Redskins Need to Avoid Additional Moves this Offseason

I was going to make a post about the best remaining free agents who could help the Redskins. And at the right price (i.e. very little) and contract length (i.e. one year) there are players who can help the team.But that got me thinking: my projections for the upcoming season are basically finished, they like the Redskins. How much? I'm not telling, yet. That's a post for a training camp day. But since I started it last year, I'm 1 for 1 in nailing the Redskins record, so I'll just rest on my small sample laurels.Anyway, I've come to the conclusion that there are moves that can improve the Redskins. I have also decided that the Redskins should avoid any of these moves.The Redskins could trade for Brandon Marshall. They could trade for Anquan Boldin. They could up the offer to unsigned Redskins Pete Kendall or Marcus Washington. There's plenty a talented running back who could help make this roster. I think even a blocking TE such as Jeremy Tuman could help this team win. The best move: stand pat.In past years, one of the biggest issues with the Redskins has been their impulsive nature; not in March or April, but in June through November. For the most part, it's been the late offseason and in-season acquisitions that have hurt the team the most. What good did the freak out episodes that brought us Jimmy Farris, T.J. Duckett, Mike Rumph, Jason Taylor, Shaun Alexander, and DeAngelo Hall bring us? A big contract for Hall? Three fewer draft picks? One fewer season of Taylor Jacobs? Yes!Every team thinks it's best off during OTA's. Optimism runs abound, and coaches are seeing the fruits of their offseason labors in an environment where there's no such thing as a losing effort. Naturally, there's going to be positive feelings that will not last through the preseason. These feelings are usually quite hollow, and mostly temporary.After optimism gives way, it's critical that NFL teams that do have a vision stick to their plan. For the handful of teams that have no long-term vision, it really doesn't matter. But the Redskins have never been a team that has struggled to develop a long-term plan or identity. They have struggled in sticking to the plans they have created.It's hard to quantify the work done in OTA's, but by all accounts, it's worth something. When an NFL team stresses the value of OTA's, demands that all of it's players put in the work which the NFL considers voluntary, and starts to draw conclusions about who can do what come September, what good does it do to bring in a player who has to start from scratch. In the past few years, there have been some good late off-season acquisitions: Steve McNair comes to mind, as does Daunte Culpepper to Oakland. But those players were filling clear, measurable needs for their teams. Clear need, as in, there was no in-house solution who would have benefited from the playing time.What spots do the Redskins have where this is the case? Perhaps Center? Jeremy Newberry (best remaining FA Center) was just signed by Atlanta. Other than that, the Redskins have a bunch of young backups, a bunch of veteran starters, and need to create spots for their youngsters to get into, not to block them with more veterans. Even at the critical positions of offensive line, running back, and wide receiver, this principle holds true. The Redskins don't have position where adding extra talent makes sense unless a fantastic deal lands right in their lap.In coach-speak, the Redskins have already started climbing the mountain towards a super bowl title. They are moving forward with 85 guys right now. No one can tell me that out of those 85 guys, there aren't 53 guys who are capable of helping this team win right now. Trading out one of the 85 guys who have been working and helping this team build something special for an outsider is too much like those moves that have doomed this team in the past. Because of where the Redskins are, and because of where they want to go, I believe all the talent they could ever need to reach their goals is in-house.It's an advantage that the Redskins and the Cowboys have that the Eagles and the Giants will not. When your season ends early, you can get a jump on your preparation for the next season early. The expectations from this team could not be higher. The Redskins all need to take a lesson from Jason Campbell, and just move forward. Yes, that includes the group that has been trying to replace him. Even at the expense of a marginal addition to the talent base, the competitive advantage the Redskins need is that they are many steps ahead of their competition. They have more continuity than any other team in the NFC East.Here's hoping they don't look back.