With the news of Matthew Stafford’s likely trade out of Detroit this offseason, there has been a lot of speculation as to how active the Washington Football Team will be in pursuing a starting quarterback via the trade route. Stafford joins Deshaun Watson as coveted players for any team with questions behind center.
And there may be more to come. Sam Darnold, Jimmy Garappolo and others are all rumored to be available for the right price.
The question is, should the Washington Football Team pay that price?
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I would argue they should not. The reason is simple. The Washington Football Team has far too many roster holes to give up multiple players or draft picks for any one player.
The exception is Watson, but I am thinking Washington will not be able to compete with either the New York Jets or Miami Dolphins in putting together a package that would pry him away from Houston. So, I am leaving Watson out of this conversation for now.
It’s true that Washington won the NFC East in 2020 with mediocre quarterback play. That has many of thinking that with a significant upgrade under center, there’s no telling how far the team could go over the next couple of years. But there are some cold realities that need to be faced.
Washington qualified for the playoffs with a losing record. Teams like Miami and Arizona (who handled Washington easily in an early-season game), finished with better records but failed to make the playoffs. Washington’s win total was bolstered by playing six games against the NFC East year.
We will never know whether Washington would have made the playoffs had not Jalen Hurts been mysteriously pulled from the final game or if Joe Burrow had not suffered an injury while he had his Cincinnati team in front of Washington midway through the season.
We will never know how Dallas and Philadelphia would have fared had not multiple injures decimated their offensive lines. Dallas also lost their starting quarterback while Philadelphia played much of the year without top offensive weapons like Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert.
In sports, none of that really matters. You play who is in front of you and if you win enough games to make the playoffs, you are in. Washington did that. But if you ignore such facts, it can lead to bad decisions moving forward.
As the roster is currently constructed, Washington has no depth on the offensive line. None whatsoever. Perhaps 2020 rookies Saahdiq Charles and Keith Ismael can provide some. Geron Christian did prove to be a potential swing tackle. But if any one of the starters suffers a long-term injury, the line is in big trouble. And this assumes the team is able to re-sign free agent guard Brendan Scherff.
The same applies at linebacker, where Washington essentially had three players in 2020. One of them, Kevin Pierre-Louis is a free agent and may not return. There is nothing waiting in the wings to replace him.
In today’s NFL, where a minimum of three cornerbacks is essential, Washington has three. Again, one – Ronald Darby – is a free agent. Fabian Moreau, the fourth corner, showed some flashes in 2020, but his play has never inspired a great deal of confidence should he have to play extended minutes. Plus, he’s a free agent this offseason, too.
Washington has two running backs. Should something happen to either Antonio Gibson or J.D. McKissic, it would leave a massive hole. Peyton Barber cannot do what either of them can do. Were it Gibson who went down, it would be even more devastating because McKissic does not have the frame to be an every-down back.
At tight end, there is Logan Thomas and a bunch of spare parts.
Worst of all, at receiver, should Terry McLaurin have to miss extended time, there is not another player who can threaten all over the field.
In short, excepting the defensive line, this team’s depth is razor-thin, and their fortunes hang by a thread. Should even a modest injury bug hit them in 2021, I think results would fall off dramatically.
I enjoy mock drafts, though I don’t place a lot of stock in them (unless they are done by several of my fellow Riggo’s Rag writers.) But I was reading Pro Football Network’s Oliver Hodgkinson’s recent 4-round projection and he had Washington coming out of the 2021 draft with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Brevin Jordan, Richie Grant, Dyami Brown, and Spencer Brown in the first four rounds.
Of course, that’s pure conjecture. Even if Hodgkinson had a crystal ball, not all of these players would live up to their potential. But as a conversation starter, that’s quality help at linebacker, tight end, defensive secondary, wide receiver, and offensive line – all at bargain prices.
I understand how important it is to find a really good quarterback. But as painful as it may be to accept, this team isn’t ready to blow money and draft picks on a big name yet. The Washington Football Team is building a team the right way. It would be a shame to undermine that when they are so close by pulling the trigger too early.
(Unless it’s for Deshaun Watson. If they can get him, then forget everything you just read.)
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January 25, 2021 at 01:32AM
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Why the Washington Football Team should not trade for Matthew Stafford - Riggo's Rag
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