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Report: Ricky Jean-Francois Signs 3 Year Deal With Redskins

The Redskins add a player to the defensive line who was drafted by GM Scot McCloughan

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Redskins and Scot McCloughan didn't waste much time in getting a deal done with DL Ricky Jean-Francois who was released by the Indianapolis Colts on Monday.  The reports came out yesterday that the Redskins, 49ers, and Seahawks would be having him in for workouts.  Jean-Francois tweeted that he was on the West Coast today, presumably for one of those interviews, but now word has come out per his agent Drew Rosenhaus, that he has reached a 3 year deal with the Redskins worth $9 million with $4 million guaranteed(worth up to $11.25 million with incentives).

From yesterday's article: The Colts signed him to a 4 year, $22 million dollar in 2013 after spending the first four years of his NFL career as a backup/rotational player for the San Francisco 49ers(never played more than 27% of the defensive snaps). He is a versatile player in the 3-4, and is capable of playing all three spots along the defensive line.

With the Colts, Jean-Francois started 23 of the 26 games that he appeared in, recording 54 tackles and 5.5 sacks in two seasons. He played 37.1% of the team's defensive snaps(9.9% ST) in 2013, and 60.6% of the Colts defensive snaps in 2014(15.1% ST). The Colts saved almost $5 million in cap space by releasing Jean-Francois.

The Redskins need to improve their depth, and have plenty of candidates that could be replaced.  Stephen Bowen and Barry Cofield are both 30+, overpaid, and coming off injury filled seasons.  Bowen is the most likely to be cut, but Cofield is a possibility depending on the other moves the team makes in the draft and free agency.  Kedric Golston is another 30+, recently injured player, but he would only save the team $1 million if he is released. Jarvis Jenkins is a free agent and could be gone next season.

[UPDATE #1: 4:05 pm 2/27/15] The Redskins have made the signing official
[UPDATE #2: 12:00 pm 3/3/15] Contract details released, deal similar to Chris Baker's contract last year