With The First Pick
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Franchise Building Blocks: Washington Redskins

By Jon Dove

Jan 1, 2017; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) throws the ball as New York Giants defensive end Owa Odighizuwa (58) chases in the third quarter at FedEx Field. The Giants won 19-10. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2017; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) throws the ball as New York Giants defensive end Owa Odighizuwa (58) chases in the third quarter at FedEx Field. The Giants won 19-10. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Washington Redskins narrowly missed a return trip to the playoffs this past season and have some work to do this offseason in order to get back on track.

Kirk Cousins’ contract situation is top priority for the Washington Redskins this offseason. They are going to have to shell out a ton of money to keep him in the mix. The ideal situation is to find a way to work out a long-term deal that doesn’t have a huge impact on their salary cap.

Cousins had a great year and is someone the Redskins can build around. Washington faces more tough decisions at the wide receiver position where both Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson are pending free agents.

If Washington allows them to hit the open market it would leave Jamison Crowder and Josh Doctson as the top receiver options. Crowder has developed into a real playmaker and someone capable of moving the chains.

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Doctson’s future is more cloudy because of his inability to stay healthy during his rookie year. Injuries have also limited the contributions by the highly talented Jordan Reed. He’s a difference maker when on the field but has missed a lot of time.

The offensive line is one of the strengths of the team with Trent Williams, Brandon Scherff, Morgan Moses and Spencer Long all apart of the long-term future. This group will play an important part to the team’s success moving forward.

Washington needs to focus their efforts during the offseason on adding a difference maker at the running back position. Rob Kelley is a solid contributor but shouldn’t be seen as the long-term answer at the position.

Defensively, the Redskins have Ryan Kerrigan and Josh Norman as its top playmakers. Both continue to perform at a high level and set the tone for the unit. The issue is that the rest of the defense doesn’t feature a lot of building blocks.

Preston Smith and Su’a Cravens are players with the talent needed to develop into top of the line players. However, they still need some time to fully develop.

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