Redskins' Daniel Snyder Goes Crazy in FA Market Again
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by user Tylersalt
Daniel Snyder, the big-spending owner of the/my Washington Redskins, has done it again. He made two fairly big splashes today in the form of fairly high profile free agent signings. Washington signed linebacker London Fletcher and ex-Redskin cornerback Fred Smoot to 5-year deals, and apparently he's not finished. Snyder also has his eye on cornerback Travis Fisher and offensive lineman Leonard Davis, who is reportedly deciding between Washington and the Dallas Cowboys. EDIT: ESPN.com is reporting that Davis is going to sign with Dallas.
As much as I appreciate having an owner who's willing to spend money to make the team better -- I certainly don't wish that they were the Royals or something -- but the fact is that a great deal of Snyder's free-agent acquisitions over the past few years have been relative busts. He dished out big bucks last season for Antwaan Randle El, who hasn't lived up to the size of his contract, and Adam Archuleta, who was a complete disaster. Strangely enough, though, I think the price they paid for Smoot is probably lower than it would have been a few years ago if they had signed him to a deal instead of letting him leave for Minnesota as a FA.
If it were me, I would quit blowing all of my cap space on overpriced semi-veterans and look to stockpile some draft picks in order to build a good young team surrounding new starting quarterback Jason Campbell, who looks to be the team's future. No doubt, they addressed big needs on defense by signing Fletcher and Smoot, and you can never have enough offensive linemen, but the fact is that the 'Skins don't have a pick in the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th rounds of this year's draft. Frankly, I think that's just plain irresponsible, especially when the team is clearly not in the position it would need to be in to make a "win now"-sort of run at a championship.
