4 Players Redskins Should Trade Before Tuesday's Deadline

Washington probably won't, but they should be looking to purge veterans in exchange for draft compensation.

© Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Redskins aren't competing this year, nor next year, so why not use their handful of assets that already won't be around by the time the team is competitive to help build for the future? Washington has a history of losing and it all circles back to the men in charge. While it's easy to place blame on Bruce Allen, and he assuredly has created a bad situation with his stewardship of the organization, the trail of misery begins with Dan Snyder.

Bill Callahan, an interim replacement for Jay Gruden, is the 8th coach since Snyder bought the franchise. None of the previous seven left with a winning record, and the only one to be at .500 was fired after just one season. It's going to be extremely difficult to lure any coach with options to the Washington franchise. That doesn't mean they can't find someone; NFL jobs are limited and that means there will be some attraction to one of the 32 positions no matter what. But having a cupboard full of draft picks to help replenish the roster around their few stars is a great way to put lipstick on the pig.

Here's who could fetch some prize draft capital in return

LT Trent Williams

The elephant in the room is that Williams is likely going to report before the season is over, so that he can accrue a year of play towards free agency. That deadline is fast approaching, and Washington is doing their best to salvage what they think they have of a reputation. They don't want to be seen as caving to a holdout, when they clearly aren't aware that they already have a reputation as the place to get paid big money and not have to do any of the work.

The brighter idea would be to clean house so the young veterans can create their own culture under a new head coach and waiting until the offseason to trade Williams probably won't do anything to increase his value. Teams are willing to give up high draft picks right now. 

Williams could net Washington a first-round pick.

RG Brandon Scherff

Scherff is not having his typical season, but most suitors probably still believe in his promise as a centerpiece offensive lineman. The Redskins have not been able to work out a long-term agreement with him as he plays out the fifth-year option on his deal. The club has the option to franchise tag him in the offseason, but no one would blame them if they wanted to avoid the road of multiple tags on a player that culminates with Kirk Cousins embarrassing them on Thursday night while wearing a Minnesota Vikings uniform.

If Scherff walks, the best they'd get is a third-round compensatory pick in 2021. Trade him for a second-round pick now and jumpstart finding his replacement.

QB Case Keenum

He's on an expiring contract, why not get a Day 3 pick for him? Let Colt McCoy be the veteran QB and prepare Dwayne Haskins to take the reigns over the last four or five games of the season. 

OLB Ryan Kerrigan

Kerrigan still has some juice left to be extracted, but this one should be looked at as both beneficial and a mercy kill. Let that man move on to an organization which could grant him a competitive environment after all he's done for the organization. Kerrigan still has another year of control left, and it makes no sense to pay him $11.5 million in 2020 when the keys will be handed to Haskins to get the in-game experience he should've been receiving this year.

Kerrigan could net Washington a third-round pick, and top-100 players on rookie deals are exactly what this organization needs right now. And the cap space taken up currently could be spent on young veterans with four-to-five year windows of elite play remaining.