Gregg Williams, Bill Cowher — or anyone else who is hired to coach the Redskins — all will face the same problem: the salary cap.
So, while in some ways the Redskins are set up for the future with key young players, in other ways they are not, starting with a cap figure that will be $22 million over the projected number of $116 million.
The Redskins began Day One of their search for Joe Gibbs’ successor with a belief by many that Cowher will be targeted — though league sources say he won’t coach this year. Cowher has said that he wanted to sit out two years; this would be the second year. USC coach Pete Carroll is reportedly interested in Atlanta. He has said he would want total control of the football operation, something he would not get in Washington.
Gibbs spent Wednesday meeting individually with his assistants as well as owner Dan Snyder. Gibbs’ role in the coach search will be mostly as an adviser. The Redskins are still getting organized for their search, but once they are team sources do not expect it to take long. They’ll likely conduct most of the interviews off-site, as they did four years ago.
Regardless of who the person is, they will confront a host of issues, most centering around the cap. And how they handle this will shape the future for a handful of players and the team.
The Redskins are the only team over the 2008 salary cap. They can convert bonuses into salary and restructure other deals, but they will still not have a lot of room for free agency.
But that leaves three burning issues:
The offensive line » Considering the high cap numbers — not to mention injuries — of Randy Thomas and Jon Jansen, the line is an area that will be addressed by any newcomer. If line coach Joe Bugel leaves as well, would a new position coach want Jansen, coming off two season-ending injuries in four years? Jansen was confident that he would return with Gibbs and Bugel in charge.
Every projected starter is over 30 (assuming Jansen returns to right tackle); left guard Pete Kendall played every game but did so with sore knees, and the right side had injury issues. There’s only one young lineman, Stephon Heyer, whose report card is mixed. Realistically, the line should be fine for next season, but beyond that it’s in doubt.
Corner Shawn Springs » He’s another high-cap number and his departure was almost certain. But Springs is a Williams fan and if he gets the head coaching job, it could change his desire to leave. Before Monday, Springs figured his time here had ended.
Quarterback Jason Campbell » Though he’s not a cap issue, he could be a performance one. It depends on if the new coach would want Todd Colllins, or another veteran. And Campbell would possibly be playing in his seventh offensive system in eight years, dating to college.
“He talked about that,” quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor said. “He’s been in a whole bunch of systems in a short number of years. But that’s not up to me or him.”
