1. Smart move by the Redskins to re-upping Santana Moss; good salary too ($15 million, three years). Moss is a good fit for what the Redskins want in a slot receiver; he’s not a major deep threat anymore, but he is a tough guy and dependable player. From what it sounds like, landing Moss does not preclude them from pursuing Santonio Holmes. One AFC executive wondered about such a move saying, “little surprised they would tie that much money into two smaller receivers.” The Jets will also try hard to re-sign Holmes and, an NFL source said, they feel confident. The Jets also are pursuing corner Phillip Buchanon.
2. Though the Redskins were interested in Baltimore free agent offensive lineman Marshal Yanda, their chances of landing him were slim. So it wasn’t a surprise that he agreed to a contract with the Ravens. There’s no doubt the Redskins will try to sign a tackle, whether it’s Jammal Brown or Ryan Harris. It’ll be interesting to see how many other of their former players the Redskins keep. They have told a number of them that they would like to re-sign them, but as one Redskins source said: When these players get on the market, they might find a better deal. So even if they wanted Kedric Golston or Reed Doughty, and they do, the market might take them elsewhere.
3. So now there’s a report from ESPN’s Chris Mortenson suggesting the Redskins are interested in signing quarterback Matt Leinart. Mortenson indicated that coach Mike Shanahan was high on Leinart when he came out of college in 2006. That’s also the year the Broncos drafted Jay Cutler. However, one Broncos source said Cutler was not his first choice. If that’s true, then perhaps it was Leinart. Even if the Redskins sign Leinart, it’s hard to imagine him being anything other than a No. 3 QB for quite a while.The knock on Leinart from those who worked in football operations in Arizona during Leinart’s time: inattention to detail; work ethic; made the same mistake over and over.
4. Receiver Anthony Armstrong had the line of the day, joking that he “just came for the free lunch.” Meanwhile, quarterback John Beck said the coaches told him Rex Grossman would be re-signed and they would compete for the starting job. No surprise since that’s been the plan for a while. Gotta do something first to win the starting job.
5. There’s no way the players will like it if the Redskins keep Albert Haynesworth only to deactivate him each week. Shanahan would lose a lot of trust in the locker room if that’s the case.
6. Beck said patience will be required during training camp as the young guys struggle to learn a new system. He said trimming the playbook isn’t the answer.
“I don’t know about trimming the playbook, but maybe give the guys who will be first and second team more onfield reps,” Beck said. “It’s going to be tricky. I feel for these incoming rookies because I’ve been in their shoes. I know that it’s a whirlwind trying to learn an offense in a couple weeks. That’s why we got together this offseason and I tried to put playbooks in the rookies hands. Rex and I sat down with a lot of the rookies and installed with them, just trying to teach them because Rex and I both know it’s going to be those guys to help us out.”
7. Linebacker Brian Orakpo said of the new rookie salary cap, “When I was a rookie I wanted all the money I could get. Now that I’ve been in the game I understand the veterans were harping on unproven guys getting so much money at one time.”
8. Here’s my umpteenth story over the past year on player reaction to Albert Haynesworth.
9. While Brad Maynard has been linked to the Redskins, from what I’ve heard the interest for the most part has been one-sided. Maynard has been calling the Redskins, who are a bit concerned over the fact that he’s 37, coming off a hip injury and his worst season (40.1 yards). They’ve tried enough of those punters the past few years. If they do sign him, it shows how thin the market is at punter. The Redskins will cut Josh Bidwell on Thursday.
10. A look at the undrafted free agents the Redskins will/have signed.
11. The Steelers will re-sign corner Ike Taylor as expected, according to ESPN. Though he would have been a solid replacement for Carlos Rogers, he wasn’t a likely option. Like Rogers, one knock on Taylor: his hands.
12. FOX Sports Jay Glazer is reporting that the Vikings have agreed to trade a sixth-round pick in 2012 — and possibly another one in 2013 — for QB Donovan McNabb. But, as many reported earlier, the last hurdle is McNabb’s contract. Nobody expected him to be dealt until that deal was renegotiated.
