Weighing the Pros and Cons of Washington Redskins Top Free-Agent Targets

If the latest rumors are to be believed, the Washington Redskins certainly aren't going to adopt any half measures once 2015 NFL free agency begins. At least not when it comes to answering some of their biggest needs.

The need for more dominance along the defensive line has the Redskins already linked to the premier defensive tackle on the market. The need for better safety play sees Washington being urged to spend big on the top ball hawk available.

It's a similar story on offense. There's certainly no secret this team needs to get stronger and more talented along the front, but there's also no doubt achieving that will cost a king's ransom. Especially if, as expected, the team pursues the marquee guard in free agency.

But while all of these players represent solutions to some annual woes, should Washington general manager Scot McCloughan really splash the cash so extravagantly? Perhaps the real question is can he afford not to, particularly when he's rebuilding a roster aging at key positions and threadbare in so many other areas.

Here are some of the pros and cons surrounding Washington's mooted top targets McCloughan might want to consider while he's making up his mind.

Mike Iupati, G, San Francisco 49ers

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NBC4 reporter Dianna Marie Russini has stated the Redskins will be in the mix to land San Francisco 49ers blocking behemoth Mike Iupati. The formidable guard is getting the chance to test the market, according to CSN Bay Area reporter Matt Maiocco.

Pros

The pros are obvious to anybody who's watched Washington's feeble O-line ply its collectively sorry trade during the last two seasons. A lack of size along the interior has seen the group increasingly overpowered in the running game. Then there are the 58 sacks surrendered in 2014.

Standing 6'5" and weighing 331 pounds, Iupati brings the size McCloughan wants in the trenches. Real Redskins blogger Rich Tandler quoted McCloughan dubbing football a "big man's game."

But there are plenty of mammoths treading a path around the NFL. What any line really needs is a good big man. Fortunately, Iupati fits the bill.

Specifically, he's a dominant force in the running game. His style is also about power, meaning hat-on-hat, drive blocking.

It's a characteristic new O-line coach Bill Callahan will maximize. ESPN Redskins reporter John Keim quoted an unnamed NFC executive emphasizing Callahan's expertise with power schemes: "He’s heavier on the power and gap scheme."

In the same article, Keim detailed how Callahan's preference dovetails with the view of head coach Jay Gruden and changes he attempted to make last season:

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Gruden likes more power – they used more gap-blocking this season, too, as the Redskins did this year on occasion. My guess is the Redskins want more of that in 2015. In Dallas, the line was not just as much about obstructing guys (as the Redskins had been under Mike Shanahan), it was about moving guys on the go.

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Inserting Iupati into the lineup would immediately boost a ground attack that went stale in 2014. The Redskins ranked 19th running the ball last season. That number has to improve, especially given the uncertainty at quarterback.

Speaking of the men under center, whoever starts will benefit from less push in the middle. Pressure up the gut and collapsing pockets have been the bane of the passing game for the last two seasons.

Lightweight guards have been routinely rocked back on their heels and driven into the passer. Iupati isn't the most agile pass protector, but nobody's going to put him on skates.

Cons

The main con is simple: Cost. Premium guards don't come cheap. In fact, that's probably an understatement.

Just for a few examples, consider what these guards earned on the veteran market. The New Orleans Saints gave Ben Grubbs $36 million over five years in 2012, with around $16 million guaranteed, plus a $10 million signing bonus.

A year later, the Denver Broncos paid Louis Vasquez $23.5 million over four years, including $13 million in guaranteed money. If you want a skilled trench warrior for the inside, you should expect to put a more than sizable hole in your wallet.

That could be a problem for a franchise with as many problems as Washington. McCloughan has to find money to not only fix the offensive front, but the D-line and secondary.

Acquiring quality reinforcements for all three positions might be a tough needle to thread with $23,567,000 worth of estimated cap space, according to Spotrac.com.

Sure, that figure could change as McCloughan continues trimming the roster, but there still might not be enough to justify winning an auction for Iupati.

Maybe Washington won't want to if the franchise takes the seven sacks Iupati surrendered in 2014 into account, per another Real Redskins article by Rich Tandler.

Final Verdict: If McCloughan makes one big-bucks move in his first year running the show, signing Iupati is probably the only one he could justify.

The new schemes up front need a fierce power-blocker and more size. Iupati offers both, but would be more of an asset for the rushing attack than the passing game.

McCloughan will have to decide if that's enough to warrant a megadeal.

Devin McCourty, FS, New England Patriots

As you can see from the video above, B/R analyst Chris Simms has championed the idea of Washington signing Devin McCourty for some time. He even has the cornerback-turned-free safety as the top player on Washington's free agency big board.

Pros

Simms' enthusiasm for the Redskins going after McCourty certainly makes sense. The safety positions in Washington have been allowed to decay for too long.

Too many patchwork solutions, including raw, low-round draft picks and past-it veterans have turned a problem area into the bane of the team. After entering last season with Ryan Clark and Brandon Meriweather as unconvincing stop-gaps, Washington has to finally find a solution along the last line of its defense.

As a crafty center fielder, McCourty offers skills this team has lacked during recent seasons. Mark Bullock of The Washington Post has lauded the "range and instincts" he feels make McCourty one of the "top three free safeties in the NFL."

That's high praise indeed, even if the safety position isn't exactly experiencing a boom era in terms of premier talent. But there's little doubt McCourty knows how to get around the ball. He's snatched eight interceptions and defensed 28 passes during the last three seasons.

The value of a playmaker who can patrol the deep middle as a lone figure cannot be understated. It allows a defense to be very aggressive with underneath coverage and show more blitz looks up front.

Those are two things Washington's defense needs to be doing in 2015. They will require a free safety new D-coordinator Joe Barry can trust. There aren't many who don't trust McCourty.

Cons

While McCourty is often in the vicinity of the ball, he doesn't make as many big plays as he might. He's snatched just three interceptions during the last two seasons.

Of course, part of his job is preventing big plays as much as it is making them. Yet it's still a surprise that a single-high safety playing behind press-style corners as good as Brandon Browner and Darrelle Revis didn't get his hands on the pigskin more in 2014.

Then there's the potential cost. If signing Iupati would crack the bank's foundation, the right offer for McCourty is likely to break down the walls.

There certainly won't be a shortage of suitors for a 27-year-old, Super Bowl-winning defensive back. That means a bidding war.

The former Rutgers ace told NJ.com Advance Media reporter Dan Duggan he could end up back in New York. Meanwhile, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe still believes the New England Patriots will lobby to keep McCourty.

Convincing him to leave a perennial contender for a perpetual rebuilder, will likely take an offer too rich for Washington's blood.

Final Verdict: McCloughan would be wiser picking a new safety or two from AFC West trio Rahim Moore, Marcus Gilchrist and Ron Parker, along with Houston Texans starter Kendrick Lewis.

Dan Williams, NT, Arizona Cardinals

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

Washington's half-decade struggle to find the right nose tackle for its 3-4 defense could finally be over. Fox Sports 910AM host Mike Jurecki has reported the Arizona Cardinals will let Dan Williams test the market.

ESPN 980 reporter Kevin Sheehan has stated the Redskins will be interested in the bulky 27-year-old.

Pros

Williams makes perfect sense for Washington. At 6'2" and 327 pounds, he has the dimensions of a classic, space-eating nose tackle.

Williams is a natural 0-technique who can play head-up over the center and even shade to attack a single gap. The latter skill would be invaluable in a Redskins scheme that will be more one-gap by nature this season.

But whether he's hitting one gap or filling two, Williams is at his best absorbing blockers and keeping linebackers clean. His presence would be a major asset to budding star middle linebacker Keenan Robinson.

Graybeard tackling machine Larry Foote earned a new lease of life playing behind Williams in 2014. Robinson could put up some monster stats behind this leviathan in the middle.

Cons

There aren't any. Apologies for sounding flippant, but there really aren't. Williams is just what Washington has been missing at the heart of its 3-4 defense.

He's a player on the right side of 30, and one who McCloughan won't have to break the bank to bring to town.

Final Verdict: Sign him up seconds after the bell sounds to start free agency.

Ndamukong Suh, DT, Detroit Lions

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

NBC4 reporter Dianna Marie Russini likely made Redskins fans everywhere a little nervous when she tweeted the team is interested in Ndamukong Suh.

Pros

The pro is earning the most destructive defensive tackle in the game—at least when he's in the mood. Suh is an agent of disaster who can snuff out a running game and crush inside of the pass pocket.

His combination of takeoff speed, violent hand use and brute-force power is more than a match for any blocker in the league. Suh's also an incredibly flexible player.

His natural quickness and athletic range means he can also slide outside to end in certain looks. This could help answer exactly what Washington would do with this 4-3 lifer in its 3-4 scheme.

Of course, the lines between 4-3 and 3-4 fronts have become blurred beyond recognition during recent seasons. By that reckoning, Suh would fit any system that allows him to move around, shift into gaps and target weak blockers.

With Suh up front, every other member of Washington's front seven would be better.

Cons

Albert Haynesworth. Sorry to invoke that memory, but the Redskins have been here before. When they gave Haynesworth $100 million in 2009, he was the most dominant D-tackle in the NFL.

Yet he never settled, due to a nonexistent work ethic and no scheme that suited what he did best. The latter problem was most obvious when Mike Shanahan attempted to make him a 3-4 nose tackle in 2010.

For all his flexibility, Suh is at his best as a 3-technique challenging the guard-tackle gaps. Maybe Barry could fit him into that role on a three-man front. But Suh would have to warm to the changes of a new scheme.

He'd also have to eliminate his propensity for drawing penalty flags, fines and suspensions for acts that don't belong on a football field. That's a lot of question marks around a guy likely to cost a not so small fortune this offseason.

The price will also rise as more suitors join the queue. Detroit Free Press writer Dave Birkett suggested the Oakland Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts as potential landing spots.

Every member of that quartet has significantly more cap room than the Redskins. That means a bidding war.

Final Verdict: Stay away. This team can compete and improve defensively even without a player of Suh's incredible talent.

Jerry Hughes, DE/OLB, Buffalo Bills

USA TODAY Sports

Pros

Washington needs a quality pass-rusher after logging a mere 36 sacks in 2014. The problem could be compounded by losing free agent Brian Orakpo.

NBC4 reporter Dianna Marie Russini has tweeted that while the Redskins have started talks with the player who notched 10 sacks in 2013, the chances of a new deal, are "not looking good." She also noted how both the Atlanta Falcons and the Jacksonville Jaguars are keen.

If Orakpo leaves, going after Hughes would make some sense. After all, he has recorded 20 sacks during the last two years with the Buffalo Bills.

The 26-year-old has spent time as a defensive end in a 4-3 and a stand-up rush linebacker in a 3-4. New coordinator Barry needs that level of flexibility for a more multiple-front system in 2015.

Cons

Hughes is something of a late bloomer. Before making it big with the Bills, he stumbled through three seasons as a first-round bust with the Indianapolis Colts.

It's certainly worth asking how much Hughes' suddenly prolific production has been due to the talent around him in Buffalo. He's played on a line boasting terrific tackle tandem Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus. Hughes has also benefited from offenses sliding protection toward fellow rush end Mario Williams, one of the NFL's truly dominant pass-rushers.

Hughes certainly wouldn't be surrounded by that level of talent in Washington.

Final Verdict: McCloughan would be smart to pass on this sudden riser. There are plenty of other quality pass-rushers available, via both free agency and the 2015 NFL draft, who are safer choices.

The players on this list represent premium targets for Washington. Of the group, only Williams rates as a sensible purchase. He can give this team what it's been missing at a modest cost.

As for the rest, only Iupati is worth smashing the piggy bank to bits for next Tuesday.

All statistics and rankings via NFL.com.