How the Redskins Can Become Contenders Again in 2015: For the third time in the last four years, the Washington Redskins are undergoing significant offseason changes. In 2012, the Shanahan regime mortgaged its future on No. 2 overall pick Robert Griffin III. In 2014, Redskins brass foreclosed on that mortgage by dumping Mike and Kyle Shanahan and hiring a new head coach, Jay Gruden. Now in 2015, theyve fired defensive coordinator Jim Haslett while tweaking the front office with the addition of new personnel czar Scot McCloughan. Its too early to tell if that means theres light at the end of the tunnel for a franchise that has finished in last place six of the last seven years and has lost 26 of its last 33 games, but at least it realizes theres a problem. The good news is they enter the 2015 offseason possessing a first-round pick for the first time in three years. And per Over the Cap, theyve got nearly $14 million in salary-cap space, with Brian Orakpo registering as their only notable impending free agent. With that in mind, its important to note how quickly teams can turn it around in this league. The 2011 Redskins were just 5-11, but they had a quality draft in 2012, and just like that they were division champions and legitimate contenders. It might not be easy for them to become a Super Bowl-caliber team overnight, but the Redskins have an opportunity to start winning again this fall. Some suggestions for how to accomplish that... 1. Collect quarterbacks Look at recent Super Bowl champions. Look at the four teams remaining in this years playoffs. In this era, you cant win without a great quarterback. So the Redskins have no choice but to swing the bat over and over again until they hit a home run. Theyve made contact with Griffin, but he has regressed the last two seasons, and there are serious questions regarding his ability to lead this franchise on and/or off the field. Kirk Cousins is also on the roster, and veteran backup Colt McCoy could easily be re-signed, but both of those guys have failed when given multiple opportunities to emerge. Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post notes that while making the media rounds following his introduction as Redskins general manager, McCloughan praised Griffin while expressing optimism regarding his future in Grudens system, adding that said system isnt easy early on for young quarterbacks. But in an interview with FOX 5s Scott Smith, McCloughan wouldnt rule out drafting a quarterback with the No. 5 overall pick in April. From the Post: “Is there any position that is off-limits at the No. 5 pick in this year’s draft?” Smith asked. “No,” McCloughan answered. “And that includes quarterback?” Smith asked. “Correct,” McCloughan said. And thats the way it should be. Whether they somehow land Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota or wind up with one of the perceived second-tier backs with a rising stock, if the Redskins believe they have a chance of landing a future franchise quarterback early, they have to be prepared to commit yet another first-round pick to that position. That would be hard to swallow considering they technically sacrificed each of their last three first-rounders in order to have Griffin, but those are sunken costs now, and this is a different regime. The Skins should at the very least add a quarterback in the early or middle rounds while strongly pursuing veteran former first-round picks Mark Sanchez and Jay Cutler. Its possible none of these guys are the answer, but youve gotta collect as many as possible in order to increase your odds of hitting the jackpot. Its frustrating to watch, especially if Washington is missing out on quality players at other positions in order to add quarterbacks who might never pan out, but its the only choice McCloughan has. 2. Rebuild the secondary A lot of what takes place here will depend on who they hire to replace Haslett. If they simply promote secondary coach Raheem Morris, theres a risk they wont be bold enough in terms of the way in which they revamp the defensive backfield. But even Morris cant dispute that a revamping is beyond necessary. The Redskins surrendered 8.2 yards per pass attempt in 2014, which was tied for the league high. In 2013, they ranked 31st in the league with 8.0 yards allowed per throw. This past season, they also surrendered a league-high 35 touchdowns and allowed opposing quarterbacks to post an average passer rating of 108.3. How hard is that to overcome? Only one of the 12 teams listed above made the playoffs. The Skins also gave up a league-high 19 20-yard touchdown passes, with only three other defenses surrendering more than 12. The safety position is a mess. The geriatric Ryan Clark should probably retire after Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded him as the leagues worst qualified safety in 2014, while the unreliable Brandon Meriweather is coming off a year in which he was responsible for five touchdowns and zero interceptions. Second-year, fourth-round pick Phillip Thomas was terrible in relief of Meriweather late in the season, especially in coverage. And they cut the young Bacarri Rambo only to see the 2013 sixth-round pick intercept Aaron Rodgers twice while helping his new team, the Buffalo Bills, upset the Green Bay Packers in December. There are literally no legitimate starting options beyond that. They need two new starting-caliber safeties, period. And that might also apply at cornerback, where rookie standout Bashaud Breeland might be the only current roster member worthy of a job come the fall. A lot of rope has been given to 2013 second-round pick David Amerson, but the guy has been beaten far too badly on far too many occasions to remain an NFL starter in his third season. The NC State product was graded by PFF as the worst cornerback in the game after allowing a league-high 10 touchdowns in 2014. Veteran Pro Bowler DeAngelo Hall remains on the roster, but Hall will turn 32 in 2015 and is rehabbing a twice-ruptured Achilles tendon. Beyond that, theres nothing. McCloughans track record indicates he isnt big on building through free agency, and he has basically confirmed that in the media, but this isnt the type of problem that can be fixed in one or even two drafts. The Redskins definitely need to consider drafting a top-tier defensive back like Landon Collins, Trae Waynes or Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, but theyd be silly not to take a look at free-agent options such as Brandon Flowers, Kareem Jackson, Byron Maxwell, Tramon Williams, Chris Culliver, Devin McCourty and Louis Delmas. 3. Forget about Brian Orakpo Because Orakpo is a big name with the words Pro Bowl on his resume, hell fetch a large contract in free agency, but the 28-year-old isnt worth the gamble. He missed nine games in 2014 after suffering his third major pectoral injury in as many years and has sat out as many games as hes played since the start of the 2012 season (24 apiece). With the emergence of 2011 first-round pick Ryan Kerrigan (career-high 13.5 sacks in 2014), Orakpo would no longer be the best pass-rusher on this roster. That aint worth big-time free-agent money, especially with Kerrigan entering a contract year. The Redskins probably saw this coming, which explains why they used their top draft pick last year on capable edge-rusher Trent Murphy. The Stanford product had just 2.5 sacks as a rookie but looked extremely good in run defense and has a bright future. Time to focus on Kerrigan and Murphy while reallocating some of the money they might have given to Orakpo to greater areas of need. 4. Create competition at left guard and right tackle Contrary to what most fans seem to believe, the Redskins do not need to rebuild the offensive line. Trent Williams is a superb left tackle, Pro Football Focus grades Kory Lichtensteiger as the games ninth-best center and veteran right guard Chris Chester is a reliable pass-blocker. The Redskins gave up a lot of sacks in 2014, but that had as much to do with Griffins incompetence as it did with his pass protection. The third-year quarterback holds on to the ball too long, frequently makes dreadful decisions and seems to walk into pressure. PFF actually ranked the Washington offensive line 12th in football in terms of pass-blocking efficiency: That said, the Skins might have to accept the fact that if Griffin is to reclaim the franchise quarterback role, theyll have to employ an extra-strong group of pass-blockers. The key now will be to create competition this summer in order to shore up the lines two weak spots: left guard and right tackle. It was nice to see them add some bulk to an undersized line with the addition of Shawn Lauvao last spring, but the 315-pounder had issues as both a pass-protector and a run-blocker throughout his first season in D.C. Hes due to make $3 million in 2015, but the Redskin can save about $1 million by releasing him. Already on the roster are recent third-round picks Josh LeRibeus and Spencer Long. Neither has proven to be a better option than Lauvao, but the Skins have to give them strong looks during organized team activities and training camp. And another mid-round pick at guard wouldnt be crazy. Either that, or they could blow things up and sign impending free agent Orlando Franklin, who after converting from tackle was one of the best pass-blocking guards in football with the Broncos in 2014. Again, though, thats not really McCloughans style. And if theyre to dip their toes into the free-agent pool, they might be better off looking at defensive backs and/or a new right tackle. After being benched in 2014, veteran Tyler Polumbus is as good as gone. They have two other options in 2014 third-round pick Morgan Moses and 2012 sixth-rounder Tom Compton, but both were really bad last season. Moses managed to surrender three sacks in only two full games, and Compton was graded by PFF as the least efficient pass-blocking tackle in football. It wouldnt hurt to draft another tackle this spring, maybe even early. But if the Skins are going to spend some cash anywhere, it might be best spent on this spot. Green Bays Bryan Bulaga and San Diegos King Dunlap are both slated to hit free agency. Not rocket science It really isnt that complicated. Find a way to get better quarterback play, find a way to protect said quarterback better and cut down on the number of splash plays in the secondary, and youve done all you can do. This team isnt devoid of talent. The receiving corps is stacked, Alfred Morris is a reliable running back and it has some solid young pieces on defense. They Redskins will need better luck in the health department, but if they can just get things right under center while becoming a little less leaky in pass protection and pass defense, they can compete right now. Lets see if McCloughan can pull that off. Brad Gagnon has covered the NFC East for Bleacher Report since 2012. Follow @Brad_Gagnon Read more NFL news on BleacherReport #Football #NFL #NFCEast #WashingtonRedskins
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 22:20:09 +0000