Tag: Trent Williams

Mapping out a perfect Washington Redskins offseason in 2020

There are a number of roster decisions for the Redskins to make this offseason, but these are at the top of our list for a perfect 2020.

The pieces are starting to be put into place for the Washington Redskins to actually find some success in 2020 and the years beyond. With a core of young and dynamic players on both offense and defense, plus a new coaching staff that will offer a fresh set of eyes to what can improve around the building, there is a reality in which the Redskins find themselves competing for a playoff spot in the near future.

The Redskins are set to start out the year with just under $40 million in salary-cap space, according to Over The Cap, but that number could rise a heck of a lot higher with some tweaking. All they have to do is make the right roster decisions, and that starts this offseason. In order to help provide a path forward, we decided to map out what would be a perfect offseason, in our eyes, hoping it leads to eventual Redskins’ success.

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 01: Josh Norman #24 of the Washington Redskins embraces head coach Ron Rivera of the Carolina Panthers before their game at Bank of America Stadium on December 01, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

Cutting Players:

There are a handful of players that the Redskins will likely let go ahead of free agency this year, but two big-name players come to mind for us. Josh Norman and Paul Richardson Jr.

The writing has been on the wall for Norman, as he was benched at the end of the season in order to let practice squad players get a chance in front of him. At age 32, with a significant drop in production since becoming the highest-paid CB in the NFL with the Redskins, it’s time for Washington to rid of Norman’s contract and look to the younger players. According to OTC, the Redskins would save $12.5 million by cutting him this offseason, giving them over $50 million in available space.

Likewise, Richardson has spent two seasons now trying to stay healthy enough to live up to his $40 million contract that the Redskins gave him in 2018, but failing. In 2019, Richardson was passed up by three rookie wide receivers on the depth chart, which was the icing on the cake. If the Redskins were to part ways with Richardson this offseason, they would save $6.5 million in 2020, but with some of that becoming dead money, the cap space would only rise to $52 million.

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Joe Theismann says Trent Williams’ holdout was ‘always about money’

Williams said his holdout in 2019 was about distrust with the organization, but former Redskin Joe Theismann thinks it was about the money.

There are two sides to any story, and the Trent Williams situation with the Washington Redskins is no exception.

You all know the public story that Williams claims: In 2019, he held out from the team after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, causing a growth on his scalp that had been brushed off by the team’s medical staff for years before it was nearly too late. After having it removed, Williams stated a distrust with the Redskins medical staff, and Team President Bruce Allen, stating that he would never play for Washington again.

While many people believe this version of the story to be true, with evidence like the team firing Allen and head trainer Larry Hess following the 2019 season, there are some who think there are details being left out. Former Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann, for one, thinks that Williams’ non-guaranteed contract played a major factor in the holdout, rather than just the distrust with the organization.

“Now, he said it wasn’t about money,” Theismann said, via the Redskins Talk podcast. “It’s always about money.”

Williams entered the 2019 season with two years left on his contract, but none of the money he was set to earn was guaranteed. As he saw it, the Redskins could cut him at any time without ramifications — something that was discouraging given his injury history.

Now, going forward, there is still a path for the Redskins to rekindle their relationship with Williams. With Allen and Hess out of the building, and new head coach Ron Rivera stating that the 31-year-old left tackle is “still our guy,” a reunion between the two parties is viable for the 2020 season.

Of course, if both sides are to work out an agreement going forward, it will absolutely be about the money.

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Ron Rivera still wants a meeting with Trent Williams

The Redskins head coach wants a sitdown with Trent Williams.

When the Washington Redskins hired Ron Rivera as head coach, a widespread idea went out nationally right away — he might be able to salvage the Trent Williams situation.

Williams, one of the league’s best left tackles, didn’t play a snap for the Redskins this past season after a gap between the player and organization over various matters, including the medical side.

But Rivera would still like a crack at sitting down with Williams, according to JP Finlay of NBC Sports:

“We got to get Trent in, we got to sit him down, see where he is, see how he is, healthwise too. We have not really had the contact we need to have to know…He’s still our guy.”

Rivera managing to fix this situation would be a massive win for a Redskins team trying to get the most out of Dwayne Haskins under center. Attempting to add a starting-caliber left tackle isn’t exactly an easy thing to do.

But with the front office entirely changed and Bruce Allen gone thanks to offseason movs by Dan Snyder, there’s at least a ray of hope Rivera might be able to mend this relationship.

Presumably, such a meeting would occur soon before free agency or the draft.

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Ranking the Redskins 7 biggest decisions to make in the 2020 offseason

With a new coaching staff and some money to spend, the 2020 offseason could be the most important for the Redskins in years.

The Washington Redskins are in a solid position as they look to enter the offseason, which is set to really get underway after Sunday’s Super Bowl LIV. With a new coaching staff, an encouraging core of young players, and several pieces who are set to enter the prime of their careers, there is a good chance that the Redskins could find themselves competing for a spot in the playoffs in the near future.

Something that will only further help this quest is making the right calls during the 2020 free agency period, which is set to begin on March 18th, at 4 p.m. ET. As it stands now, the NFL Salary cap is expected to increase this season to somewhere between the range of $196 million $201 million, which gives Washington approximately $48 million in cap space to work with. However, a few roster decisions concerning veteran players can be made to nearly double that available cap space, and make the Redskins real players at the negotiating table. Here’s our ranking of the most pertinent moves that Washington should choose to make this season.

No. 7 — Cut CB Josh Norman (Saves $12.5 Million)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 01: Josh Norman #24 of the Washington Redskins embraces head coach Ron Rivera of the Carolina Panthers before their game at Bank of America Stadium on December 01, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

This seems like the easiest decision that the Redskins can make this offseason, and it should be the first thing on their to-do list. Norman’s time in Washington probably didn’t go exactly how he envisioned it, but that doesn’t mean that he wasn’t a valuable and loyal member of the team for several years.

After signing a $75 million contract with the team in 2016, making him the highest-paid CB in the NFL, Norman started to show his age a bit down the stretch, and it culminated in him getting benched for a number of rookies, practice players, and guys signed off of the street at the end of the 2019 season. The writing has been on the wall for Norman this past year, and it seems that he will likely be searching for a new team ahead of the 2020 season.

However, there is a slight chance that he stays in Washington, no matter how much the fans may disagree with the decision. The only argument to be made for keeping Norman is that his former coach in Carolina, Ron Rivera, is now in Washington, and he has shown the ability to put Norman into areas of high success in his career. Still, it seems like the best place for the 32-year-old defensive back is somewhere other than the nation’s capital.

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13 big NFL names that could be cap casualties in 2020

Carolina quarterback Cam Newton headlines a list of 13 players that could be salary cap casualties.

The Super Bowl hasn’t been played yet, but it’s time to start looking ahead to the 2020 season. The 30 teams not in the Super Bowl already are doing that.

One of the first things teams do in the offseason is look at their salary cap. They start looking for ways to trim it before the league year and free agency begin in March. Inevitably, there are some big names that are released or traded to clear cap space. This year is no exception.

Let’s take a look at 13 big names that could be cap casualties before the 2020 season:

13. Vernon Hargreaves, CB, Houston Texans

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Picked up off waivers from Tampa Bay during last season, Hargreaves’ production didn’t match up with his salary. The Texans can clear $9.9 million against the cap by cutting him. The former first-round pick has to join a new team at a bargain rate and reinvent himself if he ever is going to get another big contract.

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3 offensive lineman the Redskins should target in 2020 NFL free agency

Depending on what takes place between Trent Williams and the Redskins, Washington should look to free agency for a new left tackle.

As the Washington Redskins look to enter the 2020 free agency period and fill out their roster with valuable pieces going forward, they need to recognize the number of holes that have developed in the depth chart.

While at first glance, you can notice that the wide receiving corp needs help, and a playmaking tight end might bolster the passing game, what’s more important than both of those things is that rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins has time to drop back and find his receivers downfield. None of that happens if the Redskins don’t find a valuable offensive lineman to hold down the left side of the front.

This is where the Redskins have several options going forward, and the situation could likely play out in several different ways. After Trent Williams held out for the 2019 season, the Redskins were left searching for an answer at the position, and though Donald Penn was serviceable for the season, he is not the answer going forward. The way we see it, there are three answers to this problem; you get Williams to come back to the team and give him the contract extension he is asking for; you draft a left tackle in 2020 and hope that he can develop into a young player that makes a difference in his early years; or you look to spend some money in the free agency market in 2020 and choose to patch that hole with a relatively expensive bandaid.

If you believe that option three is the most likely to succeed, here are some names that you should look out for in March.

D.J. Humphries — Arizona Cardinals
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – OCTOBER 13: Offensive tackle D.J. Humphries #74 of the Arizona Cardinals celebrates a touchdown scored in the first half of the NFL game against the Atlanta Falcons at State Farm Stadium on October 13, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)

Humphries is a young and dynamic player who was drafted in the first round of the 2015 draft, and he’s getting set to test the free agency market for the first time in his career.

In his four years with the Cardinals, Humphries moved around the offensive line a bit and battled injuries at times, but he played 100 percent of snaps in 2019 and became a valued member of the Arizona locker room. Standing at 6-5, 307 pounds, Humphries has the size to be dominant on the left side of the line.

It may be hard to pry Humphries away from the Cardinals this year, however, as the team has shown a liking for his presence in the locker room, and Arizona is also projected to have upwards of $70 million available in salary cap this year. If they want to shell out a nice payday for the up-and-coming left tackle, he would be hard-pressed to say no. However, if the Redskins get the chance, they could do a lot worse than signing Humphries to be a part of what they’re building in Washington.

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Chris Thompson thinks that Trent Williams will come back to Redskins for 2020 season

Thompson thinks that the Redskins did enough changing so far this offseason to warrant a second chance from Trent Williams.

Let’s say that your romantic partner broke up with you, but you were determined to get them back. You got a haircut, refocused your attention on your job, cleaned your apartment and overall bettered yourself in the hopes of their return. Is that enough for them to reconsider a relationship with you?

That’s probably the question that the Washington Redskins are asking themselves now. After left tackle Trent Williams ‘broke up’ with them before the 2019 season, choosing to hold out due to a number of disagreements, Washington has chosen to better themselves. They fired their head coach, fired their team president, and fired their head athletic trainer. On top of that, they brought in a highly-respected new head coach and remade their medical staff with a couple of the top minds in that field.

So is that enough to spark the interest of Williams once again? Have the Redskins changed enough to get him to come back and give this thing one more shot? Running back Chris Thompson thinks so.

“From articles and stuff that I read, [Williams] had problems with two people [Allen and Hess],” Thompson said, via NBC Sports Washington. “Now, that’s out the way, I think he would come back now. He always said for him, Dan [Snyder] wasn’t an issue at all, it was more how he was treated medically and how he felt about Bruce and stuff. That’s out of the question now, out of the way now. I think there’s a big chance he’ll come back.”

It’s quite obvious that the Redskins are doing whatever they can to get Williams back in the building, as they completely cleaned house in the first week of the offseason. Of course, that wasn’t all done just to get the seven-time Pro-Bowler back in the building, but it definitely was part of the reason. Now, coming off of a 3-13 year with the postseason out of grasp yet again, the Redskins are looking towards a future that has a handful of dynamic playmakers on offense, and a stout defensive line that could be scary under the right coaching. One of their major areas of weakness is the left side of the offensive line, a position that Williams could turn into one of their strengths.

So did the Redskins do enough to get Williams agree to move back in?

“I wouldn’t see him holding out now,” Thompson said.

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Redskins hire one of nation’s leading physical therapists in Kevin Wilk

Washington is making another addition to its medical staff, adding Kevin Wilk to the fold where he will help the teams’ health.

The Washington Reskins have reportedly made another hire, helping to bolster their medical staff ahead of a highly important 2020 NFL season.

According to Tom Pelissero, with the NFL Network, the Redskins have brought in Kevin Wilk as a medical trainer, who will now work with head athletic trainer Ryan Vermillion, who was announced on Monday. Wilk is most well known for his work in the NFL helping New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees recover from a shoulder injury, and he is said to be one of the leading physical therapists in the nation.

This hire is important because it was done in order to provide further confidence for players in showing that their health is what matters the most. That goes doubly for left tackle Trent Williams, who held out this past season in part because of a lack of trust with the medical department in Washington. The Redskins also finished the 2019 season as one of the most injured teams in the NFL, so installing a new, highly-respected medical staff should help that issue going forward.

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Redskins officially name Ryan Vermillion head trainer; What does that mean for Trent Williams?

The Redskins have officially announced Vermillion as the head trainer, which could lead to speculation about Trent Williams’ return.

The Washington Redskins have officially announced the hiring of a new head trainer, dubbing Ryan Vermillion to replace Larry Hess, who was the longtime trainer for 17 seasons in Washington.

In a press release on Monday morning, the Redskins announced the hiring, with comments from team owner Dan Snyder, coach Ron Rivera, and team doctor James Andrews. All three had glowing reviews of Vermillion, who is “one of the most respected and seasoned head athletic trainers in the NFL,” according to Snyder.

What makes this move highly intriguing is what it means down the road in Washington. While the team could obviously benefit from a new voice in the training room, seeing as they’ve been one of the most injured teams in the league over the past decade, a fresh staff could also potentially convince some players to come back to the team. Yes, we’re talking about Trent Williams.

We all know the story with Williams at this point. After having a growth on his scalp misdiagnosed by the former medical staff in Washington, he later had a second opinion where it turned out to be cancerous. He had it removed, and subsequently vowed never to play for the Redskins again. After holding out for most of the 2019 season, team president Bruce Allen was fired, along with Hess, who shared the bulk of Williams’ animosity. So does the new leadership in Washington change anything for the seven-time Pro Bowler?

According to The Athletic, it just might. The publication reported last week that a source close to Williams told them that the firings in Washington had prompted him to at least think about returning to the team. According to the source, “there is reason to feel like there might be a chance he comes around.”

What is even more significant than a potential remarriage with Williams is the future outlook that the team now has. Many may think that Allen was the real puppet master in Washington, responsible for the decade of turmoil, and that is true. However, it was not without help from Hess, who was right there pulling some of the strings as well. A ‘new regime’ and ‘fresh culture’ wouldn’t have been possible under Rivera unless Hess was gone.

Now, the Redskins have one of the most respected coaches in the NFL, and their trainer has a strong reputation in the league, as well as an NFL Trainer of the Year award in 2016.

It’s more than Washington could have said three weeks ago.

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