Sunday Slop: The Redskins Need to Get Taller at Wide Receiver

NFL to reconsider decades-old combine drills - ESPN
The NFL will reconsider tweaking its long-standing timing and testing drills at the scouting combine this offseason. "That's a project we'll be working on this offseason," Matt Birk, the league's director of player development, said Friday. "Once we look at the data that was gathered in-game this year, it may be important to know how fast a wide receiver or defensive back can go 60 yards. Maybe for an offensive lineman it's only 20 yards.

Dez Bryant of Dallas Cowboys to be franchised - ESPN Dallas
The Dallas Cowboys informed the agent for Dez Bryant on Friday that they will place the franchise tag on the All-Pro wide receiver by Monday's deadline, executive vice president Stephen Jones confirmed. The Cowboys have to notify the league of the move by 4 p.m. ET Monday, which will guarantee Bryant roughly $13 million in 2015. The Cowboys will not use the exclusive franchise tag on Bryant, but a team would have to give up two first-round picks if Dallas chooses not to match an offer sheet.

Kirk Cousins in no mood to joke with Redskins, eager to rectify self-described 2014 'failure' | MLive.com
"I think you can always learn from failure, you can always find ways to improve, and when you fail like that it hits you right in the face,'' Cousins said. "You have no choice but to get better and to learn from it. "So I just feel a sense of urgency to get back to work and learn from my mistakes and to do all I can to make sure that hopefully something like that never happens again -- not allow myself to play at a low level, but instead be able to come back and whether it's practices or preseason, be playing at a high level every chance I get.''

The Redskins Blog | Akeem Davis Joins Panel Discussion On Collegiate Athletics
Washington Redskins safety Akeem Davis brought a completely different perspective from the rest of his fellow panel members at Wednesday evening’s discussion on the changing landscape of collegiate athletics and the NCAA at the Shirley Povich Center For Sports Journalism.

Should the Redskins Pick Mariota? " CBS DC
Do the Washington Redskins have the nerve to draft Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota with the fifth overall selection? Suppose Tennessee at No. 2 passes on Mariota after Tampa Bay opens the April 30 draft by selecting Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston. The Titans opt for Southern Cal defensive end Leonard Williams, No. 3 Jacksonville takes a pass rusher and No. 4 Oakland chooses a receiver.

Redskins free agent fits: Outside linebacker | Comcast SportsNet Washington
Current situation: Ryan Kerrigan enjoyed a breakout season in 2014, recording a career-best 13.5 sacks and 51 quarterback pressures, the second highest total in the NFL behind Kansas City’s Justin Houston. Washington’s other outside linebackers? They combined for a grand total of five sacks and 30 pressures. Brian Orakpo’s season ended in Week 7 due to another pec injury and he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent. Rookie Trent Murphy showed flashes, but it’s unclear if he’ll develop into a dynamic enough pass rusher to complement Kerrigan. For those reasons, outside linebacker should be considered a pressing need for the Redskins entering free agency.

Redskins free agent fits: Offensive tackle | Comcast SportsNet Washington
Current situation: The Redskins are set at left tackle for years to come. Trent Williams, still only 26, is a unit captain and has been tapped for the Pro Bowl three years in a row. Right tackle? Well, that’s a whole other story. Tyler Polumbus surrendered eight sacks in the first seven games and got benched. He’s also a pending free agent. He was replaced by 2012 sixth rounder Tom Compton, who proved to be a better run blocker but not much of an upgrade in pass protection. Compton yielded six sacks in nine games, according to ProFootballFocus.com. Meanwhile, Morgan Moses, drafted last year, played almost exclusively at left tackle as a rookie and is now recovering from Lisfranc injury that will stunt his development this offseason.

The Redskins Blog | Earnest Byner Becoming A Mentor For Brandon Bostick
When former Green Bay Packers tight end Brandon Bostick botched an onside kick return in the NFC Championship game — one that helped cost his team a trip to the Super Bowl — Earnest Byner was watching. After hearing Bostick’s postgame interview, a series of regrets and apologies, Byner knew what he had to do. "I could understand that feeling," Byner, who played five seasons with the Redskins, told The Cleveland Plain Dealer. "It took about six months for me to feel how he felt just a day after the game. I felt like I had to speak to him."

Howie Roseman doesn't seem to favor an Eagles trade up for Marcus Mariota - Bleeding Green Nation
"The history of trading up for 1 player, when you look at those trades, isn't good for the team trading up and putting a lot of resources into it. Because the guys who are really good at the draft,if you’re hitting on 60% of your 1st-round picks, that’s a really good track record." ... Roseman's sentiment was more lottery tickets, better odds.

Need to Know: Should the Redskins replace kicker Kai Forbath? | Rich Tandler's Real Redskins
The Redskins have a decision to make regarding Forbath, who has been the kicker since he took over five games into the 2012 season. He is a restricted free agent and the team has the right to present him with an RFA tender offer. Their deadline is the start of free agency, March 10. They also could attempt to sign him to a contract prior to the start of free agency. Or they could let him walk as a free agent. So there are many options and all of them are in the hands of the Redskins, who do not seem to be particularly eager to lock up the player who would be, as Brian noted, the most accurate field goal kicker in team history is he had enough attempts to qualify. He is 59 of 67 for his Redskins career, 88.1 percent. The Redskins career leader is Shaun Suisham, who was 81 of 101, 80.2 percent. One hundred attempts are needed to qualify.

In need of red zone help, Redskins could look for a big wide receiver in the draft | Rich Tandler's Real Redskins
Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan likes big football players. His logic is that over the course of 150 or so plays during a game the advantages that a bigger player has over a smaller player will win out. That sounds good in theory but is there any proof? Or is that just an old adage that no longer applies, if it ever did?

Former Chargers GM A.J. Smith retires | UTSanDiego.com
Former Chargers general manager A.J. Smith has decided to retire. The 66-year-old Smith, a Del Mar resident, spent the past two years working as a senior executive for the Washington Redskins. His contract expired Saturday.

Rankings the Redskins positional needs | Fanspeak Redskins Blog

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