Redskins to Give DE James a Shot

Washington Sends a Conditional 7th-Round Pick to Vikings

The Washington Redskins traded a conditional seventh-round pick to Minnesota yesterday for defensive end Erasmus James, a former first-round pick whose career has been derailed by injuries. The trade is conditional upon James making Washington's 53-man roster and could add depth on the defensive line.

New defensive line coach John Palermo coached James at the University of Wisconsin, and the Redskins have just two proven ends (veterans Andre Carter and Phillip Daniels), with Daniels likely to play more at tackle this season. James is a significant injury risk, but the Redskins would part with only their final pick in the 2009 draft as part of the swap.

The Vikings placed James on waivers last week, but then pulled him back to deal him to Washington. Waivers work in reverse order from the 2007 standings and, because the Redskins reached the playoffs, another club could have claimed James before he fell to their spot.

James, 25, is 6 feet 4, 266 pounds and was selected by the Vikings 18th overall in the 2005 draft after displaying dynamic pass-rushing skills at Wisconsin. James has just five career sacks, and injuries have limited him to eight games the past two seasons. He was waived by the Vikings after failing to pass a physical, and is scheduled to take a physical for the Redskins today, with team officials optimistic he will be healthy enough to contribute in 2008.

James tore his left anterior cruciate ligament and sprained his left medial collateral ligament in the second game of the 2006 season, and he underwent surgery that November, with a follow-up procedure in February 2007. James began the 2007 season on the physically-unable-to-perform list. He was healthy enough to start in December but then re-injured his left ACL and missed the rest of the season. He had been limited to light work during Minnesota's offseason program and had not been participating in team drills during organized team activity practices.

James has made 12 career starts; nine in his rookie season, when he registered four sacks. The Redskins passed on a bevy of established defensive linemen in an active trade and free agent market, and did not take a defensive end until the end of the seventh round in April's draft.

The lack of a consistent pass rush has been a problem in recent years, with age and injuries hampering the defensive line. In 2007, Carter became the first Redskins lineman to post double-digit sacks since 2000, and with Daniels rotating between end and tackle there was an obvious need for another veteran end. Second-year ends Chris Wilson and Alex Buzbee have shown promise, but both are lighter speed rushers who lack the frame to play on non-passing downs.

James is in the final year of his contract, with a base salary of $1 million in 2008. James, who was born on the island of St. Kitts, did not begin playing football until his senior year of high school in Florida. The Redskins released rookie free agent defensive lineman Dorian Smith to make room for James on the roster.