Redskins Eyeing WR Allen Robinson, Paul Richardson
If Allen Robinson is not franchise tagged by the Jaguars today, the Redskins will be among the teams ready to pounce on him, according to John Keim of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Keim adds that Seahawks free agent Paul Richardson is also among the receivers who are of interest to the Redskins. 
[RELATED: Top 2018 Offensive Free Agents, By Position]
Robinson stands as my top ranked free agent wide receiver this year, edging Sammy Watkins. Beyond those two, there are no surefire WR1 types to be had, but Richardson (ranked sixth) does offer promise.
Last year, the Redskins tried to fortify their receiver group by signing Terrelle Pryor and Brian Quick in free agency. Neither signing really panned out as Quick barely played and Pryor hardly produced. But, with at least one of those receivers likely to move on, there is room for the team to reload and try its hand at finding weapons through free agency once more.
Signing both Robinson and Richardson in a seller’s WR market could be hard to pull off, even with $47.7MM of cap space at the Redskins’ disposal. However, the Redskins realistically only need one impact receiver with Josh Doctson and Jamison Crowder already under contract. Alternatively, Washington could sign one top WR and potentially re-sign Pryor at a cheaper rate once he explores the open market.
Opinion: Bruce Allen Facing Make Or Break Year
- The upcoming season is likely to be a “make-or-break” campaign for Redskins president Bruce Allen, per John Keim of ESPN.com. Washington has had its fair share of turnover — in the front office, on the coaching staff, and on the roster — during Allen’s tenure, but he’s managed to stick around since 2009. During that time, the Redskins have posted a disappointing 52-75-1 record. Additionally, the club has lost respected general manager Scot McCloughan (reportedly because of a rift with Allen), and will not re-sign franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Is Bruce Allen On The Hot Seat?
- John Keim of ESPN.com says it is unclear whether Redskins team president Bruce Allen is on the hot seat, though Keim believes he should be. Nonetheless, Keim thinks it would take a really bad season, and not just a mediocre one, for Allen to be shown the door.
Redskins HC: We’re Not Trading Cravens
Trade talk surrounding Su’a Cravens came to a boil this week with reports that the Broncos were deep in discussions to acquire him. However, Redskins coach Jay Gruden says that Cravens isn’t going anywhere.
[RELATED: Redskins, Broncos Discuss Cravens Trade]
“We’re not trading him,” Gruden said (via Kareem Copeland of the Washington Post). “I just saw that on the ticker. He’s still a member of this football team and we have every intention of seeing where he’s at. I’ll have to talk to him and see where he’s at mentally. Physically, I know he’s going to be in great shape. The big thing is, is this something that he wants to do? He has to commit to it full time. He’s a good football player, there’s no doubt about it. He’s a great kid. I’m sure it will work out for him.”
Cravens hasn’t taken the field since his rookie year in 2016. His retirement flip-flop last year which resulted in the team placing him on the reserve/left squad list drew the of both the Redskins front office and the locker room. A trade would make sense for all parties involved, but, if Gruden is to be believed, Cravens remains in the team’s plans for 2018.
Playing both linebacker and safety, Cravens notched 33 tackles in 2016.
Latest On Redskins’ Free Agents
The Redskins have interest in retaining both linebacker Zach Brown and cornerback Bashaud Breeland, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
This isn’t the first time Washington’s preference of keeping Brown has been made public, but Anderson reports the 28-year-old linebacker is searching for top-three inside linebacker money. Currently, the three highest-paid inside ‘backers — Luke Kuechly, Bobby Wagner, and Alec Ogletree — all earn at least $10.5MM annually. Brown, notably, has been forced to settle for cheap one-year deals in each of the past two offseasons. In 2017, he landed only a $2.55 contract with the Redskins, and he’s now one year older and coming off an arguably less productive campaign.
Breeland, meanwhile, had been thought to be ready to test the open market, but the Redskins would re-sign him “at the right price,” per Anderson. A fourth-round pick in the 2014 draft, Breeland has been a starter from day one, and has managed eight interceptions over the course of his career. In 2017, Breeland ranked 14th among 81 cornerbacks in Football Outsiders’ success rate, but graded as Pro Football Focus‘ No. 54 CB among 121 qualifiers.
While Brown and Breeland could be in Washington’s 2018 plans, the same can’t be said for free agent receiver Terrelle Pryor. The Redskins will likely allow Pryor to reach free agency and gauge his market, a source tells Anderson (Twitter link). That should come as no surprise given that Pryor flopped with the Redskins after inking a one-year, $6MM last season. In nine games, the 28-year-old Pryor posted only 20 receptions for 240 yards and one touchdown.
Redskins, Broncos Discussing Cravens Trade
Su’a Cravens could be on the move. The Broncos and the Redskins are discussing a trade to send the safety to the Denver, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). No deal is done yet, but the Broncos are showing the most interest of any team and appear to be the most likely landing spot for the former second-round pick. 
Cravens decided late in the 2016 offseason to retire from football. The news caught the Redskins completely off guard as they were banking on Cravens to start at one of their safety spots. The youngster reversed his decision hours later, but the Redskins were still skeptical about his desire to continue playing. After a short stay on the NFI list, the Redskins parked him on the reserve/left squad list, barring him from playing in 2017.
The versatile defender was diagnosed with Post Concussion Syndrome, according to a statement released by his agent late last year, but he is now “asymptomatic and cleared to return back to all things football.”
The Broncos currently project to start some combination of Darian Stewart, Will Parks, and Justin Simmons at safety. Cravens could step in as a first-stringer while also contributing at outside linebacker. In his first season, the Redskins used Cravens at multiple positions, though they were planning on having him focus on safety in his sophomore campaign.
Redskins Exec: No Discussions About Cousins Tag
Maybe the Redskins aren’t giving serious thought to using the franchise tag on Kirk Cousins after all. Redskins senior vice president of player personnel Doug Williams told reporters on Wednesday that the team has not had a meeting about franchising the quarterback (Twitter links via NBC Sports Washington). 
Placing the franchise tag on Cousins would be crazy, reckless, and petty, which is exactly why folks in the football world have speculated that the Redskins could go through with it. Redskins president Bruce Allen reportedly spoke to rival executives about the possibility, but if Williams is to be believed, that move is no longer on the table.
If he is not tagged between now and the March 6 deadline, Cousins will enter free agency on March 14 as an unrestricted free agent. The legal tampering period kicks off on March 12, but Cousins’ plan is to take his time and likely not agree to terms with a club until things officially get underway. Cousins is expected to set a new watermark as the league’s highest-paid player, though he won’t hold that title for long with Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers, and other QBs in line for lucrative extensions.
Redskins Familiar With Richmond's Kyle Lauletta
- If teams are looking to draft a developmental quarterback, two of the most intriguing names are Lauletta, the Senior Bowl MVP, and Washington State’s Luke Falk, Yahoo’s Charles Robinson tweets. Robinson also notes the Redskins president Bruce Allen went to Lauletta’s Richmond and is very familiar with the quarterback.
Salary Cap Rollover For All 32 NFL Teams
This week, the NFLPA updated its salary cap report to include the rollover amounts for all 32 teams in the NFL. The Browns, as expected, lead the league in $58.9MM in cap space rolled over from the previous season. Here is the full rundown of each team’s rollover amounts:
After the Browns, the 49ers ($56MM), Titans ($30.3MM), Jaguars ($27.8MM), and Jets ($17.3MM) boast the highest rollover amounts in the league. The Dolphins ($69K), Saints ($287K), Giants ($365K), Eagles ($514K), and the Seahawks ($547K) have the least amount of rollover. In total, teams carried over nearly $340MM from last season, good for an average of $10.6MM per club.
Latest On Kirk Cousins
Kirk Cousins is eager to become the highest-paid player in NFL history, but he won’t rush things. The Redskins quarterback’s current plan is to not agree to terms during the NFL’s two-day “legal tampering” period, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT (on Twitter). Instead, he’ll take one or more visits beginning on March 14. 
Of course, it’s not a certainty that Cousins will be able to explore the open market freely. The Redskins have privately hinted at the possibility of placing the franchise tag on the quarterback, which would give them the ability to recoup something for Cousins via trade. That plan could easily backfire on Washington, but the team has until March 6 to weigh the pros and cons.
Assuming Cousins is not tagged, he’ll find a booming market for his services with interest from the Jets, Broncos, Browns, and other QB-needy teams. Because he is the top signal caller available, he’ll likely hold up the QB market for many teams and players until he signs. A free agent like Case Keenum likely won’t be able to ink a contract until Cousins has made his call and the Bills probably won’t find a trade partner for Tyrod Taylor until teams know that they are out of the Cousins chase.
The Jets figure to bid aggressively for Cousins, but initial reports of them offering $60MM in the first year have been shot down. In addition to the aforementioned teams, the Cardinals, Vikings, and Bills may also factor into the Cousins chase.