It’s not just RG3 all the time. Not when the Redskins have plenty of other issues.
Here is what coach Mike Shanahan had to say about:
Tight end Chris Cooley. Shanahan said he spoke with the former Pro Bowler for 15 minutes Wednesday and said he’s “feeling great.” Shanahan said Cooley, who missed 11 games in 2011 because of his knee, has no swelling.
“He’s felt as good as he’s felt the last couple years,” Shanahan said. “Hopefully he’s full speed once we get started with our [organized team activities] and he can stay injury-free.”
Right tackle Jammal Brown. He was slowed by nagging hip and leg injuries his first two years in Washington, but has done Yoga and Pilates this offseason.
“His flexibility is 100 percent different than the last two years,” Shanahan said. “We believe we helped ourselves just with Jammal Brown getting better.”
Shanahan also singled out veteran backups Tyler Polumbus and James Lee, signaling the possibility they will not draft a right tackle. Shanahan also pointed out that next year’s draft could be deep at corner and tackle. Some draft experts say the best tackles will be gone by the end of the second round; the Redskins don’t pick until the third.
Tim Hightower. Shanahan has been consistent in his desire to re-sign Hightower, who tore his ACL in October. That hasn’t changed, though Hightower remains free (and has visited New England). Shanahan said Hightower should be full speed by the middle of June. This is not just Shanahan coach speak saying the right things. He has spoken glowingly of Hightower and what he adds even in casual conversations.
Niles Paul. He performed some tight end responsibilities toward the end of last season, but now he’ll play it more full-time. At 233 pounds, Paul is big enough in this offense, which emphasizes more lateral quickness on blocks rather than power. For now, he provides depth. If Paul takes to the position, the Redskins would then have a player who runs a 4.5 40-yard dash at the spot.
“He has a chance to really help us at that position,” Shanahan said. “He gives us depth and obviously some big-play capabilties.”
Jabar Gaffney. Shanahan said he gave Gaffney the ability to seek a trade because with newcomers Pierre Garcon and Josh Morgan, as well as second-year Leonard Hankerson, there will be less time for him. Shanahan said it has nothing to do with a recent expletive-filled timeline on his Twitter feed nearly two weeks ago.
“I know he was very troubled about it,” Shanahan said. “I won’t go through our conversation but he was upset with what happened with Twitter, but that was not the deciding factor.”
That also meshes with what I heard after they signed Morgan and Garcon and knowing how they felt about Hankerson. Didn’t take much to do the math. Shanahan did leave open the possibility of a return.
“He may want to come back and compete,” Shanahan said. “I can’t tell you at this time what’s going to happen.”
Gaffney said last week he wanted to return.
Neil Rackers. The newly-signed kicker will provide competition for Graham Gano.
“We had a chance to get a guy who was a proven kicker last year,” Shanahan said. “[Rackers] is not afraid of competition. We have a healthy competition with two guys who are proven players and let the best guy win the position.”
Lorenzo Alexander. He is working a lot at inside linebacker, but he took snaps there last season as well. So this isn’t a huge change. Alexander always will be a jack-of-all-trades guy for the Redskins. It doesn’t help the Redskins that the draft is weak at inside linebacker, so it makes sense if Alexander spends more time there. Just in case.
Shanahan also said there will be “18 or 19” new starters from when he came in. The only ones who might remain the starters from Shanahan’s first year: Linebackers London Fletcher and Brian Orakpo and corner DeAngelo Hall. Receiver Santana Moss would be the fourth guy, but it’s no lock that he returns. It’s clear he has to show the coaches something during offseason workouts to return.
