One Good Reason to Stop Talking Draft: Free Agency

Hey guys, I wanted to give a huge, quality post out for FA. Just under a week away, we are looking at what will surely set the tone for the remainder of the Redskins offseason. Who will they pick, what positions will they help, no one knows. What is sure is that we will not sit back and let things happen, we will go out and make something happen. I'm just gonna break down the real athletes the Skins could go after: the UFAs. The RFA market is somewhere I don't intend to speculate on until I know the tenders players are given, but I have my ideas there already.

RB: Willie Parker and Leon Washington: Neither of these two should be starting running backs for us, but assuming we hold on to Clinton for another year, along with Ganther, we could finally get a game-changing speed back without worrying about spending crazy money or using a valuable draft pick. Either of two provide two versatile backs who are getting older, but are very effective when playing a specialized role.

WR: Antonio Bryant and Nate Burleson: First, I don't think TO belongs here. We don't need a no-handed WR. Bryant is obviously gone from the Bucs, and he is a great receiver with a lot of talent and time left. Would be a great guy to snag to start along side Devin Thomas and Moss. Burleson would come in and probably play a limited role, but he would still be a nice pick-up because he is a pretty balanced receiver. Neither are great personalities for the locker room, but I have a feeling Shanahan can set a few guys straight.

OL: Rex Hadnot and Chester Pitts: Both guards and good athletes to help fix our RG problem with out going draft. I do remember joking Hadnot on another post, yes, but, sometimes opinions change. Hadnot is still only an average starter, but an average is better then mediocre. Pitts is a good guard, but after a big injury, the question will be can he come back as good as he was before?

DL: Julius Peppers and Aaron Kampman: This is where FA is at this year, the DEs and OLBs. Though we are likely looking at a 3-4 defense, Kampman or Peppers are obviously two great 4-3 DEs, and, while I don't suggest them playing 3-4 OLB, if they could play a strong DE regardless of 4-3 or 3-4, either one, plus Andre Carter, plus Albert Haynesworth, plus Brian Orakpo, is one hell of a pass-rush. Either one would be great, though Kampman has injury concerns and Peppers is a bit inconsistent.

LB: Joey Porter and Karlos Dansby: Dansby is  undeniable a monster LB, can play any position as a LB, and is just a complete player: speed, tackling, power, he is would be a great pickup period. Porter is a guy who could be signed as a 3-4 OLB so that we could avoid Carter stepping back and sucking assuming we have no one else. Porter is a great veteran and while he isn't what he used to be, he would still be a good pickup.

DB: Darren Sharper and Dunta Robinson: Robinson is a very good corner and would be an upgrade over Rogers, even when Rogers is playing semi-good. He'd be a great addition to the secondary. Sharper, though about ready to drop out of the league, could serve as a great transition for some younger guy to step up at FS. We could put Landry/Horton/Daughty in their spot at SS, and let Sharper do his thing at FS for us.

I think our strategy should be as simple as this: younger talent on O to really rebuild, whatever talent we can get on D to just keep us going until we have time to really address the D again, because we've got offensive problems everywhere but WR/TE. I tried to pick a good variety of players who I can imagine the Skins going after, but this is not (exactly) who I want to go after, because I would probably dedicate all of my resources to OL.