Redskins Free Agency Thread

[JDuncan]

Like the Royal pickup.

 

[raptorlife4]

Great day for the Redskins.
Need to grab a safety now.

Our recievers have ben horrid the last few years. Royal,Garcon and Morgan breathe new life with RG3.

Havent been this excited as a Skins fan in a LONG time

 

[Taz_Hokie]

Article from ESPN's John Horton:

The start of the week gave off the initial look of a disappointing free agent period for the Washington Redskins. League-imposed penalties due to perceived salary cap violations cost them a whopping $36 million in cap space to be spread out over the next two seasons. But people probably didn't realize how much space that still left the Redskins, and they were extremely aggressive. By the end of Day 1 of free agency they had signed three quality veteran receivers.

Who are they, and how much will they shift the Redskins' offense, and the way it's run?

Pierre Garcon ($42.5 million for five years) is the biggest catch. Coming from the Indianapolis Colts, he posted good numbers in 2011 -- 70 catches for 947 yds and six TDs despite lacking anything resembling a dependable quarterback. The Colts wanted and needed to keep Garcon, but he slipped away to Washington. Although he has never been a true No. 1 target, Garcon has the size and speed combination that teams are looking for, and he is only 25 years old with a lot of football in front of him. He has been inconsistent at times, particularly with dropped passes, but I believe he has the skills and deep speed to really explode in this offense.

The second wide receiver Washinton signed, Josh Morgan, comes from the San Francisco 49ers, and while he has struggled with injuries in his young career, he has decent size and is also a solid downfield blocker, something Shanahan doesn't overlook. Morgan can also be productive in the intermediate passing game.

Eddie Royal is a veteran player who comes from a Denver Broncos offense that really struggled in the passing game in 2011 for obvious reasons, and it affected his production (only 19 receptions for 155 yards). But when Royal last played for Mike Shanahan in 2008, he had 91 catches for 980 yds and five touchdowns. He knows this offense well and can also contribute in the return game.

Of these new receivers, Garcon is the key. Had he stayed with the Colts, thhe would have tried to develop him as a No. 1 target for Andrew Luck, who Indianapolis will select with the No. 1 overall pick. Ironically, those skills will now be put to use catching passes from Robert Griffin III.

In addition to these new receivers, we must remember that the Redskins have a pass-catching tight end in Fred Davis. Davis carries the franchise tag right now, but a new multi-year contract seems to be a possibility in the near future. He can line up at the line of scrimmage, but he can also flex or motion outside to create tough defensive matchups.

The interesting guy in all of this change is veteran wide receiver Santana Moss. He is still a productive guy who fits well in this offense and a solid veteran presence on and off the field, but he makes a lot of money and I wonder if the Redskins could phase him out.

A couple things pop out to me here. One on philosophy, the other scheme.

It's encouraging to see the Redskins show some restraint in signing good players for less money that fit this system well instead of throwing ridiculous money for a big name like Vincent Jackson, which is what they have always done in the past. You could argue that Garcon got serious coin, but he would have gotten similar money in a few different places, most likely.

As for the offense, with a new quarterback who can really grow and mature with these guys, this will be a fun offense to watch. And it could be better soon. Mike Shanahan runs a zone blocking run game with a lot of bootlegs and rollouts off play-action, and there are a lot of half-field reads that should speed up Griffin's development. That sets up perfectly for RG3, who can use his mobility to get outside the pocket. The tape shows a player who is terrific at throwing on the run, so expect a lot of movement designed to create throwing lanes and also spring deep routes, as opposed to running lanes for short gains.

This offense requires precise routes, and there are a lot of crossing routes in the game plan. Garcon, especially, can be very productive at vertical seam routes where RG3 can throw back across the field, and Griffin has the arm strength to get it done. We will likely see a lot more multi-receiver packages on offense with motions and shifts and a moving pocket. That can force defenses to play a lot of sub-packages, which can open up the run game. In our new era of spread offenses in the NFL, look for the Redskins to join the parade of innovative passing schemes.

 

[Sleepy T]

I am quite excited how things are going thus far. With these 3 guys (Garcon, Morgan, and assuming Royal is definetely a Skin..still seeing scattered reports) along with Paul, Davis and Cooley..I expect RG3 to flourish and this passing attack to be formidable in just a year or two. The RB stable is looking pretty good (with Helu, Royster, and Hightower hopefully) and if we add another piece or two on the OL...the Offense will be in great shape.

As far as D goes..The Skins need to resign London ASAP..I don't care if he is old..the guy can play lights out..the DL is looking better every year and the secondary needs some help.. Will address OL and CB in the draft (3-7) it seems.

HAIL motherfu**ers!!!!

 

[Sleepy T]

I am quite excited how things are going thus far. With these 3 guys (Garcon, Morgan, and assuming Royal is definetely a Skin..still seeing scattered reports) along with Paul, Davis and Cooley..I expect RG3 to flourish and this passing attack to be formidable in just a year or two. The RB stable is looking pretty good (with Helu, Royster, and Hightower hopefully) and if we add another piece or two on the OL...the Offense will be in great shape.

As far as D goes..The Skins need to resign London ASAP..I don't care if he is old..the guy can play lights out..the DL is looking better every year..hopefully we be even better with Carriker and Jenkins coming back. Rak and Kerrigan are studs.. and the secondary needs some help.. Will address OL and CB in the draft (3-7) it seems.

HAIL!!!!

 

[Taz_Hokie]

Don't forget Hankerson. I wasn't too impressed in the early part of the season with the limited amount he played (major dropsies), but he did start to look better as the season progressed. And seeing as we had no real pre-season last year, that's about what I would have expected.

I totally agree about Fletcher. Not only can he still play, but he's the heart of that defense, I'd go so far as to say he's the Ray Lewis of our D. If we don't resolve the OL or DB's in the draft, I'll be a little bit upset.

HTTMFR!!!

 

[Sleepy T]

Don't forget Hankerson. I wasn't too impressed in the early part of the season with the limited amount he played (major dropsies), but he did start to look better as the season progressed. And seeing as we had no real pre-season last year, that's about what I would have expected.

I totally agree about Fletcher. Not only can he still play, but he's the heart of that defense, I'd go so far as to say he's the Ray Lewis of our D. If we don't resolve the OL or DB's in the draft, I'll be a little bit upset.

HTTMFR!!!

Yep..Hankerson..don't know how I forgot about him. Hopefully out of the two rookies last season..at least one of them will turn into a formidable WR. Paired along with these other guys coming in..should be some great competition. Fletcher is the heart and soul of an underperforming, but IMO still underrated D. If they could get some consistent play in the secondary and figure it out everywhere else..could be a top 5 D..with a few more pieces.
I am not sure why they released Atogwe so fast?? Especially since noone else was on deck. Don't get me wrong he is far from a pro-bowler but we have almost noone in the secondary, Hall is too inconsistent and Landry is done..Hopefully they will do well in the draft in these areas.

 

[Taz_Hokie]

Fantasy Football Breaking News - Rotoworld.com

Basically says that we're not out of the race for Eddie, but the Chargers are making a big push. This is probably just the Hokie in me, but I really hope we land him.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

Brandon Merryweather is a Redskin

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

Skins sign Cedric Griffin. I have literally no opinion on this....