Top 10 NFL Free Agents Washington Redskins Must Sign
If you can't draft them, sign them. Such has been the philosophy of the Washington Redskins under owner Daniel Snyder.
With the hiring of former San Francisco 49ers architect Scot McCloughan as the team's new general manager, though, that's soon to change. Just not this season.
While the Redskins do own all seven of their draft choices this year, they have 17 free agents—do the math. Coming off a 4-12 campaign, a fair share of Washington players currently under contract will join them on the open market.
Sporting roughly $14 million in cap space, at the moment now, according to Spotrac.com, McCloughan will have to be very selective in who he chooses to bring aboard.
Ranked according to fit and impact, here are the top 10 free agents McCloughan and the Redskins must sign this offseason.
10. TE Niles Paul
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An afterthought prior to last season, injury opened the door for Niles Paul to make a name for himself in Washington's offense in 2014.
Filling in for an injured Jordan Reed, he tallied 39 receptions for 507 receiving yards, both career highs. Prior to this outburst, Paul had all of 14 catches the first three years of his career.
Paul has his faults, though, as he's not the best blocker. Additionally, he was a non-factor most weeks when Reed was in the lineup.
Knowing the affinity head coach Jay Gruden had for using two-tight end sets in his time with the Cincinnati Bengals—56 percent of the time in 2013, per NFL.com's Alex Gelhar—both these issues are problematic.
Still, with Reed's durability a question mark, Washington would be wise to bring Paul back into the fold as an insurance policy.
9. K Kai Forbath
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It was just last offseason that Kai Forbath appeared to be on the outs in Washington. After a dismal 2013 campaign from him, the Redskins eyed Zach Hocker in the 2014 NFL draft as his potential replacement.
An accurate kicker, the team was concerned with Forbath's leg strength, or lack thereof. Be that as it may, Forbath beat out Hocker for the starting gig and improved on his performance from 2013.
He converted 24 of 27 kicks on the year. And with the strained groin that limited him to start the season no longer an issue, he connected on his final nine attempts.
Factor in the improvement he had on kickoffs—a career-high 33 percent of his kicks went for touchbacks—and he's one of the few internal free agents Washington should retain.
8. C Samson Satele
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Routinely overpowered by opposing defenses, particularly in pass protection, the Redskins offensive line needs to be beefed up.
Going back to when he was first hired, this was something that head coach Jay Gruden touched on, via the team's official website.
“You know, everybody talks about our line getting ‘pushed back,’ so to speak, and it could be true,” Gruden said.
With Shawn Lauvao the only new addition to the starting lineup, this again was a problem for the team in 2014.
While bigger at guard, the move of Kory Lichtensteiger from guard to center had a negative impact on the team's running game. After averaging over 5.1 yards per carry the previous two seasons, the team's running game mustered just 4.1 yards per rush on runs up the middle in 2014, via ESPN.com.
Now that the team is moving more toward a power-running scheme—the hiring of Bill Callahan to coach the offensive line signals that—Samson Satele is a fit in D.C.
A true center, something Washington currently lacks on the roster, Satele has 114 starts under his belt during his eight-year career. Brought in at the last minute by the Miami Dolphins, Satele brought stability to an offensive line that was in constant turmoil the year prior.
Lichtensteiger may be given the opportunity to compete for the starting job in light of his play last season, but it shouldn't keep the Redskins from pursuing Satele in free agency.
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7. LB Dan Skuta
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Behind Jason Hatcher, Ryan Kerrigan, Brian Orakpo and rookie Trent Murphy, the pass rush was viewed as a strength of the Redskins entering the 2014 campaign.
As we've since learned, though, this clearly wasn't the case. The team was 21st in the NFL with 36 sacks. But it gets worse. According to ESPN Stats & Information (h/t ESPN's John Keim), its four-man pass rush was ranked 28th, controlling the line of scrimmage just 45.6 percent of the time.
In light of this, the majority of mock drafts have Washington selecting a pass-rusher with its No. 5 overall pick. But with an Aldon Smith or Von Miller serving as the exception to the rule, very few rookie pass-rushers come out the gate ready to make an impact.
Enter Dan Skuta. A backup player for much of his six-year career, Skuta got an opportunity in San Fran and took advantage of it. Filling in for the suspended Smith, he tallied five sacks in eight starts.
A placeholder of sorts for Washington's green pass-rushers, Skuta not only improves the team's depth at linebacker, but he bolsters its special teams unit as well.
6. RB Roy Helu
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Then there were three. That's right, Roy Helu is the third and final Washington free agent the team should re-sign. And for good reason.
He sports a career average of 4.4 yards per carry. This past season, he averaged a career-high 5.4 yards per rush.
A multipurpose back, Helu had 44 receptions, two touchdowns and 477 yards in 2014. Knowing how little Alfred Morris contributes to the passing game, Helu serves a vital role in Gruden's offense.
Remember, the only season in his tenure with the Bengals that he coached a top-10 offense was in 2013, when he had Giovani Bernard filling a similar role to Helu's.
Helu's cost could be an issue for the Redskins, but the reality is he isn't going to fetch much on the open market in today's NFL. Just 10 running backs had an average salary of $4 million or more in 2014, according to Spotrac.com.
With Morris likely to fall in that category following the 2015 season, Washington can ill afford to lose Helu's contributions on the field, in addition to the leverage his place on the roster gives the team in any potential negotiations with Morris.
5. NT Dan Williams
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Similar to the impact Satele can have on the offensive line, Dan Williams can strengthen the Redskins defense at the point of attack.
It's no secret that Barry Cofield has been playing out of position as the team's nose tackle, and it finally took a toll on him last season. For the first time in his career, he missed multiple games, appearing in just eight contests.
A better fit at end, Cofield could make a permanent move to the outside if Williams was brought aboard. But let's not kid ourselves, with Cofield carrying a cap charge of $7.6 million in 2015 according to Spotrac.com, Williams could be eyed as his replacement.
He'll only be a rotational player, specifically against the run—he appeared in just 24.3 plays per game last year, according to Josh Weinfuss—but that's precisely what the Skins need. After all, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com, opposing offenses converted at a rate of 58 percent on running plays on third and fourth down last season.
4. CB Patrick Robinson
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What you've all been waiting for: secondary help. Meet Patrick Robinson. His affiliation with the New Orleans Saints may lead you to believe otherwise, but Robinson ranks as one of the most talented cornerbacks on the market.
He boasts the speed and agility to match up with the fastest and quickest receivers the league has to offer. Antonio Brown fits such a description, and Robinson registered one of his best outings defending Pittsburgh's No. 1 receiver back in Week 13. He had three pass breakups and limited Brown's yards after the catch.
Keenan Lewis may get all the accolades, but it was actually Robinson who ranked as the Saints' top cornerback last season in yards allowed per snap, according to Pro Football Focus. When throwing against him, opposing quarterbacks netted 377 yards passing and sported a quarterback rating of 74.1 in 360 snaps.
For comparison's sake, E.J. Biggers was Washington's top corner in this statistic. Against him, opponents had a quarterback rating of 133.7 and threw for 401 yards in 317 snaps.
All told, with DeAngelo Hall coming off not one, but two surgeries on his Achilles tendon, the Redskins will need to lean on another experienced cornerback to cover the deep threats on opposing teams. And by all accounts, Robinson is that player.
3. DE/LB Pernell McPhee
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Capable of lining up at linebacker and defensive end in the Redskins' 3-4 alignment, versatility is one of the many traits you could use to describe Pernell McPhee.
A part-time player in his time with the Baltimore Ravens, McPhee still managed to emerge as one of the team's most productive players. This was a sentiment Pro Football Focus' Nathan Jahnke (via ESPN.com) touched on:
"He didn't have as many sacks as Suggs or Dumervil, but he had a combined 29 sacks and hits, which is more than either. He also had 35 quarterback hurries, again besting his two teammates. On top of that, McPhee was one of the best 3-4 outside linebackers at stopping the run this past year.
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Still relatively young at the age of 26, McPhee, unlike the players the team typically signs—Hatcher, anyone?—hasn't reached his potential yet. So even with Washington being two to three years away from being a factor in the NFC, McPhee fits the team's timeline for contention.
2. S Marcus Gilchrist
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Rated 21st in the NFL in tackling efficiency by Pro Football Focus, Washington has its answer as to why it allowed 65 gains of 20-plus yards in 2014. Looking to its supposed last line of defense, Ryan Clark, the team's issues making tackles is further amplified.
Clark led all safeties with 22 missed tackles and was ranked 55th in tackling efficiency.
On the opposite side of this spectrum is one Marcus Gilchrist. Right behind teammate Eric Weddle, he was rated as the fifth-best tackling safety in the NFL last season, per PFF.
After suffering through its spells with backups like Reed Doughty and Trenton Robinson in the lineup for its injured starters over the past couple years, Washington should value the durability Gilchrist has exhibited over the course of his career.
He's played in 62 of 64 games. A former cornerback, Gilchrist can also cover opposing slot receivers and tight ends. With Football Outsiders ranking the Redskins 29th in the league in defending slot receivers and tight ends, that's an important ability for him to have.
Familiar with defensive coordinator Joe Barry from his time with the San Diego Chargers, Gilchrist's ability to transition quickly to the team's defense is also a plus. Factoring in fit with his ability to impact the team's rush and pass defense, Gilchrist edges out McPhee as the top defensive free agent.
1. OL Orlando Franklin
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No surprises here, unless you were expecting Mike Iupati in this spot.
While Iupati does have a connection with McCloughan and does fit Callahan's power-running scheme, Orlando Franklin's ability to shift between guard and tackle has him atop this list,
Finishing up his fourth NFL season, Franklin has experience blocking for the likes of Tim Tebow and Peyton Manning in Denver. With Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins being vastly different quarterbacks as well, this is something that shouldn't be overlooked.
But back to Franklin's excellence in pass protection. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed one sack in 608 passing snaps last season. With just two hits and eight hurries to accompany that stat, he ranked second among guards as a pass-blocker.
As hard as it may be to believe, this was a regression from the season he had in 2013, when he was rated as the NFL's best pass-blocking tackle.
Ultimately, in knowing that 2015 is a make-or-break year for RG3, by signing Franklin—thus removing the scapegoat label from the offensive line—the team removes the final hurdle it has in gauging Griffin's progression.
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