Hail to the Chief! Mr. Smith Goes to Washington! So, What Now?

As I sat in my favorite watering hole last night, basking in the afterglow of a Wall-less Wizards win over the Thunder, and actively trying to avoid the State of the Union happening just a mile away, a rather surprising story came across my twitter feed, from the Kansas City Star.  "Chiefs trade Alex Smith to Redskins".  I was shocked.  I showed the tweet to my friends behind the bar.  They didn't believe it.  Then the Washington Post picked up the story.  Then ESPN.  Then all sources confirmed the deal- Alex Smith to DC for a 3rd Rounder and Kendall Fuller, the extremely talented 22-year old cornerback who, in all likelihood, was going to be starting opposite Josh Norman for the Skins next season.  Suddenly, all media attention in the nation's capital switched from the orange dude with the bad hair to the new signal called for the local NFL franchise.  Is this a good move?  Why didn't they just re-sign Kirk Cousins to that extension Alex Smith got?  What does it mean for the upcoming NFL Draft?  How should we feel?  What should we do?  Panic?!

No need to panic, Skins fans.  Alex Smith is a solid QB, who actually put up better numbers last season that Cousins did, albeit with a Pro Bowl tight end, an explosive threat from the slot, and rookie RB that led the league in rushing.  The Redskins don't have any of that.  It doesn't mean that they can't get it though.  They have a fair amount of cap room for free agency.  They kept their top 2 picks in the draft.  This team can improve quickly.

Jarvis Landry may be the team's main target in free agency now.  The reliable young Dolphins receiver has caught more passes than any other player in history through his first four seasons.  He could help duplicate some of the success of Tyreek Hill.  If Jamison Crowder can bounce back, and Josh Doctson develop even more in his 3rd full season (2nd healthy), then Alex Smith will have a solid young WR corp.  I expect the team to also add a weapon on day 2 or 3 of the Draft, such as another WR or a new go-to tight end, since Jordan Reed cannot be counted on to stay healthy.  I am sure that the team will also look into running back upgrades, if the right player is there (I don't expect Le'Veon Bell to actually hit free agency, but Carlos Hyde might).

Losing Kendall Fuller hurts on and off the field.  He was one of the highest rated CBs in all of football last year while playing in the slot.  With the impending free agency of Bashaud Breeland, Fuller may have moved into a starting spot.  Furthermore, he found out he was being traded from twitter and reporters before he was told by his GM, another example of the incompetence of Bruce Allen.  Former Skins GM Scot McCloughan tweeted that he would have never traded Fuller.  Still, even with all of that said, Fuller is replaceable.  There are players that can fit that role.  Signing a guy like Malcolm Butler or Aaron Colvin would give the team a solid option opposite Norman, with Quentin Dunbar filling in the slot position.  There will be talented DBs available at the #13 pick, such as Josh Jackson from Iowa.  Now, Allen just has to make the right move.

So, it is a new era out in Landover, MD.  Will the Skins make the correct move to put talent around Alex Smith?  Will the Chiefs thrive with Patrick Mahomes and his monster arm?  What will happen to Kirk Cousins now (keep your eyes open for a post about that shortly)?  We will see.



A quick side note-  Thanks to the Washington Post Sports section for shouting me out when they changed their initial headline from "New Sheriff in Town" to my suggestion, "Hail to the Chief".  When I initially went to Syracuse, it was with the goal of eventually being a sports writer and columnist.  I grew up reading the Washington Post, with great writers like Kornheiser, Wilbon, Boswell, and Jenkins.  That dream fell by the wayside at some point unfortunately, but that is part of the reason why I started writing here.  That I actually got to contribute a headline to the print edition of my favorite paper, and get just a taste of that dream, is pretty damn cool.