Ranking all 6 NFL GM openings; Where do the Lions land?
By Jon Poole
3) Washington Football Team (7-9)
- owner: Dan Snyder
- head coach: Ron Rivera
- projected ’21 cap space: $47,945,860 (5th in NFL)
- projected ’21 draft pick: 19th-overall
As long as you don’t take all the ridiculous reasons why the team name of an NFL franchise is ‘Football Team’ as a bad omen … then to be honest it was hard for me to choose between Washington and Carolina for the second spot.
The Football Team has an already established defense ranking 5th in the NFL (through Week 16) and that’s primarily due to rookie and second-year defensive ends Chase Young and Montez Sweat. So they’re just getting started on that side of the ball in the nation’s capital.
The biggest question mark is a big one … quarterback. They just released Dwayne Haskins, the QB they took in the 1st-round last season. They have Alex Smith but his durability is about as solid as a pair of And 1’s … and I doubt they’ll be finding their QB of the future picking 19th.
Washington has a couple of young pieces on offense in rookie running back Antonio Gibson and second-year receiver Terry McLaurin, but not much else. Center Chase Roullier and Guard Brandon Scherff were bright spots on an inconsistent offensive line, but they’re also two decisions that have to be made as they’re both up for free agency in 2021.
Ownership: There are plenty of red flags for team owner Dan Snyder and his front office, maybe more than any in the NFL. I think the Washington and Carolina jobs are very close in appeal, but an owner like Snyder is definitely enough for some candidates to go their other route.