FanPost

Beware the Second Contract (A Lesson from the Redskins 2014 Draft Class)

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

As part of a discussion on another thread, Erich Willen - who has done a great series of fanposts looking at NFC East draft classes over the past several years - corrected me to point out the relative success of the Redskins' 2014 draft class. As a refresher, the 2014 draft class included the following players

Rd 2 - Trent Murphy

Rd 3 - Morgan Moses

Rd 3 - Spencer Long

Rd 4 - Bashaud Breeland

Rd 5 - Ryan Grant

Rd 6 - Lache Seastrunk

Rd 7 - Ted Bolser

Rd 7 - Zach Hocker

Of the 8 players taken in the draft, 5 are still in the league, though only Moses still plays for the Redskins. None of the players are pro bowl caliber, but several are role players and all 5 are certainly starters. So, by those terms, and I think this was Erich's point, the draft was a relative success.

However, between the 2017 and 2018 seasons these players all came off their rookie contracts. All, except Moses, were allowed to walk. He's seen as a quality RT and key piece of the OL moving forward. Moses was signed to a 5-year deal worth $8M/year.

How did the others fare?

Trent Murphy signed a 3-year deal with the Bills for $7.5M/year.

Spencer Long signed with the Jets for a 4-year $6.85M/year deal.

Bashaud Breeland was on the cusp of signing a multi-year deal with the Panthers for $8M/year before his injury sidelined the deal.

Ryan Grant signed a 1-year "prove it" deal with the Colts for $5M.

Think about that. Four Redskins' cast offs, by and large average (Long & Grant) or slightly above average (Breeland & Murphy) players, are going to get $27.35M in 2018. That's 15% of the salary cap. What are the Redskins paying their replacements?

Preston Smith is being paid $1.8M at Outside LB.

Chase Roullier is being paid $591k at Center.

Quinton Dunbar is being paid $1.75M at CB.

WR4 is being paid on a rookie contract, likely around $700k.

That's about $4.8M in 2018, 18% of what the cast offs are being paid and 3% of the cap. That is the beginning of damn solid cap management by this team, and exactly how the team should be operating moving forward. It also speaks to the need to have a full draft pipeline to backfill the players you can let go at the end of their rookie contracts.

Sign the high quality, low market availability players (e.g., Moses), let the other ones walk at the end of their rookie contracts. All the while, be grooming their replacements through the draft. The bonus to all of this is that those players who walk in free agency are the gift that keeps on giving: Depending on the salary they sign with their next team, they can result in compensatory picks, as high as a third rounder.

So who are we going to let walk from the 2015 draft, and who might we have waiting in the wings. I think that may be the topic of a future fanpost.