Sometimes, the Twitterverse writes your blog posts for you.

Back on March 6, Hog Heaven noticed a NFC East preview story in USA Today projecting the free agent needs of each division team. That story had a throw-away suggestion that Adam, the former Pacman, Jones could be a fit in the Redskins secondary.

USAToday suggests Adam, the former "Pacman," Jones as bargain FA pick-up for Redskins secondary. usatoday.com/story/sports/n…

— Anthony Brown (@SkinsHogHeaven) March 6, 2013

Here's the actual line:

"Another player who could address multiple areas — nickel corner and returner — from the bargain bin would be Adam "Pacman" Jones. He could caulk a sketchy pass defense that will benefit with the healthy return of outside linebacker Brian Orakpo."

Twitter reaction was swift and mixed.

"RT @skinshogheaven: USAToday suggests Pacman Jones as bargain FA pick-up for #Redskins: usat.ly/Zg5zqy” #No

— KMR (@KMR1202) March 6, 2013

Don't do it !! @skinshogheaven: USAToday suggests Pacman Jones as bargain FA pick-up for #Redskins: usat.ly/Zg5zqy

— Rahil Shahid (@Rahil_80) March 6, 2013

@dragonflyjonez @lizzs_lockeroom @skinshogheaven Horrible, horrible idea

— keith (@dajerx) March 6, 2013

NAH RT @dragonflyjonez No RT @lizzs_lockeroom Thoughts? RT @skinshogheaven USAToday suggests Pacman Jones as bargain FA pick-up

— James (@SJM804) March 6, 2013

Actually not crazy. RT @skinshogheaven: USAToday suggests Pacman Jones as bargain FA pick-up for #Redskins: usat.ly/Zg5zqy

— BurgundyBlog.com (@BurgundyBlog) March 6, 2013

@skinshogheaven Why! no way!

— Billy Kilson (@BillyKilson) March 11, 2013

@burgundyblog @skinshogheaven Watched a ton of Bengals games last year. (They played all the NFCE teams). Pacman really played well.

— Jimmy Kempski (@Jimmy_Beast) March 6, 2013

Sign him. Cut D Hall RT @lizzs_lockeroom Thoughts? RT @skinshogheaven USAToday suggests Pacman Jones as bargain FA pick-up for #Redskins:”

— Adrian Tweeterson (@MrPryority) March 6, 2013

@burgundyblog @skinshogheaven he'd be a cheap alternative to keeping Hall. But if you suggest cutting Hall & his high cap#, you're a hater

— Osman (@OBtoojiveforyou) March 6, 2013

@redskins_jesus @burgundyblog Hasn't been a head case in quite awhile. Not saying 'yes' but that's no reason to say 'no.'

— Anthony Brown (@SkinsHogHeaven) March 7, 2013

You would think USA Today proposed to add Terrell Owens or Deion Sanders (oh, wait.) to Washington's roster. Is Adam Jones so bad that he should be dismissed out of hand? The Redskins need help in the secondary. What if he's a better fit who would let Jim Haslett call the defense he wants instead of restricting plays to the limits of the secondary?

I don't have the answer to those questions yet. In fact, I don't  know that the Bengals won't re-sign Jones if he is healthy, and that's a big "if" after suffering neck and hamstring injuries while with Cincinnati. 

But to be dismissive of Jones is to say he is and shall always be Pacman. To paraphrase a cliché, you can take the boy out of the 'hood, but you can't take the 'hood out of the boy.

Jones makes a better case for that than anyone else in football. Yet, there have been no sensational bad boy behavior from Jones since 2008 when he put away his baby name "Pacman" and the persona that went with it.

Teams and NFL Security can get a better sense of Jones' thinking than we can by looking at his associates, or simply by calling Marvin Lewis. As for tainting the locker room, I doubt that Jones would be a bigger factor than Robert Griffin III, or London Fletcher, assuming Fletch is on the 2013 roster. But, every team has a segment of players who rose from the same circumstance as Jones. They would be more comfortable with him in the locker room than middle America would be with him in the living room.

Jones learned something in '08 when he screwed up his second chance in Dallas by assaulting one of the chaperones Jerry Jones hired to keep him on the straight and narrow. Small-market Cincinnati has to find a competitive advantage where it can. Making a home for wild child athletes who can help them win is one of their methods. If they are fairly good at it, it's because they've had lots of practice – more than the Redskins have. 

Hog Heaven suspects that Jones, at age 29, will have, for football reasons, a marginal impact on any team. Thus, he would not be an attractive signing. Washington took a chance on Tanard Jackson and were burned. That tells me they would at least look at Jones. The Jackson experience may be enough to turn them off too.

The Redskins still need to fix its secondary. Thoughts about Jones should be based on who he is now and where he's headed, not on where he's been. 

"We are not in the business of well-adjusted people." ~ Former New York Giants GM George Young

NFL free agency opens this Tuesday, March 12. The Washington Redskins took steps to lockup core talent going into the period.

The Redskins and LB Rob Jackson reached agreement on a one-year contract. The deal is not a one-year restricted free agent tender that could have involved Draft picks for another team to acquire him. Contract details have not been released, but the deal is said to be cap friendly for the salary cap starved Redskins, according to a report by Mike Jones appearing yesterday on washingtonpost.com.  

Jackson made his mark when he stepped in for injured Brian Orakpo. While not as powerful as Orakpo in the pass rush, Jackson proved to be disruptive. His coming out party was the home game against the Bengals when Jackson intercepted an Andy Dalton pass and returned it for a score.

Jackson snagged four INTs for the season, forced two fumbles and is credited with 4.5 sacks. The Redskins selected Jackson in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft. There are questions about how Washington will use Jackson when Orakpo rejoins the roster this season. Orakpo is entering the last year of his agreement with Washington. Jackson gives the Redskins options if Orakpo recovers more slowly than expected and in the remote chance that Orakpo leaves the team after 2013.

The Redskins re-signed TE Logan Paulsen and FB Darrel Young to three-year deals. Young replaced Mike Sellers in 2011. Logan Paulson stepped up as a receiving tight end with 25 receptions when he stepped in for Fred Davis last season.  The Redskins deployed Paulsen as a blocker in the two seasons prior to 2012.

ESPN's NFC East blogger Dan Graziano reports that Paulson's deal is worth up to $7 million with a t $1.1 million signing bonus, and that Young's deal is worth up to $6.5 million with a $1 million signing bonus.

The WaPOST's Mark Maske tweets that the 'Skins and G. Kory Lichtensteiger have reached agreement in principal to a five-year deal.

Free agent left guard Kory Lichtensteiger agreed in principle to a 5-year contract to re-sign with the Redskins. Deal is not signed yet.

— MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) March 10, 2013

Lichtensteiger is not the most talented lineman in Washington, but he is the most familiar with Coach Mike Shanahan's zone blocking scheme. Familiarity breeds contentment in this case.

If any new salary dollars are allocated for new linemen, it must be for a right tackle. Jammal Brown never regained his NFL form after his hip injury. The front office might cast about for a better option than Tyler Polumbus at right tackle. That talent would have to be at a bargain price. One does not usually use the words "better talent," "tackle" and "bargain" in the same sentence.

The Redskins have not signed TE Fred Davis. I suspect they will allow him to test the market as they did with London Fletcher last offseason. Fletcher returned to the Redskins on a two-year deal. Hog Heaven projects the same for Davis, in part because of the uncertainty about the Achilles injury that sidelined him for most of last season.  

Davis has said that he wants to remain with the Redskins. When players say that, it does not mean they will accept a home team discount. Davis hopes to get a market-competitive offer from the team. Testing that market is a necessary step for Davis and his agent.

It's also a sign of maturity for Dan Snyder's front office. Gone, I hope forever, are the days when the Redskins overpaid veteran players while under appreciating homegrown talent. That leaves Washington with some tough decisions to make about veterans Santana Moss, DeAngelo Hall and London Fletcher.        

Still burdened with an $18 million salary cap handicap, Washington is structuring deals that are cap-friendly in 2013. Moss', Hall's and Fletcher's salaries are neither friendly to the cap, not a value compared to their expected performance in 2013.

Hog Heaven has been at times critical of Mike Shanahan the coach, but we stand in awe of what Shanahan and GM Bruce Allen have accomplished in 2011-'12. We see the 2013 offseason is a clinic for how to take a cap hit while keeping core players and acquiring new talent without a first round Draft pick. Believe me, we are taking notes.

These deals cannot be announced by teams until players are signed and contracts are approved by the NFL. Contracts may not be signed until the Free Agency period opens this Tuesday. So you didn't actually read this here. Shhh.

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The linebacker level is the very core of Jim Haslett's defensive scheme.  And with today's news that London Fletcher is "leaning towards retirement," (team spin for they're not keeping him at his cap number) the linebacker level goes from a strength to a relative weakness.

Position Priority Level: High

The problem is that Fletcher had been covering up a weakness at LB for years upon years (six, to be exact), and eventually, he just wasn't going to be able to cover the hole anymore.  The Redskins reached that point last season: Brian Orakpo missed the final fourteen games of the season.  The defensive front became a weakness.

The good news is that with Fletcher's departure from the Redskins imminant, the Redskins will have the cap room to keep both of their primary backup's on the edges.

Analyzing the free agents: Rob Jackson does not qualify for unrestricted free agency under the current CBA, meaning that the Redskins should be able to allocate a second round Restricted Free Agent tender to keep him in the fold for one more year.  Jackson's return shifts the Redskins number one priority in the draft from getting a pass rusher over to getting an inside linebacker.  The Redskins absolutely could non-tender Jackson and let him walk, choosing instead to save the money and shop on the free agent market.  But being that his qualification for RFA status is as much a gift as the cap penalty is a bane, I expect the Redskins to act opertunistically here.

Lorenzo Alexander is more likely to leave in free agency because Danny Smith is now the special teams coach in Pittsburgh.  Alexander is a versatile backup, but he will be 30 this season, and players like him that play multiple defensive positions at a mediocre level are far more valuable in August when you're trying to cut down the roster than they are in March when you are trying to build it.  It's not hard to envision a scenario where he walks.  The two sides are far apart.  Fans accustom to his special teams hits would enjoy seeing him back in the fold.  Either way, the cap's not really a major factor because Alexanders deal likely won't exceed three years and will have a managable cap value no matter who signs him.  This is about the amount of cash the team thinks he's worth against his market value.

Chris Wilson is not expected to be retained after a disapointing year.  He doesn't offer much by way of pass rush at this point, except that he's the kind of guy who can line up anywhere.  He's not really an edge rusher at this point, and is merely a package player who will be in a roster crunch at the end of the year no matter which team he is playing for.

Analyzing the potential targets for release: All good things must come to an end.

London Fletcher did not miss a game for 15 straight years.  If he's on a roster for NFL Week 1 in 2013, I'll be stunned.  The Redskins clearly never intended for Fletcher to play this season when he signed last year, because the base salary is so excessive.  Officially, Fletcher is still undecided on whether he'll return next year, but his television appearances are becoming more frequent, as he really has a bright broadcasting future.  Meanwhile, the Redskins are getting ready to move on from the captain.  I just hope Fletcher decides to retire in the next week before the Redskins have to release him.

The Redskins save $3.4 million by releasing Fletcher.  They can also designate him a post-June 1 release and save the full $5.5 million salary on the cap, paying off the difference ($2.1 million) next year by way of deadcap.  The amount they would save moving on from Fletcher is enough to get both Rob Jackson and Lorenzo Alexander under contract, in case you are wondering.

Analyzing the players who will be retained: Ryan Kerrigan has quietly had as strong a start to his career as any defensive player in the 2011 draft.  Aldon Smith has drawn many more headlines, thanks to the team success San Francisco has enjoyed.  Von Miller and J.J. Watt, of course, is in a class by there own.  But Marcel Dareus, Nick Fairley, Robert Quinn, Corey Liuget, Phil Taylor, Adrian Clayborn, Cameron Jordan, and Cam Heyward were the other picks in the first round in the defensive front. Of players drafted after Kerrigan, only Muhammad Wilkerson with the Jets has arguably enjoyed a stronger career to date.  With the caveat that three players (Jabaal Sheard, Justin Houston, and Quinn) are right on his tail   with 15.5 sacks, Kerrigan's 16.0 sacks rank fourth in his draft class, and the most of any player available when the Redskins selected him. Bottom Line: Kerrigan has been every bit as good a value as he was expected to be on draft day. Now he just has to take his game to the next level.

Brian Orakpo, on the other hand, is just terminating his draft class.  Clay Matthews has more sacks than anyone else in the class by about 15, but then it's Orakpo, followed by two guys who just received the franchise tag today: college teammate Henry Melton (Chicago) and Michael Johnson (Cincinnati), and one who still might, Connor Barwin (Houston). You want a good illustration of the value of a first round pick, and why I was down on the RG3 trade at the time?  Johnson will earn more than $11 million and Melton will earn more than $9 million under the franchise tag this year.  Orakpo?  He'll cost $3.5 million against the cap, 13th most on the Redskins.

Vic So'oto is an interesting pickup.  The BYU product was signed off the Green Bay practice squad in late December and played on special teams late in the year.  So'oto didn't make the team out of camp, and was picked up by Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie, who no doubt was a big reason he was picked up when McKenzie was in GB in 2011, when he made a small impact: active for 10 games and recorded a sack.  If Alexander is not retained, he'll have a shot to make the team in August.  If the One Man Gang is back...well, good job, good effort.

Perry Riley was neck and neck with Trent Williams last year as the team's most improved player, helping the 2010 draft class look a lot better than it had before.  He's the Redskins best inside linebacker, and will soon be the most accomplished thing they have at the position.  His career numbers: active for 40 games, with 24 starts, 105 tackles, and 4.5 sacks.  Ignoring that the very next pick in the 2010 draft would have filled a much bigger need (CB Alterraun Verner of the Titans), and that Aaron Hernandez went 10 pick later, and that Geno Atkins went later that same round, Riley is doing incredibly well stacked up against what remained on the board in 2010 when he was selected.  He's having a similar career arc to Jamar Cheney of the Eagles and Kavell Connor of the Colts, the other two LBs who have ascended to the starting lineup coming from day three of the 2010 draft.  It's worth pointing out that Riley and Brandon Spikes of the Patriots have having very similar careers to date, and Spikes went two rounds before Riley did.

Roddrick Muckelroy was taken the same round in the same draft as Perry Riley, and hasn't quite played 10 regular season snaps in his career.  The main culprit: injuries that ended both of his first two seasons.  He was healthy last year for the first time, and got released midseason by the Bengals.  Unlike So'oto, who seems to be well respected around the league, Muckelroy is a complete flyer by the Redskins.  He's got a shot to make the team because the Redskins are so thin at ILB, but so does literally anyone who puts the jersey on between now and opening day.

Keenan Robinson is likely going to enter minicamp in a couple weeks rehabbing a torn pectoral muscle, and as a de-facto starter in the defensive front seven.  He has starters potential, being a major steal when the Redskins nabbed him in the fourth round last year to fill a major need.  But like his predecessor Rocky McIntosh, a major injury early in the career of a linebacker is not a good sign.  The Redskins are 97% certain to sign a veteran linebacker so Robinson doesn't have to rush back for Week 1: he may have a month head start on Robert Griffin, but an ACL remains a serious injury.  He's likely to receive starter snaps this year, but if the Redskins can manage the roster, he won't be a major factor right from Week 1.  Perry Riley in 2011 is a good example of how you can expect Robinson's season to go.

Ricky Elmore was signed to a futures contract by the Redskins.

Analyzing the ways to improve the linebackers through the draft: the Redskins can sleep easier given their proclivity to find productive linebackers on day three of the draft over the last six years (HB Blades/Perry Riley), so even though it might be their single biggest need on the field, the Redskins don't have to run out and draft a linebacker in the second round.  But if the right man is available, they probably will get more value picking at LB than at any other position in that round (unless they really love an available free safety).

Linebacker targets who might be around when the Redskins pick include anyone not named 'Ogletree' or 'Te'o.'  This includes Jelani Jenkins of Florida, Kevin Minter of LSU, or Arthur Brown of Kansas State.  Look for the Redskins to attempt to recreate the Byron Westbrook effect by adding the brother of an Eagles running back (Bryce Brown) to their roster.

Analyzing the ways to improve the linebackers through free agency: Packers LB Brad Jones is probably the best available LB with regard to the Redskins' needs, but it's hard to gage his market being that he's played both outside and inside in the 3-4.  Danell Ellerbe is likely to re-sign with Baltimore.  If Jones is out of the Redskins' budget, then Dan Connor could be a good value pickup after he is (most likely) released by the Cowboys.

It's a very thin inside linebacker group as far as the free agent market goes.  Late in the draft (plus a bargain basement signing) may very well be the best option for the Redskins to take.  Bargain basement FAs may include: Larry Grant (SF), Dan Connor (DAL), Bradie James (HOU), Bart Scott (NYJ), and Larry Foote (PIT).

The Redskins successfully sorted out the troublesome wide receiver position last year.  It's a position that had given observers fits over the last decade and a half.  The last true competent receiving corps the team had enjoyed happened during the Norv Turner/Terry Robiskie era.  The Redskins thought they had the position figured out in 2006 when they paid handsomely to sign Antwaan Randle El and Brandon Lloyd, which didn't solve very much long term.  The team then drafted Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas in 2008 to shore up the need they weren't able to fix in 2006.

The moves made in 2012 were no more certain to work than those 2006 acquisitions or the 2008 acquisitions, but bolstered by the strong depth that the team added in the 2011 draft, the Redskins got a strong season* out of  Joshua Morgan and a fantastic half season out of Pierre Garcon.  Combined with Aldrick Robinson's emergence as a fourth receiver, Leonard Hankerson's development, and Santana Moss' consistency, the Redskins receivers were finally a team strength in 2012.  

And changing the quarterback didn't hurt things either.

The challenge going forward is purely contractual.  The Redskins are going to have to tinker with the current group over the next four years or so, but Garcon (who has yet to turn 27) is going to be the group's leader for the forseeable future.

And speaking of those contracts...

Position Priority Level: Low

Analyzing the free agents: Brandon Banks (restricted free agent) lost his return duties around the time the Redskins began playing really well, and is unlikely to be offered a contract to return to the team in 2013.  Either Richard Crawford will remain the punt returner, or the Redskins can address this position in the draft.  Tyrann Mathieu may not be a Redskins target for his defensive ability, but his punt return skills could be a match.

Analyzing the potential targets for release: Santana Moss is probably the most obvious candidate based on his age and cap number ($6.3 million), but there are clearly football-related reasons for having Moss return in 2013.  The question is whether the $4 million the Redskins could save against the cap by releasing Moss could be invested better elsewhere.  If it comes down to having Moss on the roster in 2013 or having Fred Davis on the roster for the next five years, then Moss might have played his last snap here.  In reality though, Moss was such a safety blanket for Robert Griffin on third downs last year, that he's probably safe on the roster for one more season.  But that would mean that...

Joshua Morgan ($5.1 million cap number) could be designated a June 1 cap release, which would save the same four million on the cap that the Redskins could be saving with Moss.

What's worth pointing out is that neither Moss or Morgan is under contract for 2014 right now, so it makes cap sense to pick between the two of them for this upcoming season

It would not be difficult to restructure Morgan's contract to achieve almost exactly the same effect as releasing him, given that he's scheduled to have his contract voided after the season, but the difference comes down to the same money situation as it does for Moss: the Redskins are saving $4 million one way or another, but in Morgan's case, the Redskins can either save the 4 million by releasing him, or they can pay it to him upfront and take it all on the cap next year (along with the dead money they'll already take on the cap from his contract signed in 2012).

One of three ways, the Redskins are going to lower their cap obligation at the receiver position from an estimated $22 million to an estimated $18 million before lowering it even further as we'll see below with a Garcon restructure.

Analyzing the players who will be retained: Pierre Garcon is set to make $6 million in guaranteed base salary.  In effect, this deal is already restructured, as there's no payment decision to make.  They just need Garcon's signature on a piece of paper and he can get a cash advance on $5ish million of that.  This roughly means another $4 million saved by the Redskins under the 2013 cap, bringing the estimated cap number for the receivers to a more managable $14 million.

Garcon is as likely as any non-drafted (along with Chris Chester) Redskin to play out his full contract at this point.  You figure Barry Cofield is a good bet to get through at least five out of the six years on his deal, as he's a core player at this point, but Stephen Bowen, Adam Carriker, and London Fletcher are all likely to reach a day where they cannot provide performance to the team in line with their salary.  Garcon can be a maddeningly inconsistent football player at times, but he's young enough and critical enough to the overall engine of the offense to play out a contract that will be up shortly after his 30th birthday.

Leonard Hankerson is primed to take a major step forward in 2013.  The relative unlikelyhood of the Redskins to return both Santana Moss and Joshua Morgan means that there will not be anyone to eat into Hankerson's reps this year: he projects as a true no. 2 receiver for the first time in his career.  Hankerson has to clean up a couple drops from last year and the occasional careless mistake, but the tape shows that in critical downs and distances late last season, it was Hankerson -- not Morgan or Garcon -- who would often get the ball.

Aldrick Robinson is going to benefit from a trimming of the roster to get more regular playing time, as he had a breakout season as a deep receiver.  Robinson is to the Redskins what Devery Henderson has long been to the Saints: fourth receiver in the rotation, but a top-rated target on any given Sunday for the defense to worry about.  He didn't accrue the 2011 season in terms of his NFL service time, so Robinson is under team control for three more years.  Money-wise, there is little urgency to get him into the starting lineup.

Dezmon Briscoe was a waiver pickup from the Tampa Bay Bucs last summer who didn't really make an impact with the team at all in 2012.  He still has two years to do so.  His roster spot will likely be up for grabs as the Redskins enter free agency (where they are unlikely to address the position), and the draft (where they are unlikely to address the position early).  He's the early favorite to be the Redskins fifth receiver next year, but a strong, unexpected camp performance from anyone probably knocks him off the roster.

Darius Hanks was an undrafted free agent last year who was placed on injured reserve last season to avoid the axe.  Hanks will be back in camp this year to compete for a spot he is unlikely to win.

Analyzing the ways to improve the position in the NFL Draft: it's not inconceivable that the Redskins could address the receiver position in the second round given all the value that's likely to be available there.  They'd have to really LOVE a player to take him at 51 overall...and even then would likely trade down a couple spots before pulling the trigger.  But if top targets Tavon Austin (West Virginia) or Keenan Allen (Cal) are there (and neither will be), the Redskins might not have a choice.

The darkhorse is a player who could replace Moss on the field from day one: West Virginia's Stedman Bailey, who led all NCAA receivers last year with 25 (!) receiving touchdowns last season.  I know WVU threw the ball every play, but how crazy is it that the draft's best offensive skill player wasn't even the top receiver on his own college team.

If the Redskins went this route, they would likely release Moss and use his cap savings to address the defense though free agency, likely through someone like Arizona's Greg Toler at cornerback.

Analyzing the ways to improve the position through NFL Free Agency: It's pretty inconcievable that the Redskins will spend any meaningful percentage of their available cap dollars on a free agent receiver -- especially after last year -- so we're exclusively looking at bargain-basement signings here.  Players who didn't play last season, such as Lee Evans or Mike Sims-Walker, would be at the top of that list, and a veteran slot receiver such as Patrick Crayton (also did not play in 2012) could make sense.

The Redskins could go after Titus Young at any point this offseason (if they are so inclined), given that he just cleared waivers on a very managable salary.

There are at least ten other receivers that can be signed in June with no financial committment, but in the interest of space, the Redskins will be looking bargain-basement only here.

In summary, the idea is to get the same production the Redskins got from the receiver position last year, without having to spend more than 20% of their cap room to do so.  Such is the conundrum of success: people who are successful want to be paid.  The key in any business -- and twice over in the NFL -- is to always stay ahead of the player salary curve.  That is how the Redskins will be tested at the receiver position in 2013.

I'll begin these deeper looks inside the Washington Redskins' offseason plan by evaluating the players current on the roster at the position, then suggesting a course of action that the team take.

Position Priority Level: Medium

I think the Redskins need to be honest with themselves as to how much they should reasonably invest in the secondary this offseason.  Clearly, they need to invest something.  They've let Carlos Rogers and LaRon Landry walk in consecutive seasons.  Right now, the only impeding free agent who started games last year is Madieu Williams, who is unlikely to be retained for performance reasons.  Although, I suppose the Redskins signed him in the first place due to performance reasons.  Cedric Griffin, the team's nickel corner from a year ago, is also an unrestricted free agent.

Analyzing the free agents: Tanard Jackson is probably the best member of the secondary who is eligible to sign elsewhere, but he didn't play last year because he was suspended, and needless to say did not live up to expectations.  Anything the Redskins get from him in the future is a huge bonus: he will not command a multi-year contract on the open market.

Cedric Griffin had a very nice rebound season for the Redskins this past year, before he was suspended for PED use.  It's been five years since Griffin was a top cover corner.  At this point, his reliance on supplements (whether or not they are legal is not something I'm particularly concerned with re: fringe players) is a necessity for his career to continue, if it continues.  Expecting him to do more than simply match his performance for 10 games from the past season would be foolish.  He's one name amongst a ton of veterans who will be available for the Redskins a couple months into free agency at little cost when the market settles.

Madieu Williams' pro career is probably over (insert jokes about how this was true in 2009 now).  It's possible the Ravens might go bargain-basement to try to replace Ed Reed while giving the job to a couple of their young talents, but with the exception of that, the Redskins are the only team that would consider offering him a contract for 2013.

If the Redskins are to re-sign one of the three, Cedric Griffin is the likely target, but his upside is no. 2 CB in an absolute pinch, taking some pressure off of Richard Crawford's development.  It's likely that none of the three will be with the Redskins beyond training camp next season.

Analyzing potential targets for release: DeAngelo Hall is set to make $8 million.  The Redskins don't have an immedate in house replacement (Crawford, eventually), but a pay cut for Hall is an absolute necessity for him to stay on the roster.  I say pay cut because guaranteeing even one more dollar to Hall than the Redskins have already paid him would be the very definition of lunacy.  Hall will turn 30 this offseason.  He can still play in the NFL, clearly, but the Redskins stripped him of his captain duties midway though last year, and all of a sudden started winning.  Hall never was a cornerstone player here, but became offically expendable at that point.  And $8 million doesn't belong in the same sentence as expendable.  The justification for Hall on last year's roster was pretty weak, but at least his $6 million salary bought the Redskins time.  Buying another year of not addressing the CB position would come at a 33% cost increase.

Brandon Meriweather played 44 plays last season, the entireity of which against the Philadelphia Eagles.  He looked really good, but again, it was just 44 plays in a blowout win against the weakest opponent the Redskins faced last season.  He's currently rehabbing from ACL surgery.  The smart move -- and this isn't fair to Meriweather -- would be to release him and reinvest the money elsewhere.  But because he didn't look bad last year, and the secondary needs help from anywhere at this point, you can see a situation where the Redskins pay him the full value of the contract he signed last year despite a DUI he got while on the Redskins and missing 15 games with various injuries last year.  Such is the life of a team without a strong head of the personnel department (it's okay, you do solid work, Morocco Brown, you just don't have the final say).

The best move would be to retain Hall at the cost of Meriweather ($2.5 million), and move on with just one of the two, but  Hall is at far more risk of release because of his salary.  Hall would certainly accept an extension that converts his base salary into a signing bonus, but he's young enough where he doesn't have to accept a pay cut: he can get $8 million on the open market.

Regardless, the Redskins need an influx of good players in the secondary, no matter who they retain.

Analyzing the players who will be retained: Josh Wilson is the best player in the Redskins secondary, he's the best cover corner on the Redskins by a significant margin.  Overall he had a good season.  He was hurt in the middle of the year, and his performance suffered.  He played poorly against the Panthers for the second straight year, a big factor in that loss.  Down the stretch, like many of his teammates, he was exceptional.  He's entering a contract year in 2013.

Richard Crawford is a 7th round rookie from the class of 2012 who showed some promise.  However, the Redskins buried him on the depth chart for the playoff game when Cedric Griffin returned from injury.  He will not be handed a job in 2013, though he's good enough to win the nickel role in camp.  His main competition for the job figures to be a draft pick or a veteran on a one year contract.  He might very well be an above average punt returner, and enters camp as the favorite to return punts this year.

Chase Minnifield is a highly sought after college talent from Virginia who has an NFL pedigree and is coming off microfracture surgery and a torn ACL last year.  His pro career might be over before it gets started, but he'll have the whole offseason to show he can play at this level.

Reed Doughty had a rebound year in 2012, his best season during the Shanahan era.  He's still mainly a special teamer, but is an asset as your third or fourth safety.  Doughty always gets exposed in coverage, asked to handle the free safety role despite limitations in his ability to find the football, but gets by as an effort player in a league that needs coverage skills to a greater degree each passing year.  He's not a lock to make the roster by any stretch of the imagination, but for half the investment, he provided three times the return of Meriweather last season.

DeJon Gomes is going up into somewhat of a make or break year.  He improved in limited opportunity in 2013, but the problem was that the opportunity was limited because of his own early season struggles.  If Gomes had developed as the Redskins had hoped, Jordan Pugh is not necessary.  Reed Doughty took his job three weeks into the season when he got caught looking in the backfield on the first play of the game against the Bengals.  He's got a good mind for the position, but he's not a quick twitch athlete, and like every safety who has played for the Redskins in the last five years, is less effective the further he gets from the line of scrimmage.  The reason why paying a veterans salary to a rehabbing Meriweather is so insane is because Doughty, Gomes, Jordan Pugh, and likely even Jordan Bernstine all excel when asked to do exactly what Meriweather did well for 44 plays last season.  Gomes becomes expendable if he doesn't win a starting job this year.

Jordan Pugh was picked up midway through last year because he was available, and played a fair amount because Gomes never really seized control of his opportunity.  Gomes and Pugh can both cover a bit, but are limited athletically and easily replaceable around this time of year.  They become more necesssary in the fall when injuries start to pile up.  You can play football without a fullback or speed receiver on your roster, but no team is playing a season without a second safety.

Jordan Bernstine missed his rookie year due to injury.  He's essentially a younger Reed Doughty with upside.  The Iowa product has speed and hits hard, profiles as more of a free safety than a box player, mostly due to necessity, and will make his impact on special teams as he tries to earn his way into the rotation.

Jerome Murphy played three snaps for the Redskins last season at cornerback in Week 16.  He played 29 snaps against the Redskins last year, for the Saints, in Week 1.  Before that, he was famous for being one of 10 Rams corners to get hurt in 2011.  Before that he was a third round draft pick of the Rams in 2010.  His career really never got going for the Rams, and he's probably not part of the Redskins' plans either.  But he's currently able-bodied, which makes him the fourth best corner under contract with the Redskins.

Analyzing the ways to improve the secondary though the Draft: My favorite player who will be available when the Redskins pick in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft is Rutgers' CB Logan Ryan (linked is the video cut up of his performance in the 2011 Pinstripe Bowl, two years ago, here's one from this year, here is a more recent clip).  I'm not necessarily in favor of taking Ryan in the second round though, as I would only take a CB there if a projected first round pick falls that far (at least a few projected first rounders will be available when the Redskins pick).  I've linked Ryan since I feel he's capble of replacing Hall right away, but it's more likely that if the Redskins are saving $8 million, they'll be able to get a veteran to fill Hall's shoes and get a corner later in the draft.

Safety is a much deeper position in the draft, and the Redskins will have their pick in both the second AND third round of safeties with sideline to sideline range.  But the Redskins also have more safeties on the roster than they do corners, suggesting that while corner is the more dire need, they value the safety position more.

Analyzing the ways to improve the secondary though the free agent market: the safety market is very, very strong, because along with the name players such as Ed Reed, Ronde Barber, and Charles Woodson, a lot of players under the age of 30 will also hit the market.  Jairus Byrd is probably the top FA target out there, but fellow probowlers Dashon Goldson and LaRon Landry join him.  And then the second tier is strong: William Moore, Chris Clemons, Glover Quin, Kenny Phillips, and Pat Chung will all be starting somewhere in 2013.  That's 11 FAs who can start somewhere at safety.

Addressing corner is going to be a bit more expensive, as there are just four starting caliber players who may exchange hands: Aqib Talib, Brent Grimes, Sean Smith, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.  All except Grimes are under the age of 28.  Leodis McKelvin, Kyle Arrington, Jerraud Powers, Tracy Porter, and Antoine Cason are all expected to be available, but are a clear second tier.  But on the flip side, they'll be more affordable.

Conclusion: The Redskins are probably going to have to replace DeAngelo Hall is the starting lineup.  Logan Ryan would be a clear need pick in the second round, but could start from day one.  Cason or someone like Stanford Routt might make more sense as a stop gap signed before the draft on a one year contract.  Or they could get Hall to shorten his deal to one year and just address the position that way.

But the real focus is going to remain on replacing Madieu Willams.  If Jairus Byrd gets tagged, expect the Redskins to shift focus to Louis Delmas or Patrick Chung.

Who plays free safety on the Redskins next year is going to be a major determinant in the quality of their defense a year from now.  It's also the one place on the whole team the Redskins can vastly improve their performance from 2012.  The key is to not overpay for the solution.  Which is easier written than executed.

Following a pair of strong months, the Redskins are in the drivers seat of the NFC East for the next decade.

The first observation is that this is not entirely to their credit.  The Redskins had little to do with the Eagles crashing back to earth, and with the Giants' overall age catching up to them.  The Redskins had something to do with the Cowboys not making the playoffs this past season, but very little to do with the fact that Dallas has gone almost exactly .500 since Jason Garrett took over as head coach.  In fact, Garrett's record might have been worse than that had he not already played the Redskins five times.

The NFC East has done it's fair share to annoint RG3 and the Redskins as it's favorites over the next five to six years.  Now the job for the Redskins' decision makers is easy: don't let success catch you off guard.

The Redskins will fortunately return most of it's coaching staff in 2013, dodging the first major hurdle in the defense of the NFC East title.  Special teams coach Danny Smith has moved on to Pittsburgh, but that's a relatively minor move considering that at midseason, Kyle Shanahan looked to be on his way out, and the Redskins were openly talking about firing Jim Haslett.  Both now return for at least one more season.

The Shanahans have earned something of a leash here for 2013 with the positive steps the team has taken over the last two seasons.  They have earned some time to figure out how to take things to the next level.  Of course, that's the trickiest part of building a championship contender: the march to the first round of the playoffs is the easy part.  The hard part is improving beyond that without bumping your head against the ceiling.

Expectations may be the major enemy that the Redskins face in 2013.  Regression from any seven game win streak is to be expected: even the best team in the NFL would not be expected to beat the worst team seven consecutive times.  And especially not after losing Robert Griffin III to injury in the middle of the streak.  But because the playoff loss ended the run abruptly, it feels like the Redskins are moving into 2013 on something of a hot streak.

But as the news around RG3's knee gets more and more optimistic, the Redskins are going to lose the built-in example of why they can't expect to just go win six of their first seven games in 2013.  The actual reason -- no matter who starts at quarterback -- is because it's tough to beat NFL teams week after week with no setbacks (or even a series of setbacks).  But if Griffin plays from Week 1, the Redskins will be expected to be in the NFC East lead at the mid-way point of the 2013 season.  That's just not realistic - they don't give out half-season titles in the NFL anyway.  The goal, with or without Griffin, should be to improve on the 3-5 start they produced last year.

The Redskins should be aiming for five to six wins in the first half of next season, not seven to eight.

But even to hit such moderate goals, improvement throughout the roster will be needed, and the Redskins don't even have the benefit of the cap room or high first round picks they have enjoyed in recent years.  Luckily, they do have stability at nearly all the major positions on the roster, quarterback being the lone exception with RG3's knee.

What follows is a loosely-placed plan as to how the Redskins can take their limited resources and progress as a team.

Step #1 - Free up cap space by restructuring those who have higher salary numbers than their performance can defend:

This is a list that would include:

-CB DeAngelo Hall
-WR Joshua Morgan
-S Brandon Meriweather
-LB London Fletcher

Fletcher's presence on the roster may very well be necessary for a team that isn't quite ready to move on without it's defensive leader, but the Redskins will have to push salary around in order to not lose their leader.  A $5.5 million base salary can not be afforded by the Redskins under the burden of the cap penalty, but pushed into future seasons where they have access to a full cap, the Redskins can justify one final year of London Fletcher on defense.

DeAngelo Hall is more than willing to restructure his contract to stay with the Redskins, but without a significant pay cut, it's just not worth it to the Redskins to keep him around.  A possible structure that would benefit both sides would be similar to the kind of pay cut that former college teammate Michael Vick took to stay with the Eagles: $2 million up front, and another $1.9 million in salary.  It would allow Hall to stay on as the Redskins' top paid CB, but just fractionally over Josh Wilson, and would save the Redskins almost $4 million on the salary cap.  In the abscence of such a mutual agreement, an outright release would save the Redskins almost $7.5 million on the salary cap, and would be preferrable to just keeping him and paying his salary.

Joshua Morgan was the weak link of the Redskins receiving corps by most measures last year, although he earned his keep by being a positive net asset as a blocker.  But unless the Redskins have reason to suspect Pierre Garcon will miss more time next year, its probably better just to cut ties with Morgan at this point and save some cash rather than to let him stay on through the 2013 season and void the remainder of his contract after that.  Designating Morgan a post-June 1 cut would save the Redskins over $2.0 million on the salary cap.

Brandon Meriweather played one game last season before being lost for the year.  Rather than let him rehab his ACL on the company time, it would be wise to part ways with the physically talented, but rehabbing safety.  They can save about $1.8 million by doing so.

The Redskins can free up $14 million by terminating/restructuring those four players, and by reducing the base salaries of Barry Cofield, Stephen Bowen, and Trent Williams, they can free up an estimated $9 million (about $3 million/player).

The Redskins are slightly over the projected cap as this article is being written, so making all those moves gives Washington about $20 million in available cap to work with this season.

Step #2 Identify the roster holes and free agents to be retained

Obviously, most people would start in the secondary here, especially after the releases of Hall and Meriweather.  And it is a big hole, given that they only return Josh Wilson, Richard Crawford, Chase Minnifield, Dejon Gomes, Jordan Bernstine and Reed Doughty under contract.  The Redskins are going to have to spend more money at this position than last year, even considering the money-saving releases of Hall and Meriweather.

But perhaps the bigger roster holes are about to be created by the eligible free agents from the 2012 Redskins.  The Redskins will have two impending free agents who may fall into a class B pay grade, a class where the total contract value received may be worth more than $20 million: OLB Rob Jackson, and TE Fred Davis.  Retaining either may cost the Redskins 20-25% of their available cap room, so one (probably Davis) will be prioritized over the other.  It is possible both are retained, but only if the price tag on one or both falls below expected.

Losing Jackson would stretch the Redskins thin at the OLB position, but they are getting Brian Orakpo back from injury - and there is no spot in the starting lineup anyway unless you feel Jackson can compete for Ryan Kerrigan's starting spot. The market for tight ends is far less competitive, and the Redksins might not face a serious suitor to resign the talented and producitive, but focus-challenged Davis.

The only other Redskins starter who is free agent eligible is Kory Lichtenstieger, who is likely to resign with the Redskins, albeit only for starters money.  The kind of contract the Redskins gave Will Montgomery last offseason is a likely framework for this.  They'll have to allocate between $1 and $2 million to retain Lichtensteiger on a long term contract.  The same deal might be necessary at worst to keep special teams ace Lorenzo Alexander around, who becomes more necessary on defense if Rob Jackson signs elsewhere.

After the major resignings, the Redskins still have huge issues at corner and safety, and have to replace at least one if not two members of the front seven via the draft.  They also have no right tackle on the roster beyond Tom Compton now that Jammal Brown's contract voided.  If the Redskins are smart, they'll wait on tendering Tyler Polumbus a contract, because he will be available late in the offseason if they need him.

The single top free agent target for the Washington Redskins this offseason may be Cincinnati Bengals OT Andre Smith. The Redskins have specifically targeted 25 and 26 year old players on the free agent market these past two offseasons, and Smith's age separates him from the rest of the free agent class.  He will likely be (along with Jake Long) the highest paid OT in a very strong FA class, but he's really the only one who fits the Redskins' team building philosophy.  Signing Smith will put a dent in the budget for the rest of the offseason, and will impair the Redskins ability to build their secondary.  But he also fixes the biggest hole in the Redskins offense, and might be a necessity in order for the Redskins to throw longer developing routes out of the shotgun this year, something they were unable to do with Tyler Polumbus last season.

This will likely take the Redskins out of the running to sign Miami Dolphins CB Sean Smith, who may also be pretty high up there on the Redskins' wish list, along with Jerraud Powers of the Colts, Aqib Talib of the Pats, Captain Munnerlyn of the Panthers, Tracy Porter of the Broncos, Antoine Cason of the Chargers, Kyle Arrington of the Pats, and Derek Cox of the Jaguars.

Kenny Phillips of the Giants and Louis Delmas of the Lions could be the top targets at safety for Washington, but again, the financial flexibility to sign a highly desired safety is unlikely to be there.  The NFL draft is very deep on corners and on safeties, and is likely to provide better value (although the addition of a veteran in the secondary is inevitable).  Glover Quin of the Texans is a hybrid-type corner/safety who could be a better fit for what the Redskins may want to do next year on defense than Phillips is.  It might not be possible for the Redskins to address the secondary right from day one of free agency like they did with their receiver situation last year.  After two to three weeks, they should be able to take their pick from the remainder of the market, when Amari Spievey -- the Lions' other safety -- could be a target.

Knowing what holes need to be filled in the draft will be critical.  There will still be no less than two major defensive holes no matter what the Redskins do with their available cap room in free agency, and just two picks to address them with.

Step #3: Using non-financial resources to address the holes

The Redskins may get a little bit creative to address their defense, as they very well might have the cap room to add Smith, Talib, and Quin, for example, if they take their hits on the offensive side.  That means Davis could play elsewhere in 2013 as a financial decision, and right tackle would be handed again to Tyler Polumbus or a C-tier free agent or the unproven Tom Compton.  While I don't believe this to be ideal given the current state of RG3's knee, it would certainly be creative.

But almost the only way to approach the second round of the draft (outside of trying to obtain extra picks in a trade) is to take best player available at a premium position.  What this means is that the Redskins could very easily end up with a pass rusher in the second round in what is a deep class for pass rushers.  Such a pick would replace Rob Jackson's absence in this year's lineup and would take some pressure off the Redskins to replace London Fletcher because it would give Keenan Robinson an extra year to develop coming off major knee surgery.  But it also gives the Redskins just a solo shot to address the secondary on the second day of the draft.

I would explore a trade up back into the top half of the fourth round or end of the third round after the Redskins have picked twice, but lets say for the sake of argument that the draft hands the Redskins a pass rusher such as FSU's Brandon Jenkins and a rangy safety such as Oklahoma's Tony Jefferson in the third round.  This will still leave one position on the defense unsettled (cornerback, in our hypothetical).  The Redskins will have to address their remaining hole without a highly touted draft pick and without a ton of cap room.

The defense after the draft, using just the names thrown around above:

DL- Bowen, Cofield, J. Jenkins, (Carriker, Baker)
LB- Orakpo, Kerrigan, Riley, Fletcher (B. Jenkins, Robinson, Alexander)
DB- Wilson, Crawford, Gomes, Doughty (Bernstine, Jefferson, Minnifield, Pugh, Murphy)

Truth is, a little creativity can go a long way here.  If the only way to actively improve the secondary beyond the above scenario is to give up a little value to fill a need (corner and safety), then pouncing on a player such as Rutgers' Logan Ryan or pulling off a trade for a corner at the end of their rookie contract after the draft may be the way to go.

The Patriots found Alfonzo Dennard in the 7th round last season, one year after multiple scouting sources put a higher grade on the Junior Cornhusker than they did on current NY Giants CB Prince Amukamara, the 20th pick in the 2011 draft.

Step #4 address remaining holes thoroughly before training camp begins

At such a point, the Redskins would have to get creative to address their needs in the secondary if they haven't been already addressed by day two of the NFL Draft, but I did take a snapshot at this time last year of the top rated college corners and safeties with respect to the 2013 draft, and not all of them remain as first two round picks today.

We know about the saga Tyrann Mathieu, but I see him as more of a candidate to replace Brandon Banks on the roster than to fix the secondary.  Beyond the honey badger: NC State's David Amerson has moved from a first round projection to a third round projection in the last year, Georgia's Baccari Rambo has been passed on boards by sexier candidates, and Alabama's Robert Lester had a poor season on a great team, and has free-fallen to a later-round projection, as has USC S T.J. McDonald.  Meanwhile, Miami Hurricane SS Ray Ray Armstrong has almost fallen off draft boards entirely.  The value at the safety position is there to be had later on.

Plus, veteran's with a track record coming off a bad year tend to be in high supply at the start of training camp.  Expect the Redskins to talk up Chase Minnifield most of the offseason, giving them plenty of time to pan the veteran market for a solution this offseason.

Overall, the tone of the offseason has already been set by the relative lack of upheaval in the coaching staff: the roster is going to look much the same in 2013 as it did in 2012.  The biggest key for the future is to trim the roster fat now and not later.  The biggest challenge is going to be with the longest tenured Redskins such as Fletcher (2007), Hall (2008), and Moss (2005).  These players are coming to the end of their player contracts anyway.  It would be easy to credit their efforts for putting the Redskins in the playoffs last season, but the real reason the Redskins are where they are is the contribution of players like Griffin and Alfred Morris, not the veterans who were around through the tough times.

Proper roster management will make the Redskins salary cap penalty not that big of a deal.  The Redskins are probably not going to take a huge step forward in 2013, but simply by sustaining the majority of their gains, they can win the NFC East for a second straight year.

There has been some talk of possibly changing the Redskins name to something more politically correct.

I think the people pushing such a change are totally missing the boat on the issue they are trying to preach to everyone about.

I grew up a diehard Redskins fan in Potomac, Maryland.

When it came time to decide between the Boy Scouts or Indian Guides as my out of school activity - it was no contest.  As a Redskins fan, I had to go to Indian Guides.

The Redskins for me made Indians cool.  Really cool.  Therein lies the stupidity of changing the Redskins name - it will cause more racism.  Because you are killing a bridge to Indians.  After all, we are talking about a football team you root for – not a name for a mean act, a poisonous insect or a destructive hurricane.

Enter Eric Clapton.  Remember his cover of "I Shot the Sheriff" by Bob Marley?  Those people with the same mentality as Redskins name haters accused Clapton of exploitation (a close relative of or perhaps a component of racism). 

What happened in reality?  Clapton created a bridge for Rock 'n' Roll listeners to become fans of reggae music.  Without Clapton, the jump was too far.  Clapton found a way to create the bridge.  The result was tons of people became Bob Marley and reggae fans.  Marley and reggae players reaped financial rewards as a result.  Now all of us know, understand, and appreciate reggae much more.  We see dreadlocks and think 'cool!' not 'go take a shower weirdo!'  

If there is any inherent bigotry in Redskins fans, it's of Cowboys.  No name change or preaching what everyone else needs to do is going to help that.  Martin Luther King asked that people be judged by their character, not by the color of their skin. There is a point of saturation where focusing only on racism becomes a way to absolve oneself of working on one's character since we rationalize "I'm not racist, therefore I'm OK." 

I think we are perhaps missing half of his message.  If you really care about human beings and need something to preach to everyone else since you can't focus on becoming a mensch yourself, let's work on opposing fans not getting beat up because they wear 'enemy' team jerseys.

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