Buffalo Dance: Redskins Quarterback Hunt Could Lead to Bills

Does Daniel Snyder ever learn?  Rumors are suddenly swirling that the Washington Redskins are serious about moving up in the draft’s first round to select a quarterback on April 28.

If true, it is like bringing a knife to a gun fight for the Redskins, who are dangerously low on ammunition and would have to outwit a number of teams ahead of them in the draft that have quarterback needs as well.

It is hard to feel sorry for Snyder in his latest quest.  With last year’s strange and uncomfortable treatment of the always professional Donovan McNabb, he has to do all it takes to find a young quarterback that can deal with the pressure of playing in Washington. 

That quarterback will need to be the long-term solution for the Redskins.  He also will have to learn and run an offense under the scrutinizing eyes of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and the micromanagement of his father, head coach Mike Shanahan. 

It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out who the Redskins are coveting.  Although they worked out Cam Newton on Thursday at Redskins Park, it may have simply been a formality.  With the first pick overall, Carolina will likely stay where they are and select Newton.  That leaves Blaine Gabbert as the only other top-10 signal caller who would be worthy of teams trading up for.

The organization that could benefit the most from this spirited competition is Buffalo, which currently holds the third overall pick in the draft.  Like a lot of franchises, the Bills appear to be enamored with Newton and Gabbert, but head coach Chan Gailey may not be fooling anybody with what could be a smokescreen.  

Gailey has gone on record to say that the team has a competent returning starter in journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick, and the Bills may ultimately have something else up their sleeves when it comes to drafting the future face of their franchise.  Tack on the fact that Buffalo has a number of dire needs at other positions, and you have the recipe in place to trade down in the draft to accumulate additional picks.  It works every year for New England.  So in the Bills' case, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em."     

With the clock ticking, teams desiring a quarterback are now under pressure to conjure up trade scenarios that may entice Bills General Manager Buddy Nix.  

I can see the pre-draft war rooms now.  Cincinnati, which drafts one spot after the Bills, could flip-flop picks and offer its third, fourth and fifth round selections to the Bills.  Who knows?  The Bengals may even give their word to offer Chad Ocho Cinco when the lockout ends.  Obviously, current players cannot be traded on draft day, but that does not mean that teams cannot verbally agree to it. That would give Fitzpatrick another lethal weapon to work with, and the Bills would still get the player they desire with pick No. 4. 

Arizona, San Francisco and Tennessee could also make a move with Buffalo.  The bad news for the Redskins is that they do not pick until No. 10, so they would have to sell the farm to get the Bills to bite.  Currently, the stables are close to empty in Washington, with zero selections in the third and fourth rounds of the draft. 

In other words, the Redskins would have to give Buffalo their first and second round picks this year and their first-round choice next year.  It would be considered risky for both teams, due to the uncertainty of the lockout.  But if the labor situation clears up prior to the draft, it could conceivably happen. 

As history suggests, the Redskins are always willing to roll the dice, but a deal with those parameters could backfire on the team's top decision-makers.  If Gabbert were to fail, Shanahan would get chastised and would likely join Redskins General Manager Bruce Allen on the NFL's unemployment line.

This Redskins rumor would already be yesterday’s news if the source was not reputable.  But, in fact, this person has a history of being quite dependable.  As a long-time veteran sports writer, the Houston Chronicles’ John McClain is described as a one of the NFL’s best and most respected reporters. 

McClain has had a professional working relationship with Kyle Shanahan, the previous offensive coordinator of the Houston Texans.  And according to Redskins’ blogger Rich Tandler, “McClain doesn’t just make stuff up or pass along something that he overheard one guy say.  He’s old school and he’s going to be pretty sure about something before he reports it."

Coincidentally, McClain refutes another rumor that has the Redskins staying put to choose University of Washington quarterback Jake Locker with the 10th pick.    

I agree that Locker at No. 10 would be as desperate a reach as there ever was.  Instead, Washington can draft for need, by choosing a playmaker like Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones.  Then they can take a stab at Locker in the second round.  If he is gone, there will be plenty of other mobile quarterbacks to choose from at No. 41, including signal callers like Florida State’s Christian Ponder, Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick or TCU’s Andy Dalton. 

Washington absolutely should wait on Locker, because if they choose him at 10, they’ll never hear the end of how crazy they are.  I am not saying that Locker cannot be molded into an excellent quarterback of the future.  Just a year ago, experts had him slated as the No. 1 overall pick. However, after a mediocre senior season and glaring criticism about his throwing accuracy in the pocket, he has dropped like a rock.

In an article he wrote on the subject, Tandler mentioned what the Redskins would have to do to complete a deal with the Bengals to move up to the No. 4 spot.  I will take it a step further and give you the scenario for a Redskins-Bills trade.

According to the draft chart Tandler used, the third pick is worth 2,200 points and the 10th is worth 1,300.  The 900-point difference is equivalent to the 18th overall position in the first round.  Therefore, flip-flopping spots with the Bills and giving up their second rounder and next year’s first, could be sufficient to close the deal for the Redskins. 

It certainly sounds far-fetched, but you can never underestimate Daniel Snyder.  He loves to hunt for big game and if he leaves his knife at home, he may have a shot at one.  Perhaps Buffalo will show up in his crosshairs.