As I wrote on Liveball Sports today, the Redskins have kept pace with the rest of the NFC East in terms of the critical discovery of undrafted free agents who can crack the starting lineup. This is a fairly amazing development, when one considers just how difficult it was for an undrafted free agent to crack the Redskins 53-man roster during the Cerrato-Zorn-Blache era.
James Thrash and Mike Sellers weren’t drafted into the NFL, but were signed as veteran free agents in 2004. Stephon Heyer made the team as an undrafted rookie in 2007, and was able to hold his roster spot through the Zorn era. It is hard to imagine him getting a shot if Gibbs/Bugel didn’t see his potential in 2007. Demetric Evans, same deal. He was picked up off the scrap heap in 2004 by Gregg Williams, and lasted through the 2008 season as a part time starter before leaving in free agency. Shaun Suisham was a waiver pickup in 2006 when it became clear that John Hall would never be healthy enough to kick footballs professionally.
Even beyond the level of starters, it was tough sledding for undrafted players on the Cerrato-skins. CB Leigh Torrance was picked up off waivers by Gregg Williams in 2007, made the roster in 2008, but lost his roster spot to DeAngelo Hall when he was signed for depth purposes. Mike Green was a cost-free midseason pickup, but he was a “Blache guy” who played for the Skins DC in Chicago, the best kind of job security. Chris Wilson had four sacks off the bench for Gregg Williams in 2007 as an undrafted player from DII Northwood by way of the CFL, and those four sacks got him through Cerrato’s tenure, but just barely. Ryan Boschetti was another Williams-Blache guy who had a cup of coffee on Jim Zorn’s team thanks only to his past relationships. You know Lorenzo Alexander’s story. Khary Campbell remained special teams captain for the 2008 season, though that’s a title he took into the Zorn regime. Todd Yoder got a spot on the roster for the same reasons.
Zorn and Cerrato really opened the floodgates to UDFA’s in 2009, though don’t tell that to Anthony Dixon, who may be the best DT on the Eagles these days. He was in camp with the Redskins in 2009, and wasn’t able to make the final cut. The (swinging)gates were specifically opened to specialists: Graham Gano, Sam Paulescu, and Glenn Pakulak all appeared in multiple games for the Redskins. Lest you believe that Cerrato was merely putting his foot down in displeasure only on his team’s most replaceable parts, a couple of other UDFA received playing time for the Redskins. Local products Byron Westbrook, Marcus Mason, and Edwin Williams all had spots on the 53-man roster. The offensive line was still thin on bodies, even with Williams, so D’Anthony Batiste made the opening day roster, and late in the season, the Redskins called up Will Robinson off the practice squad, and Robinson actually got to start across from DeMarcus Ware in Week 16.
Anyway, of all the cost-free players who were granted tryouts — and were signed — by Cerrato, three were good enough to make Mike Shanahan’s 2010 team: K Graham Gano, WR Anthony Armstrong, and CB Byron Westbrook. And if we look at members of the 2010 Redskins who were 1) acquired by Cerrato, and 2) started at least one game, we get a much more serious realization (remember that Kickers don’t “start” games):
- DeAngelo Hall: 16 starts
- Brian Orakpo: 15 starts
- Kareem Moore: 11 starts
- Anthony Armstrong: 11 starts
- Fred Davis: 9 starts
- Kevin Barnes: 2 starts
- and if you’re feeling charitable (Derrick Dockery: 2 starts)
In Mike Shanahan’s first season, only FOUR Vinny Cerrato draft picks started games. That number could look a little bit better if Malcolm Kelly steps in for Santana Moss in 2011, but still, this is a remarkable statistic. More remarkably, of all Cerrato’s free agent pickups prior to or during the 2009 season, only three made it into the starting lineup for the Redskins in 2010, and the best of the three was Anthony Armstrong, who was never on the 53 man roster under Zorn. Shaun Bodiford he was not. Albert Haynesworth was the most expensive addition, followed by DeAngelo Hall and then closely by Orakpo.
It would be wrong to say — even with the benefit of hindsight — that the 2009 offseason was just a huge waste of money. Yes, Haynesworth quickly became a sunk cost, but Hall arguably has justified in two seasons the 26 million he has been paid for those seasons by the Redskins. Yes, that’s a lot of money. And no, nothing about Hall’s performance has been particularly promising for the future. I guess what I’m saying that of the 29 million in non-guarenteed money owed to DeAngelo Hall over the next four years, the Redskins are going to have a difficult time getting Hall to play up to his level of salary in any of the four future seasons. But they could part ways with him now, coming off a pro bowl season, without feeling like they wasted too much money on a starting cornerback with questionable coverage issues, because the big plays were there in 2010. If the Redskins choose to keep Hall in the fold for one more season, they will probably not be rewarded with performance that is worth the trouble…but that decision would lay at the feet of Shanahan, not Cerrato.
It would be fair to say that the talent targeted by the Redskins in 2008 and 2009 wasn’t projectable to most systems, and in particular to a system where a team is trying to capitalize on it’s veteran players prior to rebuilding. And that, ultimately, is why teams that are good with strong cores of cheap, productive UDFAs top the standings. There is nothing more difficult to overcome in sports than an aging star, and no team adds aging stars to their team with quite the fervor that the Redskins have during Cerrato’s tenure. What Cerrato inarguably did not add was guys in the mold of Keiland Williams, Brandon Banks, Anthony Bryant, Terrence Austin, Logan Paulsen, Kory Lichtensteiger, and so on. Roster’s under Cerrato were poorly constructed and considered draft position over recent production, which stacked the deck against UDFAs.
When the lockout eventually gets lifted, I have a bunch of names the Redskins should consider in the spirit of improving the roster through cost-free transactions.
Players of particular value to teams
These are players who should never really have gone undrafted, but for whatever reason, weren’t picked. I have second or third round grades on these players, and adding them is basically like picking in the mid-rounds. Its a no brainer to chase these guys, and there will be stiff competition.
The fact that a lot of these players are concentrated on the offensive side of the ball gives, I believe, some legitimacy to my pre-draft rankings on both sides of the ball. I’ve just always had more success projecting the success or failure of offensive players than defensive players (exception, cornerbacks).
My personal pre-draft player rankings are included in parenthesis next to the player’s name.
- Pat Devlin, QB, Delaware (40)
- Darvin Adams, WR, Auburn (54)
- Scott Tolzien, QB, Wisconsin (79)
- Brandon Bair, DE, Oregon (81)
- Terrence Tolliver, WR, LSU (97)
Bair is a long term project to play on the interior of a 3-4 defense, but the Redskins can afford to grab one of those with Jarvis Jenkins sporting the ability to start right away. Washington will have a contract situation on their hands with Adam Carriker at the end of the 2011 season, and assuming that Jenkins slots in at RDE, there is no replacement lined up for Carriker. The other top rated players are on the offensive end.
The Redskins adequately addressed WR in the draft, but I still think that Adams or Tolliver (particularly Tolliver in this system) are good enough players to make the roster in the scheme run by Kyle Shanahan, and the team should be aggressively looking to move on from veteran WR Santana Moss, who to his credit did have a productive year in 2010.
On the other hand, the Redskins did not adequately address quarterback in the draft, and it would be more than justifiable to outbid the competition on a signing bonus for Devlin or Tolzien not because of a particular scheme fit, but just because of the fact that, if protected by coaches and talent around them, each can win plenty of games in the NFL with their skill sets. Which is exactly what the Redskins should be looking for.
Lower rated players who make a lot of sense within the scheme
A couple of players beyond the ones I have second or third round grades on (because, thankfully, all my first round grades got drafted) could develop and play for Kyle Shanahan or Jim Haslett after hope is lost in the 2011 season.
- Ian Williams, DL, Notre Dame (101)
- Kris O’Dowd, C, USC (113)
- Chris L. Rucker, CB, Michigan State (124)
- Henry Hynoski, FB, Pitt (154)
- Jerrod Johnson, QB, Texas A&M (175)
- Josh Bynes, LB, Auburn (176)
- Damik Scafe, DL, Boston College (177)
The scheme will assist all of these players in success. I like Rucker because of Jim Haslett’s disposition to play cover three a lot: Rucker is good against the run and he can get back over the top with recovery speed to prevent the big play. Ian Williams played NT in a 3-4 scheme at Notre Dame. He’d probably play 5-technique DE in the NFL, but it’s that two gap experience that is important enough to tender a contract to him. Same deal with Damik Scafe, a rotation guy at Boston College who could two gap in the NFL.
Henry Hynoski is a west coast fullback who could be the potential solution to the struggling Mike Sellers and the realtive inexperience of Darrel Young. Kris O’Dowd played a zone blocking scheme at USC, and the Redskins haven’t yet released Casey Rabach, which is why O’Dowd makes this list.
Finally, the Redskins are unsure of how they will fill out their LB rotation in the abscence of the ineffective Rocky McIntosh, who also happens to be a free agent. Josh Bynes had a number of big plays this year for the National Champion Auburn Tigers, and could be a fascinating prospect as an interior LB in the 3-4.
Lower rated players that fill a need for the 2011 or 2012 teams
This group of potential UDFAs is a number of players who I’d like to sign for different reasons in terms of their potential development, but wouldn’t necessarily fill a key role in Kyle Shanahan’s offense or Jim Haslett’s defense. Thinking beyond this group of coaches to a day when, potentially, the Redskins may utilize a different scheme is something Bruce Allen would be wise to consider.
- Anthony Walters, S, Delaware (121)
- Jake Kirkpatrick, C, TCU (127)
- Kendric Burney, CB, North Carolina (131)
- Mike Hartline, QB, Kentucky (133)
- Mario Fannin, RB, Auburn (143)
- Mark Herzlich, LB, Boston College (150)
- Zach Hurd, G, Connecticut (173)
- Blake Bolles, QB, NW Missouri State (179)
- Marc Schiechl, DE, University of Colorado-Mines (180)
- Joe Lefeged, S, Rutgers (198)
- Preston Dial, FB, Alabama (200)
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