Washington Redskins Elect Not To Use Franchise Tag
The Washington Redskins did not make any headlines yesterday as the 4 PM EST deadline passed for using franchise tags. While teams like the Kansas City Chiefs managed to bring back key free agents Dwayne Bowe, Dustin Colquitt and Brandon Albert, the Redskins quietly observed.
Special teams captain Lorenzo Alexander is one of many key free-agents-to-be that remains without a contract as March 14 rapidly approaches. Alexander made his first Pro Bowl this season, and led all players in tackles in the contest. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
The lack of action means that free-agents-to-be Lorenzo Alexander, Fred Davis, Sav Rocca, Rob Jackson, Kedric Gholston, Cedric Griffin, Madieu Wiliams, Tanard Jackson, Tyler Polumbus and Kory Lichtensteiger all remain without a contract as free agency approaches. The Redskins need to act fast, as they currently sit at $4-million over the salary cap and have several free agents to negotiate with. And even if they let these players walk, they’ll need to replace them in some capacity, and not all holes can be filled from within.
Players like DeAngelo Hall ($8.3-million cap hit), Jamal Brown ($5-million cap hit), London Fletcher ($6.7-million cap hit), Trent Williams ($6.6-million cap hit) and Santana Moss ($6.3-million cap hit) can all expect to be approached by the Redskins about restructuring their respective deals. Jamal Brown could even get cut, though the other four are likely staying put.
There’s been hardly any news out of Redskins camp this offseason aside from news that they’ll continue to fight for the cap space they had stripped from them last season. That’s all well and great that they’re going to fight for what they believe they deserve, but seeing how that will take some time, they need to focus on the present. If this legal matter drags into June and July, free agency will have passed, and the Redskins will have missed their chance to retool for next season. It’s time for action; we have seven days.