Washington Redskins Final Free-Agency Outlook and Predictions

Every Washington Redskins fan will have a vision of what winning free agency will look like for a team that has been perpetually stuck in rebuild mode. Those visions likely won't jive with the league's view of the way business is done in D.C.

The NFL community often views the relationship between the Redskins and free agency with tongue-in-cheek derision. It's rarely even subtly expressed either.

Washington is the poster franchise for every negative connotation about the league's veteran recruitment market—the bloated contracts handed to misfits who are more concerned with a big payday than justifying those dollars.

You know the story. If you bleed burgundy and gold, you've seen it play out over several cycles.

So what's different about this year? Well, aside from another number on the calendar, not much.

There's yet another promise of change. Another "we're not going to do things that way anymore, honest." Stop me if you've heard it all before.

So why should you believe them this time? The franchise is armed with a new general manager, Scot McCloughan, who's promised to make the draft a "lifeline."

But will he follow through on that promise? What will McCloughan's first free-agency cycle look like? Re-signing a player not many fans believe in any longer, along with loading up on newbies on one side of the ball.

There will still be a big-bucks signing, but don't roll your eyes just yet. You won't be surprised where the money is spent.

Find out the rest of Washington's outlook on the eve of free agency.

Redskins Will Re-Sign Brian Orakpo

Michael Perez/Associated Press

It won’t be a popular decision with the fanbase, but Brian Orakpo will likely be back wearing burgundy and gold for the 2015 NFL season. He’s still too good of a natural pass-rusher for Washington to let walk away.

That’s especially true considering the team logged a mere 36 sacks in 2014. Ryan Kerrigan’s breakout 13.5-sack season only reinforced the need to pair him with a capable bookend.

Imagine what havoc the ex-Purdue star will be able to create once offenses aren’t allowed to slide protection toward him. Of course, Washington's coaches have been banging that drum ever since Kerrigan was drafted in the first round in 2011.

But things have rarely worked out that way. They certainly didn't last season...not when Orakpo took the franchise tag and notched just half a sack in seven games before missing the next nine through injury.

But there are a couple of vital factors to remember before writing off Orakpo's career in Washington. Before barely registering on the radar last season, he had recorded 10 sacks in 2013.

More than the number, though, 2009's first-round pick played the best football of his career. He finally looked like a classic 3-4 outside linebacker.

Lost in the disappointment that followed was the appointment of Brian Baker as outside linebackers coach and its impact on Orakpo. The hire clearly worked wonders for Kerrigan, but Orakpo wasn't such a willing convert to Baker's methods.

With these factors in mind, it's no wonder the Redskins are still willing to offer a new deal, per NBC4 reporter Diana Marie Russini. However, Russini also noted there is "significant interest" from others.

One such interested party is the Atlanta Falcons, according to Pro Football Talk reporter Mike Florio. Certainly, Orakpo is a great fit for the hybrid scheme that new head coach and former Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn will run. But his value in Washington is also obvious.

McCloughan won't enter a bidding war for Orakpo, not with so many quality pass-rushers available in free agency and the 2015 draft, but he won't have to. The player's injury history and inconsistent production mean he shouldn't expect to be bowled over by the contract offers he receives.

A smart deal, one protecting both sides, will see Orakpo stay in D.C. a little while longer.

Washington Will Load Up on Defensive Recruits

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

Whether this is a busy March for Washington or not, the one thing you should expect is for the majority of signings to be on defense. That can hardly come as a surprise considering last season's unit ranked 30th in points allowed and 24th against the pass.

Those numbers immediately tell you one thing: Every area of the unit needs upgrading.

Changes are inevitable since the team hired Joe Barry as the new coordinator. He's arrived with a more aggressive, multiple-front scheme.

Changes have already started up front, where the team added Ricky Jean Francois while showing Stephen Bowen and Barry Cofield Jr. the door. But that won't be the last turn of the revolving door in the trenches.

ESPN 980 reporter Kevin Sheehan has already stated the Redskins will pursue Arizona Cardinals nose tackle Dan Williams. He's one of the bargains of free agency, thanks to his ability to line up over center, as well as shift into gaps.

Williams is a force against the run, but also boasts underrated pass-rushing skills. He's exactly the type of nose tackle this team has needed since making the switch to a 3-4 front in 2010.

But Williams won't be the last new face for Barry to work with. A compelling case can be made to add another edge-rusher, even if Orakpo sticks around.

While depth on the outside isn't great, it could also be better in the middle. A talented and savvy middle 'backer who can credibly challenge Keenan Robinson and Perry Riley Jr. would be welcome.

One could write an entire treatise about the need to revamp things in the secondary. The team will add at least one new safety during this free-agency cycle. It would also surprise no one if Washington recruits a new cornerback to put pressure on underwhelming 2013 draftee David Amerson.

This defense needs an infusion of talent at every level. Expect it to get exactly that with McCloughan at the controls.

But there is one potential signing the new general manager will be wise to avoid.

Redskins Will Resist the Ndamukong Suh Sweepstakes

USA TODAY Sports

Will there ever be a time when Redskins fans can safely say never? A franchise burned by more than a lifetime's share of risky contracts should be nowhere near to showing interest in Ndamukong Suh.

Yet, lo and behold, Washington has already been named an interested party, per NBC4 reporter Dianna Marie Russini. But saying no to Suh is not a reflection on the premier defensive tackle's awesome talent.

Suh is a truly dominant defensive force who can boss the trenches as a pass-rusher or run-stuffer. But he's not without baggage, specifically a propensity for violence that even goes above and beyond the most physical sport on the planet.

Why pay big for a player who has probably worn out the mat in the commissioner's office and is never more than a "misplaced" boot away from another suspension?

Then there's the risk of adding a 4-3 stalwart to a three-man front. Of course, that risk may be minimal in the hybrid, one-gap scheme head coach Jay Gruden has promised, per Mike Jones of The Washington Post.

But why take the chance, given how high the cost for Suh is likely to be, both on the field and off? This isn't quite Albert Haynesworth mark II. But it certainly could be.

One thing is for sure: Parting with a small fortune to land a highly controversial player is exactly the type of deal this franchise is supposed to be avoiding from now on.

It's always tricky to bet against Washington still being tempted by this sort of move. For now though, the inner optimist says sanity will prevail and the Redskins will avoid Suh.

If McCloughan really does put a dent in the bank vault, the defensive trenches shouldn't be where the money goes.

Washington Will Spend Big on an Offensive Lineman

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

After Haynesworth, Bruce Smith, Adam Archuleta and many others, the idea of dropping a pile of cash on any free agent is enough to make a Redskins fan wince...except if said free agent is being paid a lump sum to fix the offensive line.

No price is too high for a team that surrendered 58 sacks in 2014. No price is too high for a franchise once synonymous with excellence in the trenches that is now better known for shortening the careers of quarterbacks.

Even if the problems up front weren't as obvious, the sea change from zone techniques to power blocking both Gruden and McCloughan want will require different linemen.

That's why Washington will make a splash in this year's market by adding one of its premier blockers. The team is already interested in Mike Iupati, the top power-based road grader available, according to NBC4 reporter Dianna Marie Russini.

Add a Pro Bowl powerhouse to the interior of this ragged front five and few could credibly criticize the price paid to do it.

McCloughan Will Go After a Big Cornerback

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

The Redskins may have kept DeAngelo Hall around, but that won't stop McCloughan from indulging his fondness for big, physical cornerbacks. It's a formula he followed as a member of the Seattle Seahawks front office and still believes in, per Real Redskins blogger Rich Tandler.

Considering this year's market is ripe in stouter, more aggressive cover men, McCloughan will have plenty to choose from. The Seahawks connection means he'll run the rule over Byron Maxwell and one-time Seattle nickelback Walter Thurmond III.

The need for a safety often overshadows the real concerns this team should have about its cornerback rotation. Hall is coming off serious injury issues, while Amerson was a favorite target for quarterbacks last season.

Fourth-round surprise package Bashaud Breeland made an impact as a nasty, press-style cover man. But there is little-to-no depth and too many question marks at the other spots.

E.J. Biggers is a free agent, and Tracy Porter is entering the last year of his deal, which means there's potentially a rather gaping hole at third corner, a hugely significant position in today's game. The picture is clear: This team needs immediate help at the edges of its secondary, as well as along its last line.

Expect McCloughan to target some once the bell sounds to start buying.

By the end of free agency, Washington won't have been as active as in previous years, at least not in terms of marquee additions. But the franchise will have taken a positive step toward beefing up a threadbare roster at its core positions.

The improvements will be most obvious in the trenches on both sides of the ball. As the most important building blocks in any turnaround, each line will be equipped with greater talent and depth.

That will only add to McCloughan's options and dealing power on draft day.