The Washington Redskins have an embarrassment of options.
Washington will spend almost all of its time at the NFL Combine taking a long look at quarterbacks, offensive linemen, tall receivers, nose tackles and outside linebackers. The Redskins are keeping an eye on defensive backs and running backs for later rounds, too.
With the 10th overall selection, the Redskins could go nearly a half-dozen ways, and none would be improper. They’ll fill a positional need because there’s hardly a position that doesn’t require an upgrade.
But it all starts at quarterback. Until Washington resolves its signal-caller issue, the Redskins will never be a consistent contender. The revolving door under center since 1994 has been stunning. No one has held the job for more than four seasons.
Right now, Washington has Donovan McNabb dangling under contract. The $16 million price tag alone makes his return seem impossible. There’s also more bad blood between McNabb and Mike Shanahan than in a teenage “Twilight” feud. But Rex Grossman is unsigned, and John Beck is the only other roster option.
Washington’s biggest reason for taking a quarterback is to begin building for the future right away. A coach in jeopardy won’t risk his job to a rookie, but coach Mike Shanahan has four years remaining on his contract, so this is the perfect time.
Conversely, this season might be the worst time to select a passer if a labor agreement isn’t reached before the April 28 draft. A lockout would cancel 20 offseason practices and reduce the number of training camp workouts. That could doom any rookie to failure.
Cam Newton keeps falling to the Redskins in many mock drafts, which are as trustworthy as sending your bank account information to those e-mails saying you’ve won the lottery. But it makes sense that Blaine Gabbert probably won’t drop to No. 10, and Newton is the best option after Gabbert.
However, Newton may have waved a red flag when he said he was an entertainer and icon. The entertainer part is easy to dismiss. All athletes want to be entertainers, and all entertainers wish to become athletes. In a literal sense, athletes are entertainers given that’s what the games do — entertain people.
The icon part is a problem. Winning a national title and the Heisman Trophy at Auburn makes him an icon around Alabama, but this sounds like something Deion Sanders said — only Sanders was in the midst of a Hall of Fame career when he said it.
Shanahan didn’t tolerate a backup receiver appearing in an offseason music video, so he’s sure not favoring a quarterback who aspires to be something more. For the tens of millions of dollars the Redskins will pay a rookie quarterback, they want someone who lives in a cave. And they deserve such commitment. There’s just something about Newton that says pass.
And then where are the Redskins? Taking another position with the 10th pick and maybe coming back to quarterback in the second round? That could work if they are looking for a 2012 starter.
The Redskins were flexible in 2009, and Brian Orakpo fell to them at No.?13. Sometimes patience pays off.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or e-mail [email protected].
