Washington Hangover Blog

March 2020

Washington Signals They’re Not Competing for a Title This Year

No I’m not talking about Covid 19, although that is unfortunately a possibility. I’m inferring the language being communicated through their free agency actions. 

The Washington Redskins traded their starting cornerback Quinton Dunbar the other day to the Seattle Seahawks for a 5th round pick. ESPN graded the Redskins a D+ and Seattle a B+ for the trade. NFL insider and 106.7 the Fan beat reporter Craig Hoffman, said anything less than a 2nd round pick for Dunbar would be a loss. But is it?

Each NFL trade is unique. There’s no consistency to their value. The Redskins are still recovering from all of the Bruce Allen bungles and perhaps there’s some PTSD going around as the Redskins have failed at getting much value for disgruntled and or disrespected players. You like that?! I certainly don’t.

The Redskins clearly did not want to pay Dunny a new contract, but why? Dunbar dealt with nerve damage last year that could continue into his career. He has never played more than 11 games, but performed well last year when on the field. Corners aren’t a dime-a-dozen position group either. In fact, I would argue it’s the most difficult position to play in all of sports next to Quarterback. The team is undeniably worse without Quinton Dunbar. So what does that tell us?

The Redskins aren’t ready to win.

This sounds negative, but it’s the realistic approach Ron Rivera brings to the table: a long term plan. If the Redskins aren’t in position to compete now, (they’re not) they must build for the future. They weren’t willing to pay Dunny, but the other narrative is;  If you don’t want to be a Redskin, then get out. Now.

There’s a nobility to the old school approach Ron brings to an organization desperate for change and direction. If you work hard, line up, play hard and perform, you will be rewarded. If you wanna pop off, and publicly air dirty laundry, get out. Now.

Ron values work ethic and commitment, and while Dunny was never in trouble, he’s a headache that Rivera doesn’t have to put up with. This approach is particularly effective for weeding out team distractions, building cohesion, chemistry, and developing a unified culture, Rivera’s culture. 

The downside of this approach is you start to box yourself in. By being more particular on players, you reduce the talent pool capable of operating in your system. The players spin this as not being able to “be myself,” so I wonder if strong personality players like Darrius Guice will soon be on the chopping block? The Skins signed Peyton Barber, and although he was fairly unproductive in Tampa, he brings the attitude that works in Ron’s system. The signing could be a red flag to fans. 

Rivera’s bold, old-school approach has worked in the past, but it has also failed him. He was fired from Carolina not too long ago.

The game of football has evolved. While nobody wants to deal with an Antonio Brown, it’s hard to deny the talent of star “prima-donna” personalities. Sometimes compromise is not best. Sometimes it’s necessary to thrive. 

Jay Gruden was a player’s coach, and I’m sure Jay would have done everything he could to keep Dunbar, but Jay needed to win now to keep his job. Ron’s not in that boat. Ron’s way is a long term culture-defining approach. It’s hard to argue, as the Redskins have tried many times the other way, valuing big time stars over team unity. Will it produce a winning culture though? Like everything in these uncertain times, we’ll have to wait and see.

March 27th, 2020

By Collin Chute