The Washington Redskins need speed — in the front office.
When the NFL lockout finally ends, the Redskins probably will make 50 roster moves in 50 hours in preparation for training camp. Surely general manager Bruce Allen has his staff ready with call lists because there are only two groups handling this coming free agent tsunami — the quick and the dead.
While trading quarterback Donovan McNabb and Albert Haynesworth might seem a priority on the surface, it’s actually far down the first wave of calls. The Redskins need to stock up before they rid themselves of internal problems. The team will be lucky to get a late-round pick for either player, so it might as well concentrate on signing others first. But they will need to trade Haynesworth just to keep him from joining his old line coach in Philadelphia.
This free agent class will include nearly 500 players, and with training camp likely to start quickly after the end of the lockout, there will be little time to haggle. The top free agents will earn a little extra because the time element will result in an intense competition for their services. Washington probably will sign 20 rookie free agents, too. Maybe two will make the team, but they’re needed to run camp.
The Redskins should call their own free agents first. With no offseason to learn a system, owner Dan Snyder’s usual targets — other teams’ aging stars — won’t be as valuable. The Redskins should try to keep receiver Santana Moss, linebackers Rocky McIntosh and Chris Wilson, quarterback Rex Grossman, cornerbacks Carlos Rogers and Phillip Buchanon, safety Reed Doughty and offensive tackle Stephon Heyer. It’s better to have them for one season than a player with no experience in the system.
The Redskins likely will re-sign Grossman, Wilson and Doughty and could bring back Moss, McIntosh and Heyer. Rogers doesn’t want to return.
Of course, that won’t stop the Redskins from fetching big names in free agency. Washington needs a veteran backup quarterback, big receiver, right guard and cornerback.
Surely the Redskins will go after cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, likely the most expensive free agent. DeAngelo Hall isn’t a lockdown corner, and the 31st-ranked defense needs Asomugha badly. Jonathan Joseph is a good backup choice.
There are two intriguing names at receiver — Randy Moss and Plaxico Burress. Both bring baggage and aren’t as good as they once were, which makes them classic Snyder moves. Burress might be a fair signing if he gets a minimal deal with incentives, but that’s unlikely. Moss surely will want a big bonus, something Snyder should have learned to avoid after the Haynesworth debacle. Chances are coach Mike Shanahan will block either move; in the old days, Vinny Cerrato would have signed both.
Meanwhile, can the Redskins pry away Carson Palmer from Cincinnati, which vows not to trade the disgruntled passer? Here’s an idea: Give the Bengals Haynesworth and McNabb in exchange. Palmer would be a sharp upgrade.
Fifty moves mean quite a few misfires, but the Redskins likely will sign three prominent free agents. It’s a start.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or e-mail [email protected].
