Adam Schefter is quickly becoming one of my favorite persons. He was the first to whisper Pro Bowl and Jason Campbell in the same sentence or, as I like to call him, Jason Pro Campbowl.
And now he's got all kind of love for your 'Skins and their secondary (hat tip ES), which is looking a bit crowded. That's a good problem to have:
When it comes to free agency, the Redskins do not have a reputation of being spendthrifts. But check out what they did Thursday.
More than three years after they signed restricted free-agent cornerback Jerametrius Butler to a six-year, $15.04 million offer sheet that included a $4 million signing bonus that the St. Louis Rams matched, the Redskins signed Butler on Thursday to a one-year, veteran-minimum, $595,000 contract.
They now will get Butler's services this season at a considerably cheaper rate than they would have had he been playing under the offer sheet that they signed him to, which was due to pay him $2 million in base salary this season.
Also, Butler becomes the latest addition to a position in which the Redskins have hoarded players this offseason. Already the Redskins have signed former Vikings cornerback Fred Smoot, former Cardinals cornerback David Macklin and now former Rams cornerback Butler, who was cut earlier this week after starting 31 games in St. Louis.
Washington knows a team never can have enough quality cornerbacks and with Shawn Springs and Carlos Rogers also in Washington, the Redskins have loaded up.
22 Rogers, Carlos
27 Smoot, Fred
24 Springs, Shawn CB
32 Jimoh, Ade
38 Macklin, David
35 Butler, Jerametrius
34 Eubanks, John
29 Torrence, Leigh
34 Westbrook, Byron
Shawn Springs, Carlos Rogers, and Fred Smoot are locks. I would include David Macklin as well. That leaves Ade Jimoh, Jerametrius Butler, and Byron Westbrook (has been making noise) competing for one spot, with Leigh Torrence and John Eubanks vying for some Practice Squaddery.
That's a problem but, again, a good one. Ade Jimoh has distinguished himself as a ST ace which is probably why Butler specifically mentioned special teams when he signed with the team. He realizes that he's probably competing for limited space and has to make himself a utility wherever possible, just as Ade has done. Byron, brother of some guy, had a good story, the pedigree, and the hype going in his favor, though he's still a long shot.
This will be as interesting a positional battle as the Redskins have this offseason and I hope the addition of Butler brings out the best in all our cornerbacks. What we can sleep easy knowing is that the Redskins are much better off in the secondary than they were this time last year.
By the way, we beat the Cowboys last year:
Guy is definitely high. Have a great weekend, reader(s). Cheers.