ESPN: Nate Clements in Redskins' plans?

If the Redskins go after and sign Clements will the team ask Springs to redo his contract or cut him?

I'd rather sign Asante Samuel to address our cornerback needs. He's younger and has more picks. I just think he's in the upswing of his career while Clements is on his way down.

I like Samuel but I think the problem is that physically he doesn't fit the GWilliams mold for a DB

We passed on Dyson because of that too. So, we sign Kenny Wright who does fit the GW bill. And how has that worked out for us? It's stupid to pass on these talented guys because they're not as sure tacklers. They're playmakers who get INTs. We need them especially since we may break the season record for least amount of picks.

If the Redskins go after and sign Clements will the team ask Springs to redo his contract or cut him?

From a salary cap standpoint, they have no motivation to cut Shawn Springs. If he's under contract, he'll count $7.3 million in 2007. If they cut him before June 1, he'd count $7.4 million in deadcap. So if they were going to cut Springs, it would be because they didn't think he fit the squad anymore. But they could save cap space by asking him to restructure his deal. He'd still get paid what his contract says, he'd just get it in the form of a lumpsum signing bonus instead of in game checks.

There's no reason to ask him to take a paycut. On the open market he's worth what his contract is scheduled to pay him.

All that aside, I think he's still a valuable player for us. He's still our best corner. If Clements came on board and Springs were healthy, they'd both be starters.

One of the biggest questions the defensive coaches will have to ask themselves is can we play top 10 defense again with Springs and Rogers as our starters, or do we need to get a top guy to pair with Springs? We know that K Wright probably isn't cutting it as a nickel. So the question is do the Skins go after a young CB to play nickel initially and eventually take over for Springs? Or do we need a stud right now because Rogers just won't cut it? I don't know the answer at this point - Rogers has quietly had a much better second half of the season.

I don't know the answer at this point - Rogers has quietly had a much better second half of the season.

I don't think it's a coincidence that Springs has played much of the second half of the season. I also imagine benching Archuleta factored into helping Rogers

Good post Schneed.

I think at this point we need to bring in a starting quality corner for two main reasons: Springs' age and injury concerns, and Rogers shaky career to date.

I also wouldn't rule out the possibility of moving Springs to safety.

Even if Springs doesn't move to safety, with how many DBs Williams likes to use, all three would still see plenty of playing time and would be very interchangeable.

Good post Schneed.

I think at this point we need to bring in a starting quality corner for two main reasons: Springs' age and injury concerns, and Rogers shaky career to date.

I also wouldn't rule out the possibility of moving Springs to safety.

Even if Springs doesn't move to safety, with how many DBs Williams likes to use, all three would still see plenty of playing time and would be very interchangeable.

Don't forget to factor Pierson into the equation for 2007.

Don't forget to factor Pierson into the equation for 2007.

True.

Bye-bye Archuleta.

I don't think it's a coincidence that Springs has played much of the second half of the season. I also imagine benching Archuleta factored into helping Rogers

Yeah this is a good point. The safeties have gotten their act together once Archuleta was benched and Taylor and Fox/Vincent had some time to get on the same page.

You wonder if GW and Jerry Gray were instructing Rogers to give a big cushion early on in the season because they knew with Prioleau out and Archuleta so crappy, they needed Carlos to guard against the deep ball. I certainly never saw GW get all pissed at Rogers on the sideline for giving a huge cushion. That's the great thing about football, it's such a team sport. When one link is weak (ahem, Archuleta) it makes the rest of the links look bad. Would Rogers have needed to give the huge cushion if Ryan Clark were retained? Would Rogers have looked that bad?

Of course that doesn't explain why Rogers would bite on all those double moves earlier in the year. And with Springs out, regardless of cushions, he did show that he can't cover a #1 WR yet. He did need to improve on some things, and I think he has to some extent. Plus the safeties are now playing better.

I can see Matty's point, I don't think we can be completely confident with just him and Springs. We need to bring someone in who can compete at the same level, if not better. Fox and Vincent have done an admirable fill-in job, but what we really need to focus on is improving the SS position. I'll bet Rogers and Springs will both look a ton better with a better SS in the fold with some range and the ability to communicate with ST. So maybe like Matty said, you bring in that new CB and let Springs play SS. That strengthens all the links in the secondary's chain, and all of a sudden they may all look better.

Or maybe you get serious about a SS in the draft, or poaching Michael Lewis from the Eagles.

I really believe the cushion Rogers has played with is more scheme than it is his personal playing style. It makes sense when you think about it. When he was asked about this in a chat on ES he also said it was the scheme.