Washington Redskins 2013 Mock Offseason

 

There has been a lot of talk about the Redskins this past season. They have made some noise in the NFL that's for sure. However there are still some holes to fill in their roster and in this article I will give all the details on what I think will be happening this offseason. Who will be added to the roster this year and who will be cut? Lets start with who will be released.

• Brandon Banks - A likely candidate for this list. Brandon Banks was exciting when the Redskins first acquired him. He was able to make some big time plays but he just isn't the same anymore. He really didn't contribute too much in the 2012 season and I can imagine that Washington will bring in someone else to play a similar role in Kyle Shanahan's offensive scheme. Richard Crawford has already proved to be a solid punt return man.

• Kory Lichtensteiger - I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this but Lichtensteiger will cost a good amount of money to re-sign. Josh LeRibeus stepped up nicely in the final games of the season and the offense didn't seem to lose a step with him on the field. Letting Lichtensteiger walk should free up some much needed cap room for other Free Agent signings.

• Chris Cooley - I hate to say it but I think Chris Cooley will be gone by next year. There is just too much talent at the Tight End position. Fred Davis will likely be back. Logan Paulsen proved to be a very solid Tight End and Niles Paul contributed as a kick return man. I just don't see it happening.

• Chris Wilson - I barely saw him on the field this year. I guess the Shanahans are just using him for Special Teams. He will probably cost more to re-sign and can easily be replaced for a cheaper price.

• Madieu Williams - I think everybody saw this one coming. Williams cannot be a starter at Free Safety for this team and we won't be willing to pay him more to be a back up. I think he is just a one and done in D.C.

• Tanard Jackson - Could have been a great player for this team but I don't think he will be back after multiple drug violations. I just cant see him keeping his act together to stay on this team.

• Jordan Black - Black mainly just played a back up role this year for us. He actually already retired but we brought him back to play as an outside Tackle on the O-Line. I think he did pretty well but he is old and should be replaced. There is no point in re-signing him this offseason.

• Cedric Griffin - I think Griffin is another one and done in Washington. He never really lit it up this year and will never be a starter for us. I believe the Redskins will target a Cornerback with their first pick in the 2nd round of the Draft anyways.

• Bryan Kehl - Kehl was brought back on this squad somewhere midseason and he mainly contributes on Special Teams. He is an experienced Linebacker but I just don't see him being re-signed. He didn't impress me during preseason. He had a lot of dropped interceptions (three dropped interceptions I believe), and a lot of penalties.

Now that we have gotten rid of some players, here are the players with expiring contracts that I think will be back next year.

• Darrel Young - Young was a linebacker in college and we transformed him into an outstanding fullback. He is not afraid to get physical and he will knock someone's head off to pave the way for Alfred Morris. We cant let a talent like this get away from us. Did I mention that he can run, catch, and throw (he is the emergency Quarterback in case all of our other Quarterbacks are down)?

• Rex Grossman - Unless Mike Shanahan wants to go back to his two Quarterback setup I can see him re-signing Grossman. Think about it. We have a Super Bowl Quarterback who is third on our depth chart. That is some pretty good depth at the Quarterback position. Re-signing him to another 1 year or even a 2 year contract seems like a good idea right now.

• Tyler Polumbus - A lot of people may not have suspected to see him on this list but Tyler Polumbus wont really break the bank and can compete with others for the starting Right Tackle position in 2013. We already have Tom Compton who was a 6th round pick in 2012 who could be a potential starter. Mike Shanahan seems to have a lot of confidence in him. Having Polumbus as a back up would provide good depth for the Right Tackle position. However having him as a starter wont hurt us that much either.

• Logan Paulsen - Paulsen has proved himself after Fred Davis went down and has earned himself a spot on this team. We cannot let him walk. He is just too talented of a player. His blocking is solid and he has reliable hands. Having two good Tight Ends can be great for a team. Which leads me to my next re-signing.

• Fred Davis - Before Davis went down in the middle of the season he was on track for a 1,000 yard season. He was the top receiver and was a nice security blanket for RG3. I think we need him on this team. He has great hands and can get open. He did get suspended for a drug violation in 2011 but that is all behind him now. We need to do what is best for the team and I think having Davis on this team would give RG3 a huge offensive weapon for years to come. Fred Davis is still young at the age of 27.

• Lorenzo Alexander - Otherwise known as the One Man Gang. This guy has a lot of skill and can play almost any position. He is our Special Teams Ace and can go in on defense and play Middle Linebacker. He is just an all around great player on the field and I think we should work out a long term deal for him. 

• Chris Baker - Baker did a good job filling in for Barry Cofield when necessary and I didn't see anything wrong with his play this year. If the guy is playing well as a back up for a cheap price then why replace him? The only other option is Chris Neild and he is coming off of an injury. Chris Baker is the best option we have for a back up Nose Tackle.

• Rob Jackson - I would love to see the Redskins re-sign Jackson. He can cover well and he made some incredible turnovers this season. You always want a guy who can create turnovers on your team. But he will probably demand a lot more money than what he is getting now. He will not start at Right Outside Linebacker as long as Orakpo is healthy. Maybe they could move him in to the Middle Linebacker position if Fletcher makes an unexpected retirement?

• Sav Rocca - The Punter's contract is up and I think it would be a great idea despite his age to bring him back. Rocca is a great Punter who plays a huge part on Special Teams. He boots the ball the whole length of the field and the hang time is great also so it allows the rest of the kicking team to get down the field and force a fair catch. He should be signed to a 2 year deal worth around 2-3 Million. 

• Nick Sundberg - The Long Snapper has done well this year. Haven't really seen anything wrong with his game. So the way I look at it is, why not?

Free Agent Signings:

• Jairus Byrd - I think we could make one or two big Free Agency signings this offseason if we play our cards right. We could restructure a few contracts here and there or cut a few players or both. But I think the number one guy the Redskins should be looking at right now is Jairus Byrd. He could be our starting Free Safety and turn the whole defense around. He definitely will not be cheap to acquire but if we are able to strike a deal with him it would be great for the team. He is an unrestricted free agent and I think he will want out of Buffalo unless they offer him a huge deal. Otherwise, he will see that the Redskins are one of the hottest teams on the rise in the NFL right now looking for a Free Safety and he would probably seriously consider coming here.
• Sebastian Vollmer - A lot of people have been talking about Sebastian Vollmer and how he could end up on the Redskins roster next year. He is the starting Right Tackle for the New England Patriots. The guy's job is to protect Tom Brady. That is a pretty important job if you ask me. But by next year it could be possible that he is protecting Robert Griffin III instead. I like the idea of it. Vollmer is experienced and is only 29 years old so he still has some good years in him. He could compete with Tyler Polumbus and Tom Compton for the starting job. Compete probably isn't the best word to describe the situation though. If we sign Vollmer it is unlikely that he will lose the starting job to anyone else unless he gets injured.

 

2013 NFL Draft: 

• 2nd Round - Jordan Poyer - Cornerback - Oregon State - Poyer is a very talented Corner and I think we would get the best results picking a Corner in the 2nd round. He has logged 13 interceptions in his college career and I believe he can be our number one corner if DeAngelo Hall gets cut. Poyer has decent size at 5'11" and can make plays. He also seems like another player with good character. He would fit right in with the rest of the team. If Poyer is gone by the time that we pick (I think we have the 53rd pick) then we could draft David Amerson out of North Carolina State. Amerson has good size at 6'2" and also has 13 interceptions under his belt I believe. Either of these guys would be great picks for this team. A lot of people may be saying that we should draft a Safety in the 2nd but the truth is that there are barely any good Safeties worthy of a 2nd Round Pick at that point in my opinion. I think we can pick up a good safety in the 3rd Round.
• 3rd Round - Phillip Thomas - Strong Safety - Fresno State - The Redskins obviously need some help in the secondary. Why not take a Safety in the 3rd Round? This pick would provide depth at Strong Safety. Brandon Meriweather will most likely be back next year and he would need a good back up if he goes down. After 2013 is over, Thomas could definitely step in as a starter. He has good size, good stats, and good film. Could turn into our Strong Safety solution for the future. If we aren't able to get Thomas then we could go for Bacarri Rambo out of Georgia. Rambo was normally thought of as a first round talent but was suspended because of a drug violation. Another prospect is Robert Lester out of Alabama. However, I do hope we are able to acquire Phillip Thomas in front of the other two prospects. It is very possible that Thomas is gone by the time we pick in the 3rd.
• 4th Round - Michael Mauti - Middle Linebacker - Penn State - This may not seem like the smartest pick at first. But London Fletcher will most likely be gone by the end of the 2013 season because that would be the end of his contract. Washington needs to try and find a replacement at Middle Linebacker for the future. Michael Mauti could be the MLB for the future. He could compete with Keenan Robinson for the starting position after Fletcher leaves. I like Robinson and I would be happy with him starting for us. However, I can say the same for Mauti. His father was actually a Wide Receiver in the NFL and played for the Washington Redskins. Is it destiny? Maybe. This would be a great pick because Mauti is a very talented player and he made 96 total tackles, hauled in 3 interceptions, forced 3 fumbles, and got 2.5 sacks. May not be much of a pass rusher but looking at his stats makes it seem like he can cover pretty well. He would be a great addition to this team.
• 5th Round - D.J. Swearinger - Free Safety - South Carolina - Swearinger could be gone by the time we pick in the 5th but if he is still on the board we should go for him. If the Jairus Byrd deal does not work out and we cannot find someone else I would be totally happy with him starting for us. I can see that he plays with a lot of emotion and is a great player. Sure, he would be a bit of a project but he can really turn into a big contributor for the team. If the Jairus Byrd deal does work out then that just gives us more great depth at the Free Safety position.
• 5th Round - Marquess Wilson - Wide Receiver - Washington State - Wilson would be a great addition to the Wide Receiving squad. The only reason he could possibly drop this far would be because of some off the field issues but with the rest of the players on the roster setting a good example I think that issue can be easily resolved or at least somewhat resolved. Wilson is a very productive Wide Receiver with great size. He could make Washington's Wide Receiving group that much more dangerous.
• 6th Round - Chris Thompson - Running Back - Florida State - I think Mike Shanahan will keep his trend going with this pick. He likes to pick running backs in the late rounds. Chris Thompson could be another great success story even though Alfred Morris is set to be our guy for the future. With the season that Morris had he just cannot be replaced but Thompson could compliment him. Thompson is a little small at 5'8" but I think he can overcome that. It shouldn't keep him from being a big contributor on offense and could even play a Brandon Banks type role.
• 7th Round - Lerentee McCray - Outside Linebacker - Florida - I think this last pick will mainly just be used for depth and I think we could use more depth at the outside linebacker position. We need someone to back either Orakpo or Kerrigan up next season because I don't think Jackson will be back unless we give him good pay. If Jackson does come back then great but we still need to fill that other LOLB back up position. It would be better than keeping Bryan Kehl. Plus maybe McCray could turn out to be another gem for the Redskins. He hasn't had too much playing time at the University of Florida. Maybe if we gave him more playing time he could really show his stripes. I can see the Redskins taking whatever Linebacker they see as best in the 7th though. It seems like a good depth pick.

I could go into detail with what other positions need to be filled for depth through Free Agency but lets be honest, that isn't exactly the most exciting part. The offseason doesn't always go as planned though. So it wouldn't surprise me if all my picks are wrong but it is very possible that some of them are right. Either way I absolutely cannot wait for the 2013 season to begin! Since this is my very first post, please let me know what you think of my writing! Thank you and Hail to the Redskins!