Initial huge decisions likely Rogers and Moss
The sales pitch signaled what’s just around the corner: free agency. And when the lockout finally ends, the first decision regarding free agents is whether to re-sign your own. So cornerback Carlos Rogers wanted to remind everyone just what the Redskins had — and could have again.
There’s this:
“I stack up with the best of them,” said Rogers, a Redskins first-round pick in 2005. “When people compare my stats to [top corner Nnamdi Asomugha’s], we’re right there together. He’s just a little higher. They say I don’t catch the ball, but who’s catching the ball on me?”
| FREE AGENTS |
| CB Phillip Buchanon |
| He was a solid third corner, playing more physical than advertised. Though he was benched for one game (when he wasn’t physical), Buchanon overall pleased the coaches. Some teams are snooping around on him, but the Redskins would like him back. He’s not a playmaker, but he is a dependable veteran. But if the Redskins want to sign a starter, then Kevin Barnes could be elevated to the No. 3 spot and Buchanon could be elsewhere. |
| LB Chris Wilson |
| Wilson offers speed and excellent special teams play. When you have big players who can run, good special teams coverage results. But the Redskins will be in the market for more help in the front seven, and Wilson could get bumped. They already drafted two outside linebackers in Ryan Kerrigan and Markus White. Both are converted ends and will take time to transition. But the Redskins have options here. |
| RT Jammal Brown |
| His play in 2010 improved in the final weeks as his hip did the same, which is why there’s a chance he’ll return. Still, Brown is not viewed as a long-term solution because of health concerns. And the Redskins need a right tackle with good mobility to open cutback lanes. There are good free agent options at right tackle, including Ryan Harris, who played for Mike Shanahan in Denver. Also, Brown prefers to play left tackle. If another team is willing to let him play there, he likely would go. |
| DE Kedric Golston |
| Few players are as respected in the locker room as Golston for his work ethic and willingness to do whatever is asked. But the Redskins clearly wanted to upgrade the position; they drafted Jarvis Jenkins and rumors abound about them wanting other free agent ends. Would Golston potentially want to be a fourth end? The Redskins tendered him a contract before the lockout when it appeared he might be a restricted free agent. But he’ll now be unrestricted. |
| SS Reed Doughty |
| Like Golston and Wilson, Doughty is a good backup who excels on special teams. Doughty played fine when LaRon Landry was injured but is not a playmaker. Doughty will turn 29 in November, an age that often forces teams to look for younger, cheaper alternatives. Doughty’s familiarity in this system helps him in a year when there was no offseason. Doughty can also play free safety in a pinch, but the Redskins no longer have a need for him in that role. |
| OT Stephon Heyer |
| He’s strictly a backup, and it’s hard to imagine him staying in Washington unless the Redskins can’t find another swing tackle to back up. Heyer is not the most mobile player, though he did improve in that area. He knows the scheme, but it’s time to develop another young backup — Selvish Capers perhaps. However, losing the offseason stunted Capers’ development. With more injuries a possibility, veteran backups could be more in demand. |
| LB H.B. Blades |
| He’s a good story, having lasted in the NFL for four seasons as an undersized backup linebacker and special teamer. He has excellent instincts, but he’s not as fast or as explosive as London Fletcher, another short linebacker. The Redskins would be wise to add more quality backups at inside linebacker and could even seek a starter to replace Rocky McIntosh. So it’s likely Blades will need to find a new team. |
And this:
“Just looking at the roster I would think they’ll try and re-sign me,” Rogers said. “Other than DeAngelo Hall, it’s guys who haven’t started or younger guys who haven’t played.”
Rogers is one of 11 Redskins expected to be unrestricted free agents when the lockout ends. It appears likely that he’ll exit via free agency. At least two teams, one in the AFC and another in the NFC, both crossed him off their lists after studying him this offseason. Neither viewed him as an elite cornerback. An NFC executive rated him among the second-tier corners.
“He just didn’t play at a high enough level,” an AFC executive said.
But Rogers is undeterred.
“It’s time to cash in,” he said.
The other key Redskins free agents:
» Santana Moss wants to come back; the Redskins would like him back. But the Redskins won’t overspend to keep Moss, who caught 93 passes for 1,115 yards and six touchdowns and is well-suited to play slot in this passing attack.
However, other teams have privately expressed interest in the 32-year-old Moss, who has been with the Redskins since 2005. They don’t view him as a strong No. 1 wideout anymore but rather a quality and dependable one.
But Moss made it clear earlier this month what he wants.
“Redskins, take me off real quick and let’s just go on ahead and play some football,” he told Sporting News radio in early July. “I don’t want to be out there and having to say I’ve got to go travel to this place and that place.”
» Rex Grossman’s return is all but guaranteed for two reasons: He’s not in high demand elsewhere, and he knows the Redskins’ offense. Grossman said this offseason that, based on his talks with coaches before the lockout, he would come back. He started three games at the end of last season, showing his good (gaining yards over the middle, seven touchdowns) and the bad (four interceptions, 55.6 completion percentage, trouble throwing wide). He’ll challenge John Beck for the starting job.
» Rocky McIntosh wants to stay, one reason he attended offseason players-run workouts. But several league sources and talent evaluators have said he’s a better fit as a 4-3 outside linebacker — the spot he played for his first four seasons in Washington until being switched inside last year. McIntosh struggled to adjust to the 3-4, though his best games came at the end. McIntosh’s best bet for a multiyear deal likely would come elsewhere.
