Notable Free Agents
QB: Rex Grossman
WR: Josh Morgan, Santana Moss
TE: Fred Davis
LB: Rob Jackson, Brian Orakpo, Darryl Tapp, Nick Barnett, Perry Riley
CB: DeAngelo Hall, Josh Wilson
S- Brandon Meriweather, E.J. Biggers, Reed Doughty
2014 Draft Picks
Round two, pick two
Round three, pick two
Round four, pick two
Round five, pick two
Round six, pick two
Round seven, pick two
Biggest Offseason Needs
1. Safety: It’s worth noting that by the end of the season, the starting safeties for Washington were Reed Doughty and E.J. Biggers. That’s bad news if you’re a Redskins fan. Doughty is nothing more than a special teamer or a depth guy for quarter packages on defense, and Biggers only has 168 total tackles in four seasons in the NFL. They are both free agents as well, along with Brandon Meriweather, who missed three games this season and pretty much all of the 2012 season. Even if Washington re-signs Meriweather, they still need to find a free safety, and a legitimate backup for Meriweather, who hasn’t played in all 16 games since the 2010 season, and is a liability in the tackling department.
2. Guard: The Redskins’ offensive line was generally bad all season, but guard seems to be biggest position of need for Washington on the offensive line at the moment. Tyler Polumbus is nothing to be excited about at right tackle, but at least he and Trent Williams could be a serviceable tackle combination. But Kory Lichtensteiger shouldn’t be returning as a starter at left guard, and Chris Chester generally struggled at right guard. Bring in some new guards, and then worry about the rest of the offensive line.
3. Wide Receiver: It’s going to be tough for Redskins fans to admit this, but it’s time to let Santana Moss go. Moss hasn’t broken 600 receiving yards in a season since 2010, and this season he had just 452 yards and two touchdowns. Josh Morgan probably won’t be back, either, after his disappointing season. Pierre Garcon deserves to be a No. 1 receiver in the NFL, but he has no one to complement him downfield. Washington needs some playmakers for Robert Griffin III to work with.
One Player Washington Should Target
If the Redskins determine that safety is their top priority going into the offseason, Jairus Byrd is their man. Byrd is the top free agent free safety, and is currently in the prime of his career. In the last two seasons, Byrd has forced five fumbles, intercepted nine passes and has recovered two other fumbles. He did miss five games this season, but in the previous three years he played in all 16 games. There’s going to be other competitors who will want to sign Byrd because of his ability, but the Redskins are known for spending a lot on free agents, and it would be money well spent on the 27-year-old Byrd.
One Player Washington Must Retain
The most discussion is going to be centered on whether the Redskins bring back Brian Orakpo or not, but Perry Riley should be a top priority for new head coach Jay Gruden and his staff. Riley led the team in tackles this season with 115, and finished the 2012 season second in tackles with 129. With London Fletcher retiring, the Redskins can’t sit back and let the rest of their linebackers to leave for other teams, and at his age, Riley should be locked up for the long term. Orakpo has had issues with his health and his consistency, so Riley needs to get the higher priority this offseason.
Players in Need of Extensions
Ryan Kerrigan: His tackling numbers aren’t going to jump out of the box scores, but Kerrigan has had at least 7.5 sacks in each of his first three years in the NFL, but only has one year left on his contract, scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason. Kerrigan finished this season with a career-high number of tackles, and he forced four fumbles, the second time he’s done that in his short career. If Orakpo leaves, Kerrigan needs to be locked up for the future if Washington wants any consistency from its defense.
Alfred Morris: Unlike Kerrigan, Morris is still under contract for two seasons, but he certainly deserves a raise. Morris is making just $600,775 this season on his rookie deal, but he finished sixth in the NFL in rushing with 1,275 yards, following up his rookie campaign of 1,613 yards. Morris looks to be the franchise back of the Redskins, and owner Dan Snyder would just be plain dumb to not give him a raise this offseason.
Overall Offseason Outlook
Redskins fans seem to be saying this a lot, but this summer is going to send the Redskins into rebuilding mode. They have a whole new coaching staff with the exception of Jim Haslett, and there’s going to be a lot of turnover in free agency in the secondary and at wide receiver. Mainstays like Santana Moss and DeAngelo Hall could be gone by the time the offseason ends, opening up the opportunity for much younger guys to fill those positions. Unfortunately, Washington doesn’t have a first-round draft pick because of the effects of the RGIII trade two years ago, but they’ll have the cap space to make some noise in free agency.