The biggest task Scot McCloughan will face as the general manager of the Washington Redskins is a hefty one. Somehow, someway, he’ll have to get a moribund organization back to respectability.
A longtime scout, personnel executive and former general manager who is highly regarded around the league, McCloughan was hired by the Redskins on Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the matter. He’ll replace Bruce Allen, who will remain with the organization as its president after five dismal seasons as the team’s general manager.
The hiring marks the first time in 16 seasons under Dan Snyder’s ownership that Washington has installed a person with proven success atop its personnel department. Yet, as always seems to be the case with the Redskins, there is a familial caveat: McCloughan’s father, Kent, was a scout for the Raiders organization for 47 years who worked with Allen from 1995 through 2003.
McCloughan began scouting players at 23, when he was hired by the Green Bay Packers, and after following Mike Holmgren for a stint in Seattle, he was named San Francisco’s vice president of player personnel in 2005 and its general manager in 2008. After a resignation tied to alcohol abuse, McCloughan was hired by the Seahawks as a personnel executive in 2010, and he again resigned from his position before the NFL draft last April as his issues resurfaced.
Despite McCloughan’s past scouting successes, he will not immediately have the remedy for all of the Redskins’ woes. His first challenge will be to assist with the hiring of a defensive coordinator to replace Jim Haslett, who parted ways with the organization on Dec. 31.
Washington has, according to multiple reports, scheduled interviews this week with San Francisco secondary coach Ed Donatell, San Diego linebackers coach Joe Barry and longtime coach and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, with several others likely to be added to that list.
The decision, Allen said last week, will be made by coach Jay Gruden, though it seems unlikely that Gruden would be the sole person making that hire.
McCloughan must also begin evaluating which players, including those whose contracts are set to expire in March, would be worth keeping in Washington. When the decisions are made, that may be a select list; the Redskins went 4-12 last season and used 69 players, including a league-high 36 on defense.
The Redskins have 17 pending free agents, and the contracts of several other players will be a strain on the salary cap. Wide receiver Pierre Garçon is set to count for $9.7 million against the salary cap next season, while defensive end Jason Hatcher is slotted to account or $5.25 million. Upon review, McCloughan must decide which players can be building blocks for the future and which can afford to be jettisoned.
Perhaps the most pressing talent-related question will concern the quarterback position, where McCloughan will have to determine whether Robert Griffin III is truly the team’s franchise quarterback. After a record-setting rookie year, Griffin was hampered much of 2013 as he recovered from right knee surgery, then struggled mightily in Gruden’s offensive scheme this season.
Should McCloughan decide Griffin is not the right player for the Redskins — an assessment already seemingly shared by Gruden — identifying a quarterback who is will be paramount to the team’s success. Kirk Cousins remains under contract for one more season, and Colt McCoy, who signed a one-year deal last April, is opening to returning to an organization that appears willing to have him.
If Griffin is, however, it seems logical that McCloughan and the Redskins should be able to find complementary pieces to help the quarterback succeed. Seattle’s Russell Wilson, who McCloughan is frequently given credit for drafting, has succeeded with a related skill set.
The biggest priority for McCloughan, though, appears to be the draft. Experienced in collegiate scouting, McCloughan spent the past eight months as a contracted consultant in charge of evaluating college players, and his hiring would set him up to oversee the Redskins’ representation at the Senior Bowl and other annual all-star games.
Washington has struggled to convert draft picks into impact players in recent seasons, and team officials have placed such an emphasis on this year’s installment that they hope to unearth four or five players who can make a legitimate contribution in 2015.
For McCloughan to truly have success, however, he needs to have full control over personnel matters — something the Redskins, under the watch of Snyder and Allen, have been unable to completely provide. Reportedly given a four-year contract, McCloughan must be allowed to work independently of his superiors, trusted that he will have the opportunity to run the department as he sees fit.
Allen, just last week, said he could continue to handle the responsibilities dictated by both the general manager and president roles, and stripping him of power over the roster is, in some senses, a demotion.
Yet according to ESPN, McCloughan was told by Snyder that the owner has been embarrassed by the Redskins’ recent performances and just wants to win, promising not to interfere in talent relations.
If that stays true, McCloughan will have the opportunity to help the Redskins again be competitive. It’s not a guarantee that he will be successful, but merely having someone with his track record on the payroll is something the team hasn’t been in quite some time.
• Zac Boyer can be reached at zboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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