Free Agency

At 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, NFL teams can begin signing unrestricted free agents.

For some teams and players, it will be a new beginning. For others, likely more of the same.

The NFL allows teams to negotiate with pending free agents before the signing date, so some deals are already essentially known. Players who were released were already free to sign (but don’t sign for free). And some will be let go, like longtime Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who may or may not be some desperate club’s salvation.

The most important part of free agency for savvy teams is retaining their own talent. Players previously acquired in the draft or by trade or through free agency are often the best fit. Of course, their demands sometimes cannot be met given the constraints of the salary cap and they move on. For better or worse, the Miami Dolphins moved to retain wide receiver Kenny Stills and defensive end Andre Branch because they know exactly what they have in these players.

And that brings us to Washington. (In the interest of full disclosure, this typist was employed in 2009-10 by the franchise as editorial director). Washington has an unhappy quarterback in Kirk Cousins, two receivers (Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson) who appear about to flee and, at the moment, no general manager in the building.

At the most critical time of the off-season – the scouting combine and the start of free agency – Scot McCloughan is nowhere to be seen, except near his home with his dog on a leash. It is being widely reported he will not be back with the team, the apparent victim of a power struggle with team president Bruce Allen. What an old, sad story.

This is when fans are often most hopeful about the season ahead. They know (or think they do) what holes the team must fill and how best to do it. They know (and they’re right) that this is when a planned and effective strategy can make the difference in building a playoff-caliber roster.

And Washington’s builder is missing. No one really knows if he will be back or why he left. This follows back-to-back winning seasons, which the team had not accomplished since (hold on to your hairpiece) 1996-97.

While other teams contemplate who to sign, Washington must figure out who will be doing the signing. And the free-agent market for general managers is thin indeed.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman