The Washington Redskins are back in the quarterback derby. With a little luck, the Redskins could pick second in the draft. If they lose their final four games to finish 4-12, at worst they will choose sixth.
Given the reported season-ending suspensions of offensive tackle Trent Williams and tight end Fred Davis for recreational drug use, Washington’s chances of winning again seem remote. The offense barely scores even with its top lineman and leading pass catcher.
Without them, the Redskins go from a possible 6-10 finish and a pick in the low teens to a scramble with nine other teams for the second selection. At 0-12, Indianapolis seems in position to get injured quarterback Peyton Manning’s successor.
Yes, Stanford’s Andrew Luck likely is heading to the Colts. But the Redskins should be able to get a quarterback from a group that includes Southern Cal’s Matt Barkley, Oklahoma’s Landry Jones and Baylor’s Robert Griffin III.
Based on the remaining schedules, my projected finish is Indianapolis at 1-15; Minnesota and St. Louis at 3-13; Washington, Jacksonville and Cleveland at 4-12; and San Diego, Philadelphia, Carolina, Tampa Bay and Miami at 5-11.
Strength of schedule is the tiebreaker, and that’s nearly impossible to determine with a month remaining. Washington could draft fourth to sixth under these projections, but one more victory could slide the Redskins to 11th.
There’s a chance at second. If St. Louis (2-10) wins twice among road games in Seattle and Pittsburgh and at home vs. Cincinnati and San Francisco, Washington might move ahead. Granted, that’s pretty unlikely considering three are probable playoff teams. In any case, the Rams aren’t looking for a quarterback after taking Sam Bradford first overall in 2010.
At 2-10, Minnesota likely will have the third choice. But if the Vikings beat the Redskins on Dec. 24 and take one more vs. New Orleans and Chicago at home or at Detroit, Minnesota could tie Washington with four wins. Again, Washington needs a team that’s facing three playoff contenders to win at least once. The upside is that the Vikings took Christian Ponder in the first round last year, so they also may not choose a passer.
Jacksonville, Cleveland and Washington then would be left to compete for the No. 4 selection. Washington needs Jacksonville (3-8) to beat San Diego or Tampa Bay at home or Atlanta or Indianapolis on the road. The Jaguars also used a 2010 first-rounder on Blaine Gabbert, so they also likely won’t take a quarterback if they draft ahead of Washington.
Cleveland (4-8) has road games at Pittsburgh, Arizona and Baltimore before finishing against Pittsburgh again. Good luck winning any of those. Unlike the other teams, the Browns might select a quarterback to replace Colt McCoy.
In other words, Washington seems like it is in good shape to select Barkley or maybe Griffin, who has become the trendy pick in mock drafts lately. The Redskins simply need to play like they have most of the season to get one of them.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email [email protected].
