Washington Redskins Players in Line for New Deals Before Start of 2015 Season

These are Dan Snyder's Washington Redskins by technicality only. The hiring of general manager Scot McCloughan was the first signal that the team would go in a different direction when constructing its roster. 

Evidenced by the restraint the team showed during the free-agency period this offseason, the days of building through free agency are over. Instead, as McCloughan put it to Mike Jones of The Washington Post, "you draft and mold your own and re-sign your own.”

While the molding part falls on head coach Jay Gruden and the coaching staff, the contract side of things falls at McCloughan's doorstep. And with a pair of franchise cornerstones entering the final year of their rookie deals, it's time he turns his words into action.

With that said, let's examine the Redskins worthy of contract extensions before the 2015 campaign kicks off.

OT Trent Williams

Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Long the linchpin of the offensive line, tackle Trent Williams stands as the team's franchise player more than anybody.

The fourth overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft, he's more than lived up to the hype. In 2014, Williams earned his third consecutive Pro Bowl berth. 

While injuries have only allowed him to start 70 games in five seasons, as Gruden noted in his interview with Andrew Walker of Redskins.com, his standing as one of the better tackles in the league was never in doubt:

"

Even though he has been banged up a little bit and hadn’t put up the gaudy numbers as far as sacks allowed or what have you, I think people know what kind of player he is in the running game and pass pro and all that stuff and his consistent approach to the football game.

He’s a solid football player, great guy and obviously provides leadership for us at a tough time.

"

Drafted prior to the rookie wage scale being instituted, he's now entering the final year of a six-year, $60 million pact.

Williams has indicated his desire to stay in D.C. long-term, per Walker. The question is at what price.

Still in his athletic prime at the age of 26, Williams, in the opinion of CSN Washington's Rich Tandler, can look for his next contract to be in the ballpark of the deals handed out to Joe Thomas and Tyron Smith.

Thomas signed a seven-year, $84 million contract with the Cleveland Browns, while Smith inked an eight-year deal worth up to $110 million. 

Such a deal would eat substantially into the team's cap space, but in light of his past performance and age, it's one Williams more than deserves.

LB Ryan Kerrigan

David Seelig/Associated Press

He was supposed to be the Robin to Brian Orakpo's Batman, but as it turned out, it was Ryan Kerrigan who carried Washington's pass rush in 2014. His career-high 13.5 sacks accounted for over a third of the team's season total.

Between his breakout campaign and the consistency he exhibited his first three NFL seasons—when he averaged over eight sacks a year—Kerrigan is due a hefty pay raise as the new face of the defense. 

According to Pro Football Talk, Kerrigan is in discussions with the Redskins front office to do just that:

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Ryan Kerrigan, Trent Williams working on contract extensions http://t.co/jeX7uQPv0x

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) May 11, 2015 "

In the opinion of NFL.com's Chris Wesseling, Kerrigan should be seeking a contract on par with the five-year, $45 million pact Jerry Hughes signed with the Buffalo Bills this offseason.

Putting a bit of a wrinkle into these contract discussions, though, is the recent knee injury Kerrigan suffered, via Fox Sports:

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Report: Redskins OLB Kerrigan undergoes knee surgery - http://t.co/MxDyk1RUDx pic.twitter.com/uC5ibpytDd

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) May 20, 2015 "

Signing an injured Kerrigan to an extension isn't the ideal scenario for Washington. However, seeing that he hasn't missed an NFL game his entire career, it remains in the team's best interest to hammer out a deal now.

Not only is there a chance Kerrigan's asking price could go up with another strong season, but with Williams also set to enter free agency, the franchise tag may not be available as a fallback option. 

Free Agents With More to Prove

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Kerrigan and Williams aren't Washington's only key 2016 free agents, they're just the ones deserving of a new deal. 

Running back Alfred Morris and linebacker Keenan Robinson will both play pivotal roles in the upcoming season. To get paid, though, the duo will have to let their play in 2015 set their worth.

Starting with Robinson, durability has to be a concern. An injury the Redskins are very familiar with after dealing with Orakpo, a torn pectoral muscle ended both of Robinson's first two seasons with the team. 

Tabbed to be London Fletcher's replacement last season, he led the team with 109 tackles. Still, once again, it's his games played that stand out. He suited up in just 13 of them. 

To ease any concerns the team may have about signing him to a long-term deal, it's a must for Robinson to be staple in the starting lineup week in and week out in 2015.

Moving on to Morris, his past production is thrown out the window. With Bill Callahan bringing over the power-running scheme he utilized to great success last year with the Dallas Cowboys, the former sixth-round pick will have to prove himself again. 

While Morris' rushing total of 3,962 yards over the past three years is nothing to sneeze at, his yards per rush has steadily declined since entering the league. Not to mention the fact that his early success came in a zone-rushing scheme. 

Factor in his nonexistence in the team's passing game, and it's hard to consider Morris' future in D.C. a certainty. But in case you're not sold on this stark reality, just peep who the team was targeting in the 2015 NFL draft.

You know the Redskins drafted Matt Jones in the third round, but did you know Todd Gurley was also on the team's docket?

According to ESPN 980's Kevin Sheehan (h/t ESPN.com's John Keim), had the team traded back with the Atlanta Falcons to No. 8 and Brandon Scherff wasn't available, Gurley would've been the pick. 

This scenario never came to fruition, but it does speak volumes as to how the team views Morris. Just taking a glance at the running back position league wide, it's apparent teams are hesitant to dole out second contracts to running backs. 

With that in mind, it's really the play of Jones that will determine Morris' role with the team going forward. Knowing that Jones won't sport a base salary north of $790,000 during the lifespan of his four-year deal, per Keim, if he proves capable, he'll be the starter in 2016 in place of Morris.