Washington Football Team free agency 2021: Top 5 targets
Just how busy will the defending NFC East champions be during free agency?
It’s a franchise that hasn’t been to a Super Bowl or even an NFC title game since 1991. And the Washington Football Team really hasn’t made that many playoff appearances in what amounts to nearly three decades since then. But under head coach Ron Rivera and with an assist from NFL Comeback Player of the Year Alex Smith, the club got hot after a miserable start and despite a 7-9 record won the NFC East.
Free agency is roughly a month away and the NFL draft is slated for April 29 in Cleveland. And like every other club, there’s a lot of work ahead in terms of the roster, managing the salary cap, etc.
What indeed will Washington wind up doing at quarterback? Smith is also 37 years old in May and did miss the wild card game vs. the Buccaneers. Of course, Rivera and company could also build on 2020 and keep most of the roster in place and the veteran signal-caller could return. But in case new general manager Martin Mayhew may want to make a few alterations…
5. G Michael Schofield (Carolina Panthers)
When available, Brandon Scherff is one of the best players in the league at his position. The fifth overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft from the University of Iowa has played and started 78 regular-season games in six seasons. He’s missed a combined 16 contests the past four seasons. Still, he’s a four-time Pro Bowler and in 2020, earned All-Pro honors as well.
This past year, Scherff was given the “franchise tag” and played for the $15.03 million tender (via Spotrac). Will Washington get a new contract done before the six-year pro can test the free-agent market? And if the club opts to bring him back or go in a different direction, well-traveled guard Michael Schofield could be an option. After a pair of solid three-year stints with both the Broncos and Chargers, he suffered through a rough 2020 in Carolina where he wound up starting only three games while also spending time on the reserve/COVID-19 list.