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Need to Know: Five Redskins who are unlikely to return in 2016

Need to Know: Five Redskins who are unlikely to return in 2016

By Rich Tandler October 31, 2015 5:35 AM

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Here is what you need to know on this Saturday, October 31, 8 days before the Redskins visit the New England Patriots.

5 Redskins who are unlikely to return in 2016

We’re approaching the halfway point of the season and while the Redskins still have plenty to play for this year, the offseason comes at you fast in the NFL. Here are five players who could be playing their final nine games in Washington over the next two and a half months.

WR DeSean Jackson—Yes, he’s talented but Scot McCloughan undoubtedly is unhappy with him suffering what will add up to a two-month hamstring pull after taking too long to recover from a shoulder sprain early in training camp. Releasing him would create a net cap savings of $6.75 million.

OL Josh LeRibeus—His rookie contract is up and he was drafted by Mike Shanahan—two regimes ago. He is getting some playing time at center with Kory Lichtensteiger out but unless he makes a big push in the coming weeks the team may not have much interest in re-signing him.

CB DeAngelo Hall—He still has some ability left in him but he is going to turn 32 next month and it appears that injuries are starting to catch up with him. It was the Achilles that cost him the final 13 games of last year, he had assorted injuries that sidelined him during training camp, and now he about to miss his fourth straight game with a toe injury. That is not good value for a cap hit of $5.1 million.

DL Jason Hatcher—Technically, he signed a four-year deal when he came to the Redskins in 2014 but in essence it was a two-year deal. His salary shoots up from a reasonable $2.75 million this year to $6.25 million in 2016 and it seems that he is developing chronic knee problems. It will cost over $4 million in dead cap to let him go but the team might need to do it.

RB Alfred Morris—This is a tough one but the odds are that he will go elsewhere when his contract is up at the end of the year. His strength is running behind zone blocking and the Redskins are moving towards more power blocking. Morris would be worth more to a zone-based team, meaning that it’s likely he could get a better contract elsewhere.

Update: I did not include Robert Griffin III on this list because I figure it is obvious that he won't be back. However, judging from the comments here and my Twitter timeline, it's not as obvious as I thought.

Timeline

—Today’s schedule: Bye week

—Days until: Redskins @ Patriots 8; Saints @ Redskins 15; Redskins @ Panthers 22

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Even with Scot McCloughan gone, Redskins draft focused on size and attitude

Even with Scot McCloughan gone, Redskins draft focused on size and attitude

By JP Finlay May 05, 2017 2:15 PM

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So much thought gets poured into the NFL Draft. Some teams value certain combine drills over others, and different franchises place different levels of importance on specific physical characteristics, often defined by position.

For the Redskins, the NFL Draft was not so much about drills or physical traits. It boiled down to two simple philosophies.

"We definitely sided towards the attitude and the size," Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said after the draft.

Looking at Washington's 10 picks, the coach's comments ring true. Early in the draft, Jonathan Allen and Ryan Anderson have plenty of size, but also the workmanlike attitude Gruden talked about.

Samaje Perine is the strongest running back in the 2017 class. Montae Nicholson has ideal size at 6-foot-2 to play safety in the NFL. Josh Harvey-Clemons, a 7th round pick, could emerge as a quality special teamer because of his size. 

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"That's always what you're looking for. It depends on the player, but we got bigger and stronger," Gruden said. "We also drafted some speed."

Fabian Moreau and Robert Davis bring plenty of speed, as does Nicholson. All three ran 4.4 or lower in the 40-yard dash.

No draft is perfect, and eventually, the warts of the 2017 version will appear. But looking at the Redskins haul, it's clear that former general manager Scot McCloughan's impact continued.

McCloughan famously talked about big, physical teams full of 'football players.' To McCloughan - and to the Redskins current brass - combine drills came second to game tape.

Anderson is a prime example. Watch Alabama play in 2016, Anderson was all over the field. At the NFL Combine, a slow 40-yard dash time likely hurt his draft stock. 

"I really didn’t like the draft process that much," Anderson said.

Guess what Anderson enjoys? Playing football.

"As far as a teammate, he's probably one of the best I've had just from the work ethic standpoint," Allen said of Anderson. "It’s not really too many times you would catch Ryan slacking off, he's usually bringing guys to his level. As a teammate, and as a person, you can't really ask for too much better."

That's just what the Redskins want. 

Want more Redskins? Check out @JPFinlayCSN for live updates or click here for the #RedskinsTalk Podcast on iTunes, here for Google Play or press play below. Don't forget to subscribe!

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Let's get to know Fish Smithson, a new Redskins safety with a superb name

Let's get to know Fish Smithson, a new Redskins safety with a superb name

By Peter Hailey May 05, 2017 1:45 PM

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The Redskins signed a player named Fish Smithson on Thursday. Sure, this blog could've started out with a fancier opening paragraph that delivered that news in a more graceful or clever way, but when dealing with a matter as important as this, it's best to be straightforward.

Fish Smithson. 

How good is that name? When looking at the list of undrafted free agents that Washington added to their roster, Smithson's (despite looking like a name that a celebrity would use at a hotel to go undetected) easily overshadowed the rest.

Yes, it's rare to see an entire post devoted to a rookie free agent and everything there is to know about him. But then again, it's also rare for a team to sign a player who goes by FISH. So let's get to know the dude.

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Is his first name actually Fish?

Unfortunately, no. His first name is Anthony. But, according to his bio on Kansas Football's website, he "prefers to go by Fish," and the fact that the Redskins list him as Fish on their roster shows that it basically is his first name nowadays.

Now, whether there's a cool story about him learning how to take proper angles on the football field by first catching fish in a river and that's how the name came to be, or one day he was just like, "You know what? I don't like the name Anthony anymore. Just call me Fish," isn't known at this time. Hopefully it will be soon, though.

What's he like as a player?

Smithson played one year at Hartnell College and then three years at Kansas, and he was a very productive safety once he got to the Big 12. In his last two seasons, Smithson led the Jayhawks in tackles (while topping the entire nation in solo tackles per game in 2015, too) and earned a spot on All-Big 12 teams as a junior and senior. He also had six interceptions across the second half of his collegiate career.

"Smithson is a little smaller and a little slower than teams might like at the safety spot, but his instincts and overall football intelligence make up for some of his physical limitations," NFL.com's Lance Zierlein said of the defender in his pre-draft profile. "Smithson has shown that he has the ball skills to pair with his instinctive nature, but his issues finishing tackles will not be taken lightly by NFL teams. Smithson has NFL backup potential."

What connections does he have to guys currently in the NFL?

There's this highlight video, which shows Smithson picking off new Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, as well as running away from Redskins wideout Josh Doctson on another interception return. USA Today, meanwhile, has photos of him trying to tackle Bengals draft pick Joe Mixon as well as Redskins fourth-rounder Samaje Perine.

Then there's this tweet from Broncos corner and former Kansas star Aqib Talib congratulating Smithson on finding a place in the league:

It's clear he played against some very good talent in the Big 12, so the jump to the NFL shouldn't be as difficult for him compared to other undrafted guys.

And, finally, there's no way any of his siblings have a name that can even come close to matching Fish, right? Because that would be shocking.

You'd think so, wouldn't you? But as it turns out, Fish's brother, a former Utah receiver, goes by Shaky. If there's ever a "Which pair of brothers has the best combination of names on Earth?" competition, good luck to whoever gets matched up with the Smithsons. 

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