NFL power rankings: Vikings, Eagles top the board

2018 Key Additions: We were still waiting for a Super Bowl champion to be crowned when the Washington Redskins opted to make a deal for veteran quarterback Alex Smith, who spent the past five seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. The deal didn’t become official until March 14th, but it did signal the obvious end of Kirk Cousins’ tenure with the club. Team president Bruce Allen went out and got some help for the longtime signal-caller in deep-threat Paul Richardson, late of the Seattle Seahawks. The team has struggled to run the football in recent seasons, but used a late second-round pick this year on LSU’s Derrius Guice.

Offseason Review: Since winning the NFC East in 2015, Jay Gruden’s club has slowly digressed when it comes to the win-loss record. And now the team welcomes a new starting quarterback in Smith, who hopefully gets plenty of support from a running game that hasn’t been a factor in recent seasons when it comes to this team. Meanwhile, Washington’s defensive unit has disappointed in recent years and that side of the football must step up in a big way. Despite some nice offseason additions both via free agency and the draft, it’s far too early to tell if the Redskins are a better football team than they were a year ago.