The Super Bowl hasn't been played yet, and the NFL isn't quite at its offseason, but the Washington Redskins are already making noise about free agency.
"We'll have some room," Redskins general manager Bruce Allen said. "We're gonna have some room to do some things. But we have some players who are free agents, and we're going to talk to them first, to try to retain them. But we have the ability to maneuver around, and we'll be active in free agency."
Several key members of Washington's defense, including Brian Orakpo and DeAngelo Hall, could be out the door this offseason, but it seems like Allen is prepared to retain them as well as add to the cupboard. Last year the 'Skins were unusually quiet, thanks to a $36 million penalty doled out by the NFL for their spending during an uncapped season.
With that lifted Washington will have $30 million or so to play with. That could be spent on more weapons for quarterback Robert Griffin III to throw to on offense, or more additions to a defense that ranked 30th in the NFL in points allowed. Redskins opponents scored 30 or more points seven times during the 2013 season, and cracked 40 points three times.
Offensively they were less dynamic as well, with RGIII looking less explosive than his rookie season. New head coach Jay Gruden thinks embracing the read option more might help the Redskins get back to the playoffs.
"I worked with Andy Dalton for three years in Cincinnati, and built a foundation of concepts and protections that I think worked well with him," Gruden told MMQB.
"With Robert, we'll obviously use his skill set differently. When it comes to the quarterback position, my job is to make him comfortable and productive. I'm not going to try to turn RG3 into Andy Dalton or Drew Brees. He isn't them. They're not him. I would be foolish to try to turn RG3 into a pocket passer."
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