One of the most difficult teams to understand this NFL offseason is the Washington Redskins. They seemed to have made all the wrong moves in Free Agency, from not getting QB Kirk Cousins to a long-term deal, letting key players walk out the door, and releasing what many people thought was talent they should keep on the roster. With most of the big names off the market, are The Redskins more focused saving their Money, or are they looking to find gems in this year's draft?
Talent let go
The Redskins have let lots of their talent that made them a respectable team last year walk out the door.
Their top two receivers in Pierre Garcon and Desean Jackson both signed with other teams at the start of free agency. They have tried to make up for letting two 1,000 yard receivers go by signing Terrelle Pryor, who had a 1,000-yard season of his own in 2016 with the Browns and their QB carousel. They got Pryor on a good deal, as they made a low-risk, high reward deal. They signed Pryor to a one-year deal, in the range of $6-8 million.
The Redskins have pushed talent out the door as well. The released Ricky Jean Francios who would've cost them $4 million against the cap this season. Francios has underperformed in D.C and has been very outspoken towards the Redskins organization. Doing this two things is a one-way ticket out of your job.
Spending Wisely
The Redskins haven't spent all their money at once this offseason, which is a good thing and a bad thing. Their one big contract was signing all-pro corner Josh Norman last season. The Redskins still have wounds from taking on big deals in their past, which is why they haven't incurred as many big contracts as they have.
Being wise with their spending hasn't always been beneficial, as they have missed out on deals that could've boosted their defense. They missed out on signing defensive lineman like Bennie Logan and Dontari Poe, who had deals that were way above what the Redskins wanted to spend.
But what makes this confusing is that they are willing to let Kirk Cousins play on the franchise tag, which will cost them about $24 million against the cap.
It was reported that Cousins was asking for a trade, but he denied those reports. He said he was only trying to gauge what the Redskins were trying to do. Cousins and the Redskins have until July 15th to agree to a long-term deal.
The Redskins still have holes to fill on both offense and defense. Their wise spending is good in building cap room, but they won't be able to bring in playmakers if they aren't willing to spend. They might be waiting until the draft to get quality players at the economical price. But either way you slice it, the Redskins haven't made the moves they need to make, and their 2017 season is dependent on this offseason.
