As the 2020 offseason starts to ramp up over the next weeks, and teams further delve into their free agency and NFL Draft preparation going ahead, it’s important to parse through the shrouded information we get from teams and try to figure out what they might do when it comes to big personnel decisions.
For the Washington Redskins, there are a number of areas that they need to address over the coming months. We’ve identified those needs as some of the following: Tight End, Wide Receiver, Offensive Line, Backup Quarterback, Cornerback, Linebacker, and Free Safety. Our first chance to see their preparation came last weekend at the 2020 Reese’s Senior Bowl. Ron Rivera, Jack Del Rio, and Scott Turner met with Redskins scouts in Mobile, Ala. to evaluate some talent that they might focus on drafting.
While in Mobile, the Redskins seemingly scoped out players at the TE and WR position, while putting less of a focus on quarterbacks and players on the offensive line. Can we glean anything from this information? Does it tell us anything about a potential draft strategy in Washington?
It just might. Let’s start with the O-line. The fact is, the Redskins are almost at a fork in the road when it comes to putting together their front-five for 2020. They have two guards — Brandon Scherff and Ereck Flowers — who are set to hit free agency this year, both of whom found success in 2019 and have expressed interest in coming back to Washington. Should the Redskins retain them, the continuity and experience in the middle will go a long way towards building a solid front. Likewise, there is the Trent Williams situation to monitor going forward. Williams said that he would “never be a Redskin again” late last year, but the litany of changes Washington has made over the past couple of months might make him reconsider. Should Williams return, the offensive line would become a strength of the team going forward. Of course, there is also a scenario where the Redskins miss out on all three of those players, putting them in a dire situation going forward.
As for the backup QB position, we have Alex Smith to consider. There is not yet a date that he is eyeing for a return to the field, but many people believe that it could be as early as this season, should his recovery continue on the right track. It’s nearly impossible to predict how Smith will look once he returns to the game, due to the severity of his gruesome leg injury, but he could likely be thrown into a quarterback competition with Dwayne Haskins this summer. Should Haskins beat him out for the starting job, Smith would be a great QB2 for the Redskins.
It’s nothing concrete, but during a time where meetings with the media are infrequent, and all you have to go off of is the teams’ actions in public, it’s something. The Redskins have a few major free agency decisions to make going forward, and based on their scouting at the Senior Bowl, it could tell us that some veteran players are around to stay in 2020.
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