This is a fact: The 1-7 Washington Redskins are dead last in the NFC East and tied with the Atlanta Falcons for the worst record in the conference.
But there’s a major difference between the Falcons and Redskins — Atlanta realizes the reality of its situation and the Falcons have made at least one significant trade to start the process of stockpiling draft picks to build a roster capable of lifting them out of their current predicament.
The ‘Skins, so far, have not.
After several months and a half-season of shrugging off fines, Trent Williams continues to hold out, and Ryan Kerrigan remains a productive player on a team going nowhere fast.
There was a report Sunday that there’s a legit market for both, and talk Monday that Cleveland’s season-long pursuit of Williams might finally pay off.
Sources: The #Redskins are now open to dealing star LT Trent Williams. They have begun the process of looking at potential suitors, and the #Browns have been one. Unclear how high they set the asking price, but they’ll at least listen.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 28, 2019
Whether they do business with Cleveland or not, the Redskins need to deal Williams. He’s already vowed to never play for the team again, and he’s spent half the season proving it.
He and Kerrigan are 31-year-old veterans with enough tread on the tires to help a contender get over the hump. Giving them a chance to play their twilight years on a team that matters would be the humane thing to do for two men who have been stand-up guys on a franchise lacking them in positions of power.
As I wrote earlier this season, the only ones who don’t recognize the reality of the Redskins’ situation is the Redskins’ leadership. They foolishly think their culture is “damn good” and that they’re just a few breaks away from contending.
The only way that can be true is if they get real about where they are right now.
Choose whatever metaphor you like; the Redskins built their house on sand and need to level it before trying to erect a proper structure.
Anyone who’s been to therapy knows you can’t begin to fix what ails you if you don’t properly address the problem and the process that led to it.
Kansas City and Indianapolis have demonstrated the amount of good that can come from doing that. Miami and Atlanta are in the process of trying it.
I’m not advocating for the Redskins to tank like the Dolphins or the Browns before them. However, selling off veteran assets who are already near the end of the line in Washington for maximum return is wise, regardless of whether you’re rebuilding or simply retooling.
As far as lousy teams in need of a rebuild go, the Redskins are actually in a somewhat enviable situation. Williams and Kerrigan are easily tradeable assets.
Neither would generate a huge dead cap hit (Williams’ is $3.5 million; Kerrigan’s would be $3.2 million) and both have agreeable base salaries under contracts through the 2020 season.
A new team would only be on the hook for half of Williams’ $10.8 million this season, and would have him for $12.5 million in 2020; Kerrigan has already received half of his $10.5 million in 2019, and his $11.5 million salary next year is a bargain for a top-end pass rusher.
Trading them is a no-brainer. There were early-season reports the Patriots are every bit as hot for Williams as the Browns are, and willing to deal a high draft pick to get him.
But the window of getting maximum return for Williams has likely passed. For example, had the ‘Skins traded Williams to Cleveland before the season, when the Browns thought they’d be contenders, he might have yielded a first-round pick.
Now that the Browns are 2-5, they’re likely less willing to part with a pick that could plausibly land somewhere in the top 10 to 15 overall.
There would be no such caveat for a Kerrigan deal. The Ravens and Colts have been rumored to be interested in Kerrigan, a guy who’s never missed a game and figures to be a productive player for another three to four years.
Indianapolis is a fascinating option, since the ‘Skins could plausibly get back the second-round pick they dealt to Indy in the trade up to draft Montez Sweat, while doing Kerrigan a solid by sending him to a contender in his native Indiana.
The Redskins are likely to play their way into their own top-five draft pick. So, coupling that with at least two more high picks would help set up the next coach with some cheap, young talent to mold in the way he sees fit.
Instead, the organization further threatens to waste the efforts of two remarkable players with Hall of Fame potential had they not spent their entire careers with such a dysfunctional organization.
How dysfunctional, you ask? The one veteran they’re reportedly shopping is the notoriously overpaid Josh Norman who, even if he weren’t in the midst of his worst season as a pro, has virtually no trade value because of he’s an obviously declining 31-year-old cornerback with a $10.8 million base salary.
Plus, the ‘Skins would have to carry $6 million in dead cap just to move on from him in-season. It’s more fiscally responsible to wait until 2020, when his cap number is an unwieldy $15.5 million and the dead cap hit is only $3 million.
If someone like Philadelphia is desperate enough to give up a third- or fourth-round pick for Norman, by all means eat that money and make the deal. After all, it’s about building this thing for the future.
But we’re talking about the Redskins here. They’ll almost assuredly botch what should be a straightforward means of improving their lot, and wind up with pennies on the dollar for Williams, Kerrigan and Norman, if anything at all.
That’s hardly what I’d call a “damn good” culture or winning off the field.
