Randle El was one of 10 players released before free agency.
As it has become clear there will be no salary cap ramifications in 2010, the Redskins began cutting dead weight, releasing 10 players, most of them veterans, on the eve of free agency.
All told, 72 years of playing experience and $17 million in salaries were purged from the roster. Notable names of those cut include: Fred Smoot, Randy Thomas, Antwaan Randle El, Ladell Betts, Rock Cartwright and Cornelius Griffin. Reserves Todd Collins, Marcus Mason, Eddie Williams and J.D. Skolnitsky were also released.
The Redskins, who had the oldest roster in the NFL last year, needed to free themselves of old regime holdovers, unjustifiable contracts, and older players with career-decimating injuries. The double-digit release of players gives Washington breathing room for free agency moves and multiple draft picks. Most notably, defensive coordinator Jim Haslett would like to bring in new personnel that better fits the hybrid 3-4 scheme he plans on installing this offseason. While the front office has been calculated in its approach to free agency thus far, expect several more moves, even if it’s just reserves to provide depth and utility.
Several cuts were expected just looking at bonuses due and base salaries for the coming year. Most of those released are over 30, a stigma that results in many players looking for new places of employment and not getting contract offers of more than one or two years.
Fred Smoot, who will turn 31 in less than a month, was due $3.9 million this coming year. After drafting J.T. Tryon and Kevin Barnes in back-to-back years and acquiring free agent DeAngelo Hall, Smoot appeared to be an odd man out. Although he did see decent playing time last year, he didn’t have any interceptions and his role could be viewed as replaceable by someone younger and cheaper, i.e. Tryon or Barnes.
Randy Thomas spent the better part of the last two seasons on injured reserve with torn triceps in both arms. He was due $3.7 million this upcoming season. An elder statesman on the offensive line, Thomas’ career could very well be over. Unless a team needs a stop gap for an in-season injury, do not expect another team to pick him up. While he is a great run blocker, and an excellent pulling guard, his age and rash of injuries have taken much away from his skillset.
Antwaan Randle El was a splashy free agent signing after he was named MVP of the Super Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Originally brought in to be a “gadget” player in Al Saunders’ timing-route offense, Randle El never lived up to the contract and hype surrounding his arrival. Always solid, but never spectacular, he put up respectable numbers year after year, but never broke the 1,000-yard or 100-reception mark in a season. Last year was the first time he did not score a touchdown in a season. His lack of big plays last year, coupled with his dismal performance returning punts on special teams, was the catalyst for his departure.
Ladell Betts and Rock Cartwright made up the running back depth chart for the better part of the last decade in Washington. Betts was a quality backup, who took full advantage of his opportunity to start when Clinton Portis went down in 2006. This time it is Betts who went down, tearing his ACL and MCL, creating a long road to recovery. The uncertainty of his devastating knee injury made matters worse as he has eclipsed the dreaded age of 30, usually a death sentence for running backs. Cartwright, who saw more playing time at running back last year with injuries to both Portis and Betts, was special teams captain and kickoff returner. His special teams abilities fended off competition from other reserve backs, and kept him on the roster for years. However, it appears management is ready to move on from both backs and start fresh in Mike Shanahan’s zone blocking system.
Cornelius Griffin was one of the more productive free agent signings of the last five years for the Redskins. When healthy, he was a terrific run stuffer and reliable defensive tackle. The beating his body has taken over the years has caught up with him and a scheme change from a 4-3 base defense to a 3-4 system are contributing factors to his dismissal. Reports of interest in free agents on the market point to Washington looking for a better fit on the defensive line.
The Redskins needed to jettison as many old players as possible. A new regime is starting in Washington and new blood who will buy into the program are essential. As a whole, the Redskins need to get younger and overhaul both lines. Neither of those could happen if the roster remained the same. While fans will be upset to see some crowd favorites go, it is the nature of the league and many of those players are not the same as they once were. The bottom line is this is the first step in the right direction, and a smart precursor to the draft, and what will hopefully be a subdued free agency period.
New faces of the franchise Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan have a clear vision for what direction they want to take this team in, and this is only the beginning of that vision. This process could take years, but it all starts with having the right people on your team. The oldest roster in the league with multi-million dollar injured 30-somethings is not the right fit. The dead weight has been cut, now the focus is on bringing in younger talent.
