrior Mike Iupati.

He's a monster inside and a pure power-based blocker. Iupati is devastating whenever he pulls around the corner and leads the way in the running game.

Like Carpenter, the 331-pound behemoth also has plenty of experience holding up in protection for a dual-threat quarterback.

There're no issues on the playing side, but cost could well be a factor. You can expect Iupati to be the most sought-after guard, commanding the largest contract on the market.

That's if he even wants to leave. He certainly didn't sound ready for the exit, following the 49ers wrapping up their season, per 49ers.com writer Andrew Pentis: 

"

We'll see in a couple weeks or a couple months. It's going to suck if I do go somewhere (else). This is my home.

I really want to stay here, and I'm sure we'll try to work something out.

"

But if ever there was a time for owner Dan Snyder to use his fortune to make a player an offer he can't refuse, this would be it.

Orlando Franklin, Denver Broncos

Orlando Franklin is easily the most intriguing free-agent O-lineman for Washington to consider. He can play tackle or guard on either side.

It's the latter position where Franklin has really excelled this season. His versatility extends past position to playing style.

Want to execute a zone-stretch run? Franklin's your man. Want to go power, put a hat on a hat and own the trenches? Just point Franklin to his target.

The Denver Broncos run the most versatile ground game in the league and that's only possible thanks to a blocker as skilled and flexible as Franklin.

Franklin completes the big three in terms of available guards this offseason. But Cincinnati Bengals youngster Clint Boling, a player Gruden knows from his time running the offense in Cincy, also merits consideration.

So do a pair of intriguing veterans like AFC East duo Dan Connolly and Willie Colon. There is a wealth of talent available at this position this offseason.

If the Redskins make a real commitment to fixing the interior, it will be impossible not to come away with some significant upgrades.

Offensive Tackle

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Fixing right tackle has been a riddle neither Shanahan nor Gruden has been able to solve. To his credit, at least the latter quickly abandoned Tyler Polumbus this season.

Polumbus is one of the team's pending free agents and seems a certainty to be gone, per ESPN Redskins reporter John Keim:

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He lost his starting job earlier this season after struggling in pass protection. There was a split opinion on him coming back last season. With Tom Compton ahead of him and Morgan Moses on the roster, it’s hard to see a scenario in which Polumbus returns.

"

The fact that Tom Compton, a 2012 sixth-rounder originally drafted as a left tackle, took the place of Polumbus, revealed how this franchise has tried to get away with the bare minimum along the O-line.

That has to change this offseason. The best way to ensure that change is spending for established quality at right tackle, rather than trusting Compton or even Moses.

The latter failed to impress after being selected in Round 3 in last year's draft. He didn't win the job on the right side and was eventually tabbed as the backup to left tackle Trent Williams before injury struck.

The best answer to this longstanding problem position can be found in the AFC West. That's where King Dunlap has quietly matured into an outstanding tackle.

The ex-Philadelphia Eagles swing player has become the focal point of a line that lets quarterback Philip Rivers and his stable of quality pass-catchers thrive.

Dunlap has been operating on the left side in 2014. But the 6'9", 330-pound man mountain has the flexibility to move over to the right with little hassle.

If Washington wants to answer its problem at tackle in free agency, there isn't a better solution than Dunlap available. 

Cornerback

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The cornerback position needs an overhaul. That overhaul must be designed to surround 2014 fourth-round pick Bashaud Breeland with better players.

The scrappy corner with a nasty streak has taken just one season to establish himself as Washington's best defensive back. The problem is that the rest of the rotation is littered with question marks.

Porter and prospective free agent Biggers aren't good enough to help. Breeland's fellow starter, 2013 second-rounder David Amerson, struggled mightily this season.

It also doesn't help that veteran DeAngelo Hall tore the same Achilles twice in one season. The 31-year-old remains upbeat about his chances of making a strong comeback in 2015, per Redskins.com writer Stephen Czarda. But given his age and the extent of his injury, counting on Hall will be a dangerous proposition.

Thankfully, there's one player who would certainly provide immediate help at two key positions:

Byron Maxwell, Seattle Seahawks

Washington should make a strong push to acquire versatile Seahawks corner Byron Maxwell. No other cornerback on the market combines his size and blazing speed.

Seattle defensive boss Dan Quinn has used those qualities on the outside and in the slot this season. It's a double burden the 6'1", 207-pound Maxwell has quickly mastered, according to Seahawks.com writer Clare Farnsworth:

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But this outside-in transition in the middle of a series – or end of a series, the way the Seahawks’ defense has been playing – is not as easy as Maxwell is making it look. It takes different traits and techniques to excel as a nickel back – suddenness, instincts, patience and the ability to change direction in half-a-blink and maneuver in traffic.

"

Lining up Maxwell in the slot would solve a major issue for the Washington secondary. No player has flourished in this key role the past two seasons.

Other intriguing names on the market include Darius Butler of the Indianapolis Colts and journeyman Antoine Cason. The former is very opportunistic and also useful on the blitz, while the latter is very physical on the outside.

But Maxwell remains the best target. Signing him would be the foundation of a vital refresh in the defensive backfield. That would give a new coordinator (hopefully) the flexibility to move players around and, for once, create matchups that favor the defense instead of hindering it.

Safety

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This defense will never improve if it's stuck with below-par safeties. There was plenty of proof of that fact this season every time Meriweather took a bad angle in coverage or Clark's ageing legs failed him.

Former practice-squad member Philip Thomas tried hard, but he is too raw to count on as a starter.

They didn't heed the warning last offseason, but Gruden and Allen can't enter another season with bargain-bucket options along the last line of defense.

They should make one player their priority:

Rahim Moore, Denver Broncos

If there's big bucks left over after the full-scale recruitment drive for the offensive line, that money must go on tempting Rahim Moore to swap the Broncos' orange for burgundy and gold.

Moore has established a niche as a true ball hawk at the heart of a secondary. He's a natural free safety who patrols the deep zones waiting to pounce on any errant throws.

Moore is the type of safety a defensive coordinator can trust to hover deep by himself, allowing the secondary to adopt a Cover 1 guise. But Moore is also capable in man coverage himself, able to lock up slot receivers and stay with "move" tight ends.

That's a major asset in a blitzing scheme. Moore's presence would help the Washington pass D avoid the type of mismatches that plagued it during most of this season.

Tight End

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On the surface, tight end doesn't seem like it rates as a position of need. But dig just a little deeper, and it becomes obvious that adding another body would be a smart move.

Niles Paul is set to enter free agency on the back of the best season of his career. That gives him some leverage to try to land a regular starting job elsewhere.

Jordan Reed is supposed to be the regular starter in Washington. But as detailed here, the brittle second-year pro is not progressing as he should.

That just leaves Logan Paulsen, a solid but not great blocker and limited receiver.

But with some smart shopping, the Redskins can land a tight end who can boost every level of their offense:

Virgil Green, Denver Broncos

If one team is crying out for Virgil Green, it has to be Washington. He must rate as the best blocking tight end in the NFL.

In fact, forget ratings. Just watch any Broncos game, specifically any running play, and you're sure to see Green landing a key block or driving a defensive end off the ball.

The Denver running game practically grinds to a halt whenever Green isn't on the field. He's also a major asset in pass protection, something that would be a definite boost to Washington's feeble line.

But no team pays good money purely for a blocker. Green is a capable receiver, even if he's rarely afforded the chance to prove it. He caught just six passes for 74 yards and one score in 2014.

But Green can also be used to craft favorable matchups for others. During an interview with former longtime NFL offensive coordinator Mike Martz, MMQB writer Peter King detailed one such example:

"

On this play against Indianapolis, Gase positions his best pass-catching tight end, Julius Thomas, in a three-point stance, and a blocking tight end as the wing. Thomas will cross the field and the face of the defense.

If the Colts are in man defense, Gase and Manning know the linebacker will cover the tight end on the inside while the better-qualified safety will check the wing, because most offenses position the more agile player as the wing. Julius Thomas would then be covered by linebacker D’Qwell Jackson. No-brainer.

The Colts were in man coverage, and Thomas beat Jackson (of course) for a 35-yard touchdown.

"

Green could act as a similar foil on plays designed to set Reed free. He would also be a key figure in an already prolific running game, as well as an excellent supplement to the protection schemes.

Green shouldn't be a priority. But his signing would be one of the smartest pieces of business Washington could do this offseason.

Pass-Rusher

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The Redskins should probably leave pass-rusher to the mid or late rounds of the 2014 NFL draft. Yes, Orakpo's injury and contract status are a concern.

But even if he's moved on, there are players already on the roster who have the chance to help. Washington has the luxury of owning a keeper in Ryan Kerrigan who logged 13.5 sacks in Orakpo's absence this season.

Trent Murphy, the team's top pick in 2013, hardly shone, but it's too early to write him off just yet. There's also undrafted rush end Jackson Jeffcoat.

He made enough plays during the final two weeks to at least merit another look in 2015.

However, if the Redskins are determined to find a bookend for Kerrigan, one free agent jumps out:

Jerry Hughes, Buffalo Bills

Jerry Hughes has played both 3-4 outside linebacker and 4-3 defensive end in the last two years for the Buffalo Bills. He's flourished in both roles, tallying 19.5 sacks in that span.

Skeptics will argue his surge in production (Hughes notched a mere five sacks during his first three seasons as a pro) owes everything to his supporting cast.

It's true Hughes has benefited from playing with Kyle Williams, Marcell Dareus and Mario Williams. Who wouldn't?

But Hughes still deserves plaudits for his own work. At 6'2" and 254 pounds, he's ideally built for 3-4 pass-rusher responsibilities.

He plans to test the market, according to ESPN reporter Mike Rodak. If the Redskins think they can afford a pass-rusher alongside new blockers and cover men, Hughes will be their best investment.

But the money available to Gruden and Allen would still be best spent if it's dedicated to the O-line and secondary. Front-loading the team with glamour playmakers may whip up an initial frenzy of enthusiasm, just as it did when wideout DeSean Jackson and defensive tackle Jason Hatcher were added last offseason.

But signings like that don't make the weaknesses go away. Once the enthusiasm dies down, the same problems still cripple the team.

That's been one of the defining features of Washington's 4-12 2014 season. Smarter work in free agency in 2015 is the only way to avoid a similar fate next season.

All statistics via NFL.com.

All free agency info courtesy of NFL Trade Rumors.