Redskins wary of draft’s uncertainty

By Joe Versage  |   Thursday, April 24, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

Washington Redskins
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With the NFL draft scheduled to kick off Saturday afternoon, time is of the essence for the Washington Redskins. With needs that range from wide receiver to cornerback and from safety and linebacker to both lines, it’s anybody’s guess what the team will do. Even when the franchise is on the clock, Washington’s decision-makers may be uncertain until the very last minute.

As he has shown time and again in years' past, owner Daniel Snyder is not afraid of picking up a phone to offer draft choices in exchange for high-profile players. And this week was no different.

On Tuesday, Cincinnati head coach Marvin Lewis confirmed that the Redskins dangled their first-round selection (21st overall) and a conditional third-round pick for disgruntled Bengals receiver Chad Johnson.

At 30 years of age, Johnson is considered by many to be one of the league’s best receivers, but the five-time Pro Bowler has worn out his welcome in Ohio. Although Johnson is under contract for four more years, the team has grown frustrated with his "me-first” attitude and self-absorbed celebrations. Cincinnati has also made just one playoff appearance during Johnson's seven-year tenure, a 31-17 wild card loss to Pittsburgh in 2006.

The Bengals turned down Washington’s offer and reportedly told other teams like Dallas and Oakland to back off. But that may be a smokescreen for a Saturday deal that’s too good to pass up.

While Johnson has refused to speak to the Cincinnati media, he told ESPN last week that he wants to be traded before the draft or as soon as possible.

“I don’t intend on reporting to anything (with the Bengals),” Johnson said.

But if Ocho Cinco wants to play football in 2008, he may have no choice but to suit up in Cincinnati’s No. 85.

“I’ve stated our case with Chad,” Lewis said to reporters Tuesday. “He has a contract through 2011 and stated that he’s not going to play here. I think he’s a man of his word, so don’t play.”

Meanwhile, other options may be in play for the Redskins. Arizona wideout Anquan Boldin has grown frustrated in his quest for a new contract with the Cardinals and demanded a trade on Wednesday. Earlier this year, the Redskins showed interest in Boldin, but were rejected. Detroit's Roy Williams could also be a target, but acquiring his services may come at a price as high as Johnson’s.

So what do the Redskins do if they can’t get their hands on a proven pass catcher? Common sense would be to find a tall rookie with the potential to be a productive target for years to come.

With college stars Devin Thomas, Malcom Kelly, Limas Sweed and James Hardy, the Redskins could grab receivers who range from 6-foot-1 to 6-5. But height, weight, strength and speed don’t always guarantee a perennial All-Pro or future Hall of Famer. Like the draft in general, finding value in a position of need is a crapshoot. Sometimes you’re right on the money, but sometimes you’re not.

Although they were uncharacteristically quiet in free agency, the Redskins appear to be growing anxious as the draft nears. Some media experts are claiming that this draft is one of the weakest ones in recent memory, which may cause a significant number of teams to trade picks for experienced talent or move down for more selections.

In spite of this scenario, the Redskins may do themselves a favor by sticking to their draft board and gambling on the future. “Selling off the farm” for big-name stars has come back to bite the Redskins in the past. If they can resist the temptation this time, they’ll have a number of chances to find a diamond or two in the rough.

With a total of nine selections, Washington has three more than last year and the most the organization has possessed since 2002. That year, the team had 10 picks, which included current Redskins running backs Ladell Betts and Rock Cartwright and former starting quarterback Patrick Ramsey.

Washington’s brain trust should also consider staying true to its word. During a pre-draft news conference on Tuesday, Vinny Cerrato praised the team for its courage and moral character last season, especially after the tragic murder of defensive stalwart Sean Taylor. The Redskins’ executive vice president of football operations went on to stress the importance of quality people on and off the field.

"We have an outstanding locker room and we don’t want to bring bad guys into a good locker room,” Cerrato said. You want to add more good guys to a good locker room.”

If that is the case, the Redskins may want to stay clear of Cincinnati’s Johnson, who cussed out quarterback Carson Palmer on national television last season and purportedly landed a punch to the eye of his head coach two years ago.

According to the Washington Post, Redskins middle linebacker London Fletcher came to Johnson’s defense Tuesday, stating that Chad has not been in trouble with the law.

“There are a lot of other players that have gotten into different situations with their teams, for whatever reasons,” Fletcher said. “If we’ve tried to trade for him, then management must feel like he would be a good fit for us.”

But a cancer in one team’s locker room can fester into another one, if that player isn’t constantly gratified. It happened with Randy Moss at the end of his tenure with Minnesota and later in Oakland. But even the unhealthiest of attitudes can change in the right environment, as was the case with Moss’ stellar year with New England in 2007.

Leading up to the draft, media outlets and their so-called gurus will continue to prognosticate. And while the draft is in session, the Redskins will rely on all of the information they have collected. But attempting to figure out what teams will do is like finding a needle in a haystack.

During his time as general manager with the Buffalo Bills, Tom Donahoe acknowledged how daunting the draft can be.

“The fascinating thing about personnel work is that you never know,” said Donahoe in April of 2003. "Teams do as much work as they possibly can do on players that will be eligible for the draft. But to be perfectly honest, we don’t know. We think we know, but we really don’t know.”
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About Joe Versage

As a native of upstate New York and a life-long fan of the Buffalo Bills, I have witnessed some of the greatest highs and greatest lows an NFL team can endure. But despite a gut-wrenching 4 consecutive Super Bowl defeats, I never lost faith in the Bills and was fortunate to cover them for 3 years ...
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