Revisiting Washington Redskins' Best, Worst Moves of 2017 Offseason
From finally fixing the defensive line to adequately replacing two 1,000-yard wide receivers, there has been a lot to love about the Washington Redskins' 2017 offseason.
Those moves are among the best the NFC East club has made. It addressed a potentially fatal team weakness and offset the loss of key talent during free agency.
The smart choices weren't just limited to the playing personnel, though. Necessary changes to the defensive staff give hope this side of the ball will be a force for a rare time in the last five years.
Of course, no team enjoys the perfect offseason, and the Redskins are no exception. Passing on the chance to add marquee recruits at safety and running back could haunt the Burgundy and Gold.
Similarly, it's still worrying to see the franchise bide its sweet time securing the long-term future of its Pro Bowl quarterback.
Read on for a full breakdown of the best and worst moves the Redskins have made this offseason.
Best: Going All-In on Retooling the D-Line
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Retooling a dire defensive line was the best move the Redskins made this offseason. Thankfully, Washington didn't engage in any of the half-measures that have so often been the cause of problems at this position in recent seasons.
There were no retread, bargain-bin signings or late-round fliers in the draft. Instead, the Redskins bet big and went all-in on getting better up front.
In this case, going all-in meant showing enough free-agency dollars to convince Terrell McClain to jump ship from bitter divisional rivals the Dallas Cowboys. Team president Bruce Allen also answered Stacy McGee's calls to show him the money.
By putting up the green to back their intent, the Redskins succeeded in landing two new starters for a threadbare front three. It would have been easy to be content with adding just McClain and McGee, but Washington's commitment to fielding a meaner, more talented D-line in 2017 didn't end in free agency.
Taking Jonathan Allen off the board with the 17th overall pick in this year's draft may have seemed like a no-brainer. However, there were risks attached to the selection for a Redskins team seemingly set up front after free agency.
Washington didn't need Allen, especially with concerns about his shoulders damaging the draft stock of the most dynamic and versatile lineman in his class. Yet, this was one time when it was easy to love the so-called "best player available" approach often espoused by smug pundits and trendy general managers come draft time.
By adding Allen to McClain and McGee, the Redskins turned what was the central weakness of the team in 2016 into one of its clear strengths. As offseason moves go, it doesn't get much better.
Worst: Trying to Fix Safety on the Cheap (Again)
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The Redskins took the better part of two years to finally invest seriously in fixing the defensive line. It seems we'll have to wait longer for the team to learn the same lesson at safety.
Another offseason has seen yet another attempt by the Burgundy and Gold to fix longstanding weaknesses at safety on the cheap. For on the cheap, read signing a journeyman free agent and promoting from within.
This year's uninspiring free-agent arrival is D.J. Swearinger, he of the three NFL teams in four seasons. Add his name to a list including Ryan Clark, Duke Ihenacho and Dashon Goldson, all veteran retreads brought in since 2014 who failed to fortify the safety spots.
Swearinger is slated to start alongside Su'a Cravens, a disappointment as a second-round pick in 2016, but one moved back to safety full time for the new season. Similar efforts were made to make DeAngelo Hall a full-time safety a few years ago. Let's hopes the results are a whole lot better this time.
The Redskins could—and should—have done things differently here this offseason. One alternative would have been to use some free-agency bucks on a safety fans could believe in.
Granted, the veteran market wasn't loaded at the position, but there was still some quality to be had in March. A player such as Tony Jefferson was allowed to join the Baltimore Ravens when he could have been just what the Redskins needed. It was a similar story with Duron Harmon, a talented and versatile safety overlooked by Washington during free agency.
The same pattern of inertia was evident in the 2017 NFL draft, when the Redskins were content to wait until the fourth round before adding a safety in Michigan State's Montae Nicholson. In the process, Washington ignored Budda Baker, Marcus Williams and Obi Melifonwu, exciting prospects who may have provided a more comprehensive fix on the back end.
It's either ignorance to what is obvious or blind optimism in the extreme for this franchise to think a position weak for so long is better after the moves made this offseason.
Best: Shaking Up the Defensive Staff
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Safety is still a concern, but at least it's now the problem of a new-look defensive staff, one sure to bring a more aggressive swagger to this side of the ball. The Redskins would have undermined their additions to the playing personnel without a necessary shakeup of the defensive staff.
Thankfully, the shakeup came first, with Joe Barry and his disjointed schemes and generally passive play-calling making way as coordinator. Now, former Redskins middle linebacker Greg Manusky will run the unit in 2017.
Manusky has already announced himself with some tough talk about what his defense will do in the new season, per Liz Clarke of the Washington Post: "We might not win a game, but we'll sure beat the crap out of a lot of people!"
A poet he ain't, but Manusky won't be the only defensive coach talking tough this offseason. Indeed, new line coach Jim Tomsula has perfected his own line in loquacious bravado.
Fortunately, Tomsula has consistently backed up his talk as one of the best D-line coaches in football, making the decision to hire him one of the smarter moves the Redskins made this offseason.
It means new faces such as Allen and McClain will now be learning from the man who consistently shaped formidable fronts for the San Francisco 49ers. Tomsula helped the likes of Justin Smith, Aubrayo Franklin, Glenn Dorsey and others dominate the trenches for years in the Bay Area. What he could do with the talent Washington has added is an exciting thought.
While Tomsula's track record gives cause for optimism, Manusky's is less than stellar. He worked with Tomsula in San Francisco before stops with the San Diego Chargers and Indianapolis Colts.
Manusky's Colts units "never had particularly strong statistical finishes," per CSN Mid-Atlantic's JP Finlay. Most troubling is the way Indy's D was consistently trampled over on the ground by the New England Patriots on Manusky's watch.
Think little-known and seldom-seen-since Jonas Gray rushing for 199 yards in 2014. Think LeGarrette Blount stomping on Manusky's men in AFC Championship games.
The Redskins won't want to see a repeat from Manusky's defenses in Washington, especially with Blount now plying his trade for NFC East foes the Philadelphia Eagles.
Yet this former player should at least ensure there is a more attacking approach to defense at Redskins Park. For all his lows in Indy, Manusky did have some highlights, most notably in the 2014 AFC playoffs when his sophisticated package of blitzes baffled Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos on the road.
Manusky has been given the weapons up front to cause similar havoc in Washington.
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Worst: Not Spending Big at Running Back
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When you consider some of the high-profile running backs who joined new teams in 2017—alongside Washington's obvious question marks in the backfield—something doesn't add up.
Washington ended the 2016 season with the 21st-ranked rushing attack. Yet the only significant change to the group responsible for the lowly ranking has been the addition of fourth-round draft pick Samaje Perine.
It means the Redskins have stood pat with Rob Kelley, the undrafted rookie from a year ago who took the starting job from fumble-prone Matt Jones. The latter is still on the team, despite being a permanent resident in head coach Jay Gruden's hall of shame.
On the surface, keeping Kelley, drafting Perine and re-signing restricted free agent Chris Thompson weren't bad moves. Kelley averaged 4.2 yards every time he lugged the rock in 2016, while Thompson produced career highs for carries (69) and rushing yards (356).
Then there is Perine, a natural bruiser and workhorse, one ESPN.com's John Keim views as an eventual starter ahead of Kelley:
"So I'd see him, initially, getting more of the carries but with Perine having a bigger role because of his ability to be effective in short-yardage situations and in the red zone. I really like what I've heard about Perine and think he can be an effective starter someday. The good thing with him is that he can help quite a bit even in a lesser role."
Washington should be better on the ground in 2017, yet the Redskins would have looked spectacular had they pursued Adrian Peterson or Jamaal Charles. Even letting the Eagles sign Blount without any resistance was questionable.
This offseason presented the perfect opportunity to let a veteran playmaker head the rotation. Having Charles handle the carries while Kirk Cousins threw passes to a platoon of dynamic receivers would have guaranteed Washington fielded a playoff-caliber offense in 2017.
Best: Signing Terrelle Pryor
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How do you replace two wideouts as effective as DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon? It was the dilemma facing the Redskins this offseason but one they solved in a creative way by handing a cost-effective and risk-free deal to Terrelle Pryor in free agency.
There is so much to love about the one-year contract. It's a performance-related arrangement, ensuring the player gets paid if he delivers.
Pryor's relative greenness at the position is also a reason to be excited. Former NFL wide receiver Nate Burleson summed it up best for the league's website:
"As a former quarterback, he knows what his quarterbacks are seeing and feeling on the field. It reminds me of Steve Harvey's book, 'Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man,' which describes for women a man's perspective on relationships—it's so beneficial to be able to put yourself in your partner's shoes. Pryor played quarterback his entire life, yet in his first full year as a wide receiver, he notched 1,000 yards in Cleveland last season, which had five signal-callers on the field at various points."
Burleson concluded with another apt description: "If I'm Cousins, I'm looking at a brand new toy—not a Hot Wheel, but a Tonka truck."
The idea of Pryor bringing something new to the Redskins' passing game is pertinent, considering he will offer a different threat to those posed by Garcon and Jackson. Specifically, the 28-year-old can be counted on to be a menace in the red zone, per ESPN.com's John Keim: "With Cleveland last season, Pryor caught nine of 14 passes with four touchdowns in the red zone."
Pryor will do more inside the 20 because of his 6'4", 223-pound frame. He's a bigger target than Jackson and Garcon, one whose arrival signaled a change in dynamics for Washington. Pryor was joined by another towering newcomer in 6'3" Brian Quick, while 6'2" Josh Doctson will see more playing time after injuries interrupted his introduction to the NFL in 2016.
What Pryor represents is the excitement of the unknown. It's a potent mix of fear and optimism to see what a receiver still developing can accomplish when surrounded by a superior supporting cast and with a better quarterback.
The Redskins could boast one of the league's most dynamic receivers.
Worst: Still Letting Things Drag with Kirk Cousins
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There is a lot you can say about how the Redskins have handled Kirk Cousins' contract situation the last two years. Sadly, not much of it would be good.
Put aside all the noise about managing the salary cap, taking a risk on a player blighted by turnovers and inconsistency earlier in his career, or getting market value. The issue boils down to one question: What is a competent quarterback worth in today's NFL?
A whole lot is the simple answer.
Framed another way, the question could read: Can a team risk not securing a Pro Bowl passer for the long haul?
It would be riskier than your average game of Russian roulette for the Redskins to continue taking chances with Cousins. Recent draft classes haven't exactly been overflowing with quarterbacks destined to etch their names alongside Joe Montana, Dan Marino and Johnny Unitas.
If the collegiate ranks have offered a glimpse of a bleak future for the sport's most important position, recent free-agency markets have represented the apocalypse. Imagine if Cousins had been traded or let go in free agency this offseason.
Imagine, if you can stomach the thought, Washington scraping the barrel for a Mark Sanchez, Josh McCown or Matt Barkley. Grim is hardly the word.
At some point, the Redskins have to face facts and accept Cousins is as good as they are likely to get. He has been good enough to break franchise records and inspire back-to-back winning seasons since deservedly supplanting Robert Griffin III as the starter.
The point in time for the Redskins to make peace with their reality under center will come July 17, the deadline to agree to a long-term contract. Without one, Cousins will play his second year under a franchise tag.
The situation is slipping out of the Redskins' control with each passing day, according to Thom Loverro of the Washington Times: "The Redskins gave Cousins all this power by refusing to commit to a long-term contract earlier in the process. Committing to Cousins was reportedly something that departed general manager Scot McCloughan wanted to do."
As Loverro correctly pointed out, recent shifts in the pay brackets for quarterbacks only strengthen Cousins' hand in the market: "Cousins' value has only gone up, as the market price for quarterbacks has risen dramatically, the latest being Raiders quarterback Derek Carr's record-setting $125 million deal. Cousins will likely require more."
It's a situation Washington shouldn't be anywhere near. Yet, dragging their feet has put the Redskins in a bind. Tagging Cousins last year was annoying, but it would have been quickly forgotten if it had been rectified this offseason.
Letting things slide further is an unnecessary risk, a distraction capable of derailing what should be a playoff season in 2017.
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