Washington Redskins move on to other needs in free agency

Mark Humphrey/AP - New York Giants cornerback Aaron Ross (31) stops New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker during the first half of last month’s Super Bowl. The Redskins will host a meeting with Ross on Friday.

The Washington Redskins turned their attention Wednesday to locking up a third free agent wide receiver and plugging holes in their secondary, continuing their pursuit of former Denver Bronco Eddie Royal and setting up visits by a pair of defensive backs.

The Redskins remained optimistic about signing Royal after a late-night dinner Tuesday that included Coach Mike Shanahan, Redskins owner Daniel Snyder and General Manager Bruce Allen. A deal with Royal fell apart earlier Tuesday evening, when other teams expressed interest in the former Virginia Tech standout.

Video

The Post Sports Live crew debates whether or not the Redskins were aware of the pending salary cap hit that the NFL was going to penalize them for before making the trade with the St. Louis Rams.

The Post Sports Live crew debates whether or not the Redskins were aware of the pending salary cap hit that the NFL was going to penalize them for before making the trade with the St. Louis Rams.

More on this Story

View all Items in this Story

The team also brought in free agent strong safety Brandon Meriweather for a visit Wednesday, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Seemingly content to let strong safety LaRon Landry depart, the Redskins would fill a pressing need if they were able to sign the former Chicago Bear, a two-time Pro Bowl selection.

The team also must replace free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe, who was released Monday. But second-year pro DeJon Gomes and six-year veteran Reed Doughty, who saw significant time at that position last year, may be called on to fill that role.

The Redskins also will host free agent cornerback Aaron Ross on Friday, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed, and joined several teams pursuing free agent left guard Ben Grubbs, another person said Wednesday.

A five-year veteran with the Baltimore Ravens, the 6-foot-3, 311-pound Grubbs has started 70 of 74 games for the Ravens during his career. Ross has spent all five of his pro seasons with the New York Giants.

The Redskins face uncertainty at left guard. Starter Kory Lichtensteiger missed the final 10 games of the 2011 season after tearing his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments.

The Redskins expect Lichtensteiger to be ready to play by the start of training camp, but want to bolster their interior offensive line depth.

Meanwhile, Washington has yet to reach an agreement to re-sign inside linebacker London Fletcher, the team’s captain and the NFL’s leading tackler last season. The 36-year-old Fletcher and the Redskins both have expressed a desire to reach a deal, but it was unclear Wednesday how far apart they are.

The Redskins also lost a backup quarterback candidate when free agent Kyle Orton agreed to a contract with the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday.

The Redskins have quarterbacks Jonathan Crompton, who spent last year on the Redskins’ practice squad, and John Beck under contract. Last year’s starter, Rex Grossman, is a free agent. It’s not clear whether Orton’s decision to sign with the Cowboys will lead the Redskins to more strongly consider re-signing Grossman.

After Tuesday’s flurry of free agent signings, the Redskins have upgraded their wide receiver corps, analysts said. But they expressed mixed opinions about how much progress they had made.

Former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Antonio Freeman said the Redskins’ addition of Pierre Garcon and Josh Morgan and their pursuit of Royal will help, but more needs to be done.

Loading...

Comments

Add your comment
 
Read what others are saying About Badges