Redskins Not Interested In Mike Neal, O'Brien Schofield
Even though they’ve lost edge rusher Junior Galette for the season due to a torn Achilles, the Redskins aren’t interested in free agent defenders Mike Neal or O’Brien Schofield, according to John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link). At this point, it appears as though Washington is going to rely on internal options to replace Galette (who, it should be noted, didn’t even play in a single contest for Washington last year), as reports have indicated that the Redskins won’t target free agent Dwight Freeney or controversial pass rusher Greg Hardy. Instead, the club figures to ask Preston Smith, a second-round pick in last year’s draft, to provide increased production.
Redskins Considering Greg Hardy?
1:18pm: One source says that the Redskins will not be signing Hardy, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets.
12:18pm: The Redskins won’t be signing Dwight Freeney to replace the injured Junior Galette, but they could be interested in another notable defensive end. The team has had internal discussions about adding embattled free agent Greg Hardy, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Cornerback Josh Norman – a former teammate- would vouch for the controversial defensive end, Werder adds. 
[RELATED: Junior Galette Suffers Torn Achilles]
Following a well-publicized domestic violence incident (and a subsequent suspension) back in 2014, Hardy played 12 games for the Cowboys last season. The lineman compiled 35 tackles, six sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble in 2015. In terms of traditional numbers, that was a far cry from Hardy’s production with the Panthers. Between 2011 and 2013, the former sixth-round pick averaged 56 tackles and 10 sacks a season. Still, Hardy ranked as the league’s 28th-best edge defender out of 110 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Heading into the offseason, we here at PFR ranked Hardy No. 21 on our list of top 50 free agents.
Whether it was due to his off-field issues or his drop in production, Hardy hasn’t generated much interest this offseason. Jerry Jones made it clear that Hardy wouldn’t be back with the Cowboys, and there was a “prevailing opinion” around the league that no organization wanted the defensive end. Recently, the Jaguars auditioned Hardy, but they’ve decided to pass on signing him – for now.
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Redskins Waive Kyshoen Jarrett
- The Redskins have waived 2015 sixth-round pick Kyshoen Jarrett with a failed physical designation, according to Tarik El-Bashir of CSNMidAtlantic.com (Twitter link). Jarrett appeared in all 16 games last season (starting five), but was unlikely to play in 2016 due to a neck injury.
Redskins Won’t Consider Dwight Freeney
The Redskins will be without linebacker Junior Galette for the upcoming season, but they won’t consider free agent Dwight Freeney as a replacement, a source tells John Keim of ESPN.com. 
[RELATED: Top 10 Teams That Could Sign Dwight Freeney]
Last year, Freeney tallied eight sacks in just eleven games for the Cardinals. The 36-year-old was surprisingly productive in his 255 defensive snaps, but he still hasn’t drawn a ton of interest this offseason.
Strictly a pass-rushing specialist at this stage of his career, Freeney didn’t hook on with the Cardinals until midway through the 2015 campaign, but he made up for lost time when he got there. In 2015, the advanced stats at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated Freeney as (tied) for the 51st best edge rusher in the NFL out of 110 qualified players.
Late last month, PFR’s Dallas Robinson ran down the top 10 teams that could sign Freeney.
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Junior Galette Suffers Torn Achilles
Redskins linebacker Junior Galette has suffered a torn Achilles tendon, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter). Last year, Galette’s season was lost when he tore the Achilles in his left leg. Now, he’ll miss the entire 2016 season with a torn Achilles in his right leg.
Earlier this offseason, the linebacker re-signed on a one-year deal worth up to $4MM. Galette’s market was limited because Washington had a right of first refusal and, of course, his injury didn’t help matters. Galette was reportedly intent on signing a one-year, “pillow” contract, similar to the deal he signed with Washington last season after being cut by the Saints. The club, however, was countering with multi-year proposals featuring incentives. Those longer deals were being recommended by agent Peter Schaffer and that disagreement led to the linebacker changing representation.
Washington signed Galette in July of last year, despite having spent recent second-round draft picks on Trent Murphy (2014) and Preston Smith (2015). Off-field issues played a role in New Orleans releasing him, but Washington believed that Galette made sense as an addition due to his football ability. Unfortunately, Galette tore his Achilles in August. The 28-year-old was New Orleans’ best pass rusher in 2013 and 2014, recording 12 sacks in ’13 and picking up another 10 – along with three forced fumbles – in ’14. The Redskins were looking forward to getting that same kind of production out of Galette but now it’s unclear if that will ever come to fruition.
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Redskins Release LB Adam Hayward
The Redskins announced that they have released linebacker Adam Hayward. Prior to being cut loose, Hayward was slated to enter his third season in D.C. 
Hayward, 32, spent his entire career with the Buccaneers before signing with the Redskins in March of 2014. Upon joining his new team, Hayward was named special teams captain. Unfortunately, he suffered a season-ending leg injury against the 49ers midway through the season. In 2014, the former sixth-round pick played almost exclusively on special teams, appearing in just 14 defensive snaps.
Hayward was then sidelined for the entire 2015 season when he tore his ACL during the preseason. As shown on Roster Resource, Washington still has Will Compton, Steven Daniels, Carlos Fields, Mason Foster, Terence Garvin, Perry Riley Jr., and Martrell Spaight in its inside linebacker group. With Hayward out of the picture, the Redskins 90-man roster is down to 89 players.
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Scot McCloughan On Kirk Cousins
Although the Redskins didn’t extend franchise-tagged quarterback Kirk Cousins‘ contract by last Friday’s deadline, general manager Scot McCloughan told SiriusXM Bleacher Report Radio on Sunday that he hopes the 27-year-old is under center in Washington “for a long time going forward” (link via Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post).
With another strong campaign, Cousins will again put the Redskins in position to decide whether to tag or extend him next offseason. In the meantime, he’s set to pace all quarterbacks in 2016 base salary ($19.95MM), and that number will increase to $23.94MM in 2017 if the Redskins tag him for a second straight year. Prior to this summer’s extension deadline for tag recipients, Washington was only willing to pay Cousins $16MM per year and a total of $24MM in guarantees on a long-term deal.
Examining Redskins' Roster Longshots
- A few unheralded players figure to make the Redskins‘ 53-man roster, and Rich Tandler of CSNMidAtlantic.com points to running back Robert Kelly as one surprising option that could make waves this summer. As Roster Resource shows, Washington doesn’t have much depth behind starter Matt Jones, as third-down back Chris Thompson is recovering from shoulder surgery, while Keith Marshall, Mack Brown, and Kelly have no NFL experience. Tandler’s colleague Tarik El-Bashir, meanwhile, identifies tight end Marcel Jensen as someone who could unseat veteran Logan Paulsen for the club’s fourth tight end position.
- Earlier today, the Redskins signed receiver Dez Stewart, who was part of a morning workout that included fellow pass-catcher Marlon Brown and quarterback Jimmy Clausen.
Redskins Sign WR Dez Stewart
Following a tryout earlier today, the Redskins have signed free agent wide receiver Dez Stewart, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Washington has since confirmed the transaction.
[RELATED: Latest on Washington’s cornerback battle]
Stewart was evidently a part of a morning Redskins workout session that included quarterback Jimmy Clausen and wide receiver Marlon Brown. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported that other pass-catchers were involved in the tryout, and given that Stewart was signed to a contract, Brown (and the other receivers present) might be out of luck. Washington, which now has a full 90-man offseason roster, already has a well-stocked group of receivers, as Roster Resource shows the club boasting DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, Jamison Crowder, first-round pick Josh Doctson, and others on its depth chart.
An undrafted free agent out of Ohio Dominican, Stewart signed with the Buccaneers in May, only to be placed on injured reserve shortly thereafter — he was waived off IR in early June. The 6’2″, 200-pound Stewart accumulated more than 3,000 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns across 40 career collegiate games, and also excelled as a kick returner, a role he might need to play to earn a spot on the Redskins’ roster.
Meanwhile, Mike Jones of the Washington Post tweets that Clausen’s presence at the workout shoudn’t raise any eyebrows, as the former second-round pick was simply in attendance to throw passes. However, Clausen is on Washington’s emergency list should something happen to one of their current quarterbacks, a list that includes Kirk Cousins, Colt McCoy, and Zach Sudfeld.
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Redskins Audition Jimmy Clausen
The Redskins worked out free agent quarterback Jimmy Clausen today, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Along with Clausen, the Redskins also worked out former Ravens wide receiver Marlon Brown, among other pass-catchers (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Download The Must-Have Trade Rumors App Today]
As Rapoport notes, Clausen stands as of the top free agent quarterbacks available with starting experience. Clausen served as the Bears’ primary backup in 2014 and got a start in Week 17 of that season when the team was testing out Jay Cutler alternatives. In 2015, Clausen was called into action once again after Cutler went down with an injury. In two games (one start) for the Bears, Clausen completed 23 of 40 passes for 184 yards and an interception.
Later in the year, the Bears waived the Notre Dame product, but he was quickly picked up by the Ravens, who needed a fill-in for Joe Flacco. The Broncos – who were having QB issues of their own – also put in a claim on Clausen, but they were beaten to the punch. Clausen would appear in three games for the Ravens with two starts. In that stretch, he completed 49 of 85 passes for a 57.6% completion rate and threw for two touchdowns against three interceptions.
As the Redskins’ page on Roster Resource shows, Washington currently has Colt McCoy and sixth-round rookie Nate Sudfeld on the depth chart behind starter Kirk Cousins.
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