Washington Football Team: 3 cap casualties who flip 2021 NFL Draft plans
1. QB Alex Smith
This is just the beginning of the roster reconstruction in Washington as Alex Smith has asked for his release.
The comeback player of the year was the centerpiece of an all-time great story. You must appreciate the drive and effort from Smith to come back from a devastating injury and play the game he loves. Unfortunately, the release of Smith on March 5th was a business decision and a wise one at that. Even though the story was great, the on-field play never reached a baseline level. Washington’s offense often looked hampered due to Smith’s lack of mobility. Washington’s offensive skill positions were among some of the worst in the NFL but no matter the situation, Smith is nothing more than a distributor of the football.
14.7 million gives the Washington front office a ton of flexibility in free agency and the draft. In free agency, they can use the chunk of cash to extend a player like Jonathan Allen or signing a player like Curtis Samuel. Having the opportunity to attack these needs will naturally lead to more flexibility in the draft, as Washington would have less need to pursue.
In the draft, I would expect Washington to be aggressive in pursuing a quarterback of the future. Although they have Taylor Heinicke and plans to re-sign Kyle Allen, it is evident that neither is the signal-caller of the future.
On February 2nd, Kevin Sheehan said that “Washington’s brain trust really likes Justin Fields from Ohio State.” Two weeks later, he doubled down on that claim stating, “I have heard Washington really likes Justin Fields.” Sheehan is the voice of Washington radio and when he speaks, everyone should listen.
The Buckeye quarterback should not be viewed as the only option. Washington has the ammo to pursue a player like Trey Lance of North Dakota State and national championship quarterback, Mac Jones. Nothing is guaranteed in this league, especially in the NFL Draft. However, the Washington Football Team go all-in on a rookie quarterback is about as guaranteed as you are going to get.