Analysis

Redskins 2018 Free Agents: Who stays, who goes?

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Redskins 2018 Free Agents
Featured Image via Redskins.com

The Washington Redskins have their work cut out for them this offseason as the franchise moves in a different direction on the offensive side of the ball. When the 2018 season starts, the team will be looking at several new faces in the mix. With free agency and the NFL draft just a few weeks away, it’s time to take a look at the Redskins 2018 free agents and who will stay on the roster.

The team has already made a couple of moves ahead of free agency, signing inside linebacker Mason Foster to an extension and making a trade, in principle, for former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith. The move the team made for Smith means they intend to move on from quarterback Kirk Cousins, who Washington used their franchise tag on the last two seasons. There have been rumors that the Redskins are contemplating tagging and trading Cousins, but nothing is even close to being confirmed. It seems like a long-shot considering Cousins would have to sign the tag before Washington could ship him elsewhere, stay tuned for more information on that, though.

Below is the list of the Washington Redskins 2018 free agents:

Redskins 2018 Free Agents

  • QB Kirk Cousins, 29
  • ILB Zach Brown,  28
  • ILB Mason Foster, 29    ALREADY SIGNED
  • C Spencer Long, 27
  • TE Niles Paul, 29
  • OLB Trent Murphy, 27
  • OLB Junior Galette, 30
  • CB Bashaud Breeland, 26
  • WR Ryan Grant, 27
  • K Dustin Hopkins, 27
  • WR Terrelle Pryor, 29
  • ILB Will Compton, 29
  • G Shawn Lauvao, 30
  • S DeAngelo Hall, 34
  • OLB Chris Carter, 29
  • DL Phil Taylor, 30
  • WR Brian Quick, 29

Who stays?

The most significant name that should immediately jump out on the Redskins 2018 free agents list is inside linebacker Zach Brown, who stands at the top of the priority list for both the team and fans. Brown was well on his way to leading the NFL in tackles before injury reduced his output for the last few weeks of the 2017 season. However, Brown still managed to end the season with 127 total tackles (84 solos) while only playing in 13 games.

Other players the team will likely sign include Trent Murphy, Ryan Grant, Niles Paul, and Dustin Hopkins.

Tough calls

Junior Galette, Bashaud Breeland, and Terrelle Pryor will be tough calls depending on how much money they intend to make next year. Breeland has hinted at wanting to test free agency and, in the past, has not exactly been quiet regarding how much money he wants (hint: it’s a lot). The team has some young depth at the cornerback position behind Breeland in Fabian Moreau and Josh Holsey and could also look to the draft. Galette, on the other hand, is an interesting situation. While he’s 30 years old and has had two major injuries, next-gen stats point out that his production could be at an elite level with more snaps. Pryor’s situation is tough to call. The team claims an ankle injury is to blame for his lack of involvement in 2017 after looking like the best free-agent pickup of the year a few months before. Only time will tell with this group.

Phil Taylor, Brian Quick, and Chris Carter could see one-year deals to return, but none did anything of note in 2017. Taylor spent the entire year on injured reserve, while Quick didn’t see much field time, and Carter was a special teams player before a broken leg ended his season.

Who goes?

The first player on the Redskins 2018 free agents list to go will be Kirk Cousins, who is an afterthought at this point. Beyond Cousins, Will Compton, DeAngelo Hall, Spencer Long, and Shawn Lauvao are all players the team will be looking to move on from in 2018.

While Hall has stated he doesn’t plan on retiring yet, the writing is obviously on the wall after being a healthy gameday scratch several times last year during the Redskins injury-plagued season. Compton was brought back last year as a backup to Mason Foster and Zach Brown; injuries along the way led to him seeing some field time. Washington is hoping Martrell Spaight can stay injury-free this year and permanently take over Compton’s spot on the roster. Both Long and Lauvao have been injury-plagued throughout the last two seasons. In Lauvao’s situation, the team was ready to move on but has been stuck with his contract and the lack of a suitable replacement. On the other hand, Long was a victim of losing his job while he was hurt as rookie Chase Roullier played well, replacing him last year. Insiders say that the team is not interested in bringing Long back to play guard (his original position) and will be looking to the NFL draft to fill his roster spot.

In other news

Cornerback Quinton Dunbar signed a contract extension with the team a couple of weeks back. After signing, Dunbar said, “I’m ready to just get better and help the Redskins get over the top.”

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