The Washington Redskins are approaching free agency with 25 players headed into a contract season. The majority of these are on the defensive side of the ball, but major offensive pieces like Robert Griffin III and Trent Williams will also be free agents for the first time. What is the Redskins’ strategy for free agency?

Scot McCloughan demonstrated both throughout his prior career and in all his public statements that his focus has always been on the draft. He has specifically said multiple times that the best way to build a team is through the draft process. Only he has now taken a major position in a franchise that has spent hundreds of millions of dollars since Dan Snyder took control of the franchise in 1999.

The Redskins finally have their full compliment of draft picks to use for the first time in a number of years, but there is a sense that the team will dip not just a toe but the better part of a foot into free agency to speed up the rebuilding process. There are conflicting reports of this, but expect the Skins to be active when it comes to certain things while passive when it comes to others. In addition, with so many expiring contracts (25 on the roster currently), expect moves to beget more moves with players who have been replaced to be released to create more cap room. 

McCloughan has made no secret of his preference when it comes to an offensive line. He wants a line which can fit the term “power football.” He believes that the linemen need to be a focus of the team on the field, using their size (and depth of this size/talent) to wear down the opposing defense late in games so that they can impose their will on them, especially when they need a critical yard. The Redskins do not have that kind of line right now with only two players (Williams and Morgan Moses) weighing in at over 315 lbs.

Both of McCloughan’s last two stops in the NFL had at least four players over this standard. Expect the focus on the Redskins’ free agency campaign to focus on changing this. There are a number of rumors that the Skins will be in the mix for Mike Lupati, whom McCloughan scouted while in San Francisco(he was fired a couple months before the 2010 draft), and they will be calling the 49ers about the availability of Alex Boone (whom McCloughan also drafted).

A source with knowledge of the Skins’ intentions tells VAVEL that while the Skins will go hard for Lupati, they won’t break the bank to pay him, preferring to go after Orlando Franklin or Justin Blalock to play LG for them (which would mean the end of Shawn Lauvao’s time in DC).  Boone, if he’s acquired, would play on the right side, replacing Chris Chester. McCloughan also wants to replace Kory Lichtensteiger with Brian De La Puenta (whom he scouted for the 49ers in 2008).

As for the right tackle position, which has been a festering sore for the team for a number of years, the Redskins are going to focus on younger players. If they do sign a veteran, Doug Free would make the most sense considering his tie to Bill Callahan last year in Dallas. If they do not go after a vet, this will be a priority in the draft if Moses isn’t seen a potential starter.    

Defensively, McCloughan is in a bit of pickle. Joe Barry wasn’t his choice as defensive coordinator, and it’s possible that Barry's stay is a one season long. There is a school of thought that McCloughan doesn’t want Gruden and Barry to succeed, so he can replace them both with his preferred guys for 2016. If true, McCloughan is in the bind of balancing getting Barry enough talent so he can’t claim talent poverty at the end of the season but not getting him enough talent to succeed as defensive coordinator.

Even if McCloughan is fine with Barry as the defensive coordinator (he is not, but let us just assume for a second), he is not going to spend wildly if he is using the cap room on the offensive line, and with so many expiring contracts on the defense (Ryan Kerrigan, Keenan Robinson, etc). Therefore, expect a medium level of spending focused around two concepts: 1) an extension for Kerrigan and 2) overhauling the safety position.

A source with knowledge of the situation tells VAVEL that they are going to get Kerrigan locked down now so that they do not head into 2016 with Williams and Kerrigan headed for free agency. McCloughan does not believe that there is a single safety on the roster who belongs in the NFL. The problem is that there is not much in free agency or the draft at safety unless the team wants to fight several teams for Devin McCourty.

The two names that the Redskins have tossed around have been Matt Elam and Marcus Gilchrist. Elam’s been a bust in Baltimore, but he could be had cheaply in a trade,. especially with the Ravens looking for all the cap room that they can find. Barry knows Gilchrist well, but Gilchrist would be a reasonably-priced option for them.  

*edit: Scot McCloughan's relationship to drafting Mike Iupati was corrected.

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Jon Fox
Just listen to Radiohead when you read my pieces and we will get along just fine.