Kirk Cousins no longer needed, Redskins shift free agent attention elsewhere

In trading for Alex Smith, the Redskins didn’t want to wait until next week to negotiate with Kirk Cousins again.

“We can’t afford to come to the 12th hour and Kirk decide not to come back and leave us with the bag,” Redskins senior vice president of player personnel Doug Williams said last week at the scouting combine. 

When free agency opens March 14, quarterback won’t be a need for the Washington Redskins.

But the Redskins have plenty to address.

As the combine wrapped up, the Redskins will now shift their attention to free agency. They can get a head start when the negotiating window opens March 12, too. 

Washington has 18 players set to hit free agency, and will look to add others. 

Here’s how the Redskins’ free agency could be impacted based on information learned at the combine:

• The Redskins made it clear they want to upgrade their interior defensive line, and the draft could be the place to do so. An NFC scout said he expects four quarterbacks to go within the first 12 picks — paving the way for the Redskins to select a quality defensive player at No. 13.
  
  
• Washington will let most of their free agents test the market before making an offer, and will look to match if they agree on the price range. This includes their approach on pass rushers Junior Galette and Trent Murphy. “I think if a guy who’s been here two or three years, he’d rather come back home than leave and go somewhere else for the same money or what have you,” Williams said.
  
  
• The Ryan Grant experience could be over. With Grant a free agent, Redskins coach Jay Gruden initially discussed the future of the receiving core by saying “losing Ryan Grant” before quickly correcting himself. Gruden likes Grant, but his comments at the combine weren’t as strong they were in January when he said they would do “whatever it takes” to get him back.
  
  
• Regarding wide receiver, the Redskins agreed they need to add “more juice” at the starting position opposite of Doctson. Crowder started opposite of Doctson, for most of the season, but he’s more of a slot receiver. “We’ve got to find a guy on the outside that can put some fear in the defenses mind and heart sometimes,” Williams said.
  
  
• Gruden denied a report saying the Redskins were going to trade safety Su’a Cravens, but his long-term future in Washington is still very much in doubt. Gruden sounded reserved with Cravens’ role if he rejoins the Redskins. “The big thing is, is this something that he wants to do? And he has to commit to it full-time,” Gruden said. He also said he thought a lot of people were disappointed in Cravens leaving the team because they “wasted” time practicing specialty packages during training camp.
  
  
• Elsewhere in the secondary, the Redskins will need to add another cornerback with Bashaud Breeland a free agent and Kendall Fuller traded to Kansas City in the Smith deal. Gruden said they had four corners they felt good about, but they need to add a fifth.
  
  
• Whether the Redskins will look to add an outside corner or a nickel corner depends how the market shakes out. If Breeland leaves, the Redskins like Fabian Moreau, last year’s third-round pick, to compete for the starting job, along with Quinton Dunbar. For the nickel spot, seventh-round pick Joshua Holsey could get a shot, along with Moreau. Moreau practiced in the slot occasionally last season after spending his entire UCLA tenure on the outside.
  
  
• Don’t expect the Redskins to draft an offensive tackle. All four of the team’s tackles — Trent Williams, Morgan Moses, Ty Nsekhe and T.J. Clemmings — are coming off injuries and they could be held out of OTAs and mini-camp. Despite that, Williams said they felt comfortable with the position because the four should be good to go by training camp.
  
  
• Gruden said Washington needs to address the left guard spot. Spencer Long and Shawn Lauvao are both free agents.
  
  
• With Alex Smith and Colt McCoy both in their 30s, Gruden said the Redskins could look to add a younger, developmental quarterback later in the draft, in the Nate Sudfeld-mold. The Redskins cut Sudfeld prior to the season because they needed the extra roster spot.
  
  
• The Redskins, according to Over The Cap, will have a projected $31 million in salary cap space once the Smith trade becomes official, which is more than they would have had if Cousin returned. Don’t necessarily assume the Redskins will take advantage of it. Williams said it doesn’t make sense to spend big just because they have money. Gruden didn’t close the door on it, however. “I think it should open the door for us to be quite aggressive, if need be,” he said.