What was Washington's best offseason move?
The Washington Football Team had a busy offseason. The Football Team released quarterback Alex Smith and replaced him with veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick. Washington also added wide receiver Curtis Samuel and Adam Humphries in free agency and signed perhaps the top cornerback on the market in William Jackson III. The Athletic recently reviewed every NFL teams best offseason move and, according to Rhiannon Walker, who covers Washington, it wasnt a move for a specific player. Instead, it was what Washington didnt do. It was not compromising the teams future to resolve the quarterback position. This may not seem obvious, but Washington couldve botched this situation. The team couldve overpaid for a signal-caller through a trade but opted not to budge and send off picks or other players to possibly find the answer under center. In past years and with past regimes, the temptation to either overpay on the trade market or making a move in the draft wouldnt have come with a second thought. Think of the money Washington gave to Alex Smith after trading for him in 2018 and how that tied up the salary cap. The team already had two low-cost and effective quarterbacks to fill the backup role. It brought in Ryan Fitzpatrick on a modest deal and then used other assets to surround the quarterback with talent. Walker is absolutely correct. And, surprisingly, this was a move  or non-move  that went over well with the usually desperate Washington fan base. Washington is starved for a young franchise passer. So starved, in fact, it has made some poor choices over the years. With a strong roster in place, head coach Ron Rivera chooses to keep building that roster, sign a reliable veteran, and push the quarterback situation into 2022. It was a wise move.