In hindsight, the fact that Rex Grossman and John Beck weren't up to the task for the Washington Redskins isn't a surprise. A 3-1 start that included wins over the Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams wasn't as impressive as we first believed. That said, Washington's 2-10 finish isn't the end of the world either.
Looking forward to the offseason and eventual 2012 season, the Redskins do have a solid foundation of young players to build upon. Making the correct decisions between free agency and the 2012 NFL Draft can help put this team in the right direction. (For a full list of the Washington Redskins' 2012 free agents, scroll to the end of the article.)
First and foremost, the question that the media is pushing hard in the DC Metro area is what to do with Washington's first round pick. The Redskins have the sixth selection in the 2012 NFL Draft and it appears the fans in the area are very interested in Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III.
It's not official yet, but Griffin is likely to declare for the draft and he is currently rated by some as the second-best quarterback prospect behind Stanford's Andrew Luck.
Some other positions of need include, but are not limited to wide receiver, offensive line and defensive line.
The Redskins finished in the Top 10 in sacks which illustrates it was a wise choice to add Ryan Kerrigan in last year's draft. Continuing to build depth via the draft is the right path. Adding free agents like S O.J. Atogwe just has not add enough value to the team.
Paying for free agents assumes that the team will be competitive, at least for a playoff spot, in the very near short-term. Why pay for a free agent, which can involve millions of dollars over multiple years, when the team can instead draft a player, develop him and pay him very little compared to a free agent. Realistically, the Redskins are not at the point where they should overspend at any position and should instead focus on accumulating draft picks and doing their best to coach up those players.
Washington Redskins 2012 free agents
QB Rex Grossman
RB Tim Hightower
WR Donte Stallworth
TE Fred Davis
OG Kory Lichtensteiger
OG Will Montgomery
DE Adam Carriker
DE Kedric Golston
LB London Fletcher
LB Rocky McIntosh
CB Byron Westbrook (restricted)
S LaRon Landry
K Graham Gano (restricted)
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