With the draft coming in two weeks, the Washington Redskins have added some players via free agency. Kendall Fuller (4 years) was the only notable long term commitment past the 2020-21 season. Players like safety Sean Davis, corner Ronald Darby, and LB Thomas Davis are on one-year deals.
Rivera says Kendall Fuller has "very good value" and that Sean Davis will come in and play free safety right away.
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) April 7, 2020
They were linked to players like WR Amari Cooper and TE Austin Hooper, but Washington had no true interest in resetting the TE market for Hooper, which is why he ended up in Cleveland. As for Amari Cooper, Washington actually offered more money than Dallas, but Cooper wanted to return to Dallas.
So instead of throwing an abundance of money at random players just to “fill a need”, they went one-year deals and are looking forward to the draft. Here are some positions they might look into during the upcoming draft:
Wide Receiver: Outside of Terry McLaurin, Washington does not have a lot of proven talent at the WR position. Steven Sims Jr. is a current fan favorite with his explosiveness, but how much can you really expect from a second-year UDFA? They might look at a 3rd-4th round WR option.
Left Tackle: With the Trent Williams saga continuing, there’s almost no chance he returns to play for the Redskins again. Washington is reportedly looking at a second-round pick, but I think possibly a third-round pick and a player would get the job done. The issue is it’s hard to find a team that will both trade draft compensation AND give Trent a long term deal.
My takeaways from Ron Rivera press conference:
1) Dwayne is the starting QB
2) Chase Young is the pick
3) Theyre rebuilding and not gonna chase cheap wins in 2020— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) April 7, 2020
Tight End: With Vernon Davis retiring and Jordan Reed released, Washington needs to address the tight end position. They signed former Eagles and Packers TE Richard Rodgers and former Virginia Tech QB, now turned TE, Logan Thomas. Rodgers found some success in Green Bay but has played only eight games in the last two years in Philadelphia. Thomas had 16 catches for 173 yards and a touchdown last season in Detroit, so how much Ron Rivera and the coaching staff expect to get from these two will be seen, but expect them to look for one in the draft.
Cornerback: Washington cut Josh Norman and traded Quinton Dunbar to Seattle. They signed Ronald Darby (one-year) and brought back Kendall Fuller (four-year) this off-season, but only Fuller, Greg Stroman, and Jimmy Moreland are under contract beyond this season. Needless to say, expect them to add at least one more this off-season.