WASHINGTON — The Washington Redskins’ season came to end on Jan. 1 in Landover at the hands of the New York Giants. With as much as has happened already this offseason, it seems like that game took place a year ago.
The Redskins said goodbye to defensive coordinator Joe Barry and three of his assistants. There were a number of names that surfaced as the team went through the interview process to replace Barry, but they ended up staying in house and hiring Greg Manusky. Some of the big ones — including Wade Phillips and Gus Bradley — went to other teams. Former Browns head coach Mike Pettine and Rob Ryan also came in for interviews, but were passed over for Manusky, who was outside linebackers coach last year and had been a defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers when Scot McCloughan was running the team from 2007-2010. Manusky has also had stints as the defensive coordinator for the Colts and the Chargers.
The Redskins also hired Jim Tomsula as the defensive line coach. Tomsula and Manusky worked together in San Francisco and Tomsula also has a year of head coaching experience with the Niners.
Both of these hires make sense. They also hint that Scot McCloughan was heavily involved in the decision making.
Manusky is the third defensive coordinator on Jay Gruden’s watch and a hire that he needs to get right this time. He is entering the third year of a five-year contract, and it’s very possible that some of the candidates saw this as a negative when talking with the Redskins about the job. Lack of job security for the head coach, not to mention a defense that needs major upgrades, could have scared some candidates off.
On the offensive side of the ball, offensive coordinator Sean McVay left to be the head coach of the L.A. Rams and Matt Cavanaugh has been elevated to take his spot on the Redskins’ staff. The team hired former Browns quarterbacks coach Kevin O’Connell for the same role in Washington.
It made sense for the Redskins to promote from within on both instances. On the offensive side, look for Gruden to take over the play-calling duties, so there shouldn’t be much change on that side of the ball. The bigger question remains: Who will be playing offense for this team?
That leads us to the biggest question that remains this offseason — will the Redskins sign Kirk Cousins to a long-term deal?
There’s still plenty of time for anything to happen, as the team could keep their quarterback on another one-year deal, a multi-year deal, trade him or let him walk. Here are some of the key dates to keep an eye on:
- Feb. 15: The first day the Redskins can tag Cousins. If they place the franchise tag on him, then they have to decide if it’s exclusive or non-exclusive. The exclusive tag would mean that no other team is allowed to negotiate with Cousins. The non-exclusive tag would mean that teams can talk with the quarterback and that the Redskins would have the chance to match an offer or receive compensation from the team that signs him (two first-round picks).
- March 1: The final day to apply the tag. If the Redskins end up going this route, they will still have until mid-July to work on a long-term deal.
What if Cousins was presented with the franchise tag option for a second straight year? He’s in Orlando this week preparing for his first Pro Bowl and spoke with ESPN on Thursday.
“We will cross that bridge when we come to it, but I would probably do what I did last year,” Cousins said after the NFC practice on Thursday, suggesting he would accept a franchise tag. “I will sign it and play with it. I’m not afraid.”
Cousins would stand to earn about $24 million this year under the franchise tag. Add that to last year’s $19 million and you’ve got a pretty good two-year payday. If the Redskins decide not to place the franchise tag on him, they’ll have to work out a long-term contract or deal him, otherwise he’ll become a free agent.
The Cousins situation is only one of many that the Redskins have to address between now and free agency. It’s no secret that the defense needs an upgrade in a big way, something the team is expected to address that beginning in the draft. As of now, the Redskins own the 17th overall pick.
No matter what happens, there will be plenty to dissect with this team in the coming months.
