Largely on the compelling reason presented by the Times' Ryan O'Halloran on his latest blog entry (lots of info there, so check it out).
What we disagree about is picking up Nate Clements, for the reasons intimated by Ryan; there are going to be many suitors meaning he will cost a fortune. Because of this, I view our picking up of Clements as an either/or proposition as regards Shawn Springs' place on the team. Currently Springs is the 2nd highest paid Redskin eating up a monstrous 7.3M of our cap -- 6% of it. Nate Clements already makes around 7.3M, and he's looking for a (perhaps well earned) pay raise. We could easily pay him 8-9M his first year meaning we will have 16M (14% of our total cap) tied up in our #1 and #2 CBs, both of whom were born in the 70s and one of whom is annually a serious injury concern.
It was clear that Carlos Rogers took a step backwards in 2006, but he also dropped a lot of would be interceptions. Some 2005 offseason work on his hands could have turned a failed season into a statistical success. He is naturally gifted enough to develop into a starting CB in this league, and I'd just as soon stick with his development at #2 rather than pushing him down the depth charts and prolonging that maturation process.
Back to the Shawn Springs move, though. He has the size and the coverage abilities, so I don't doubt that he'd make an excellent safety. But the more pressing need is on the outside in coverage, especially if we're outbid on Nate Clements (which I hope we are). Reader(s), would you move Springs to Safety next to Sean Taylor?
By the way, O'Halloran agrees about trading down: