What can the Redskins expect as compensation? The market was
set yesterday when Daunte Culpepper went to the Dolphins for their second-round
selection. Culpepper is a three-time Pro Bowl performer, albeit one with a
questionable knee. You would have to think that the value of Ramsey, a couple
of years younger but with a lesser resume, is a few rounds lower than that.
That is, if the Redskins can get anything at all for him.
Knowing that Ramsey would be gone, signing Collins, who knows Al Saunders’
offense having played for him in Kansas City, was the smart and prudent thing
for the Redskins to do. The down side of the move was that potential trading
partners now know that Ramsey will have to be removed from the roster one way or
another. Joe Gibbs’ talk of the Redskins needing to get a good deal or there
would be no deal at all is now exposed as a bluff. They may just choose to wait
for the Redskins to release Ramsey and take their chances at luring him on the
open market.
Among the teams in the market for a quarterback are Oakland,
Miami (they still need depth after the Culpepper deal), Minnesota, the Jets and
perhaps a few others. The market isn’t exactly flooded with quarterbacks, but there
are some veteran quarterbacks out there on the market such as Kerry Collins,
Jeff Garcia and Aaron Brooks. The teams in the market will have to decide if
they want a proven track record that the older guys will offer or if the
potential of a guy like Ramsey is the better way to go.
This drama has a little time to play out, but not much. If
the Redskins get to the point where they’re doing serious offseason work it
would be very awkward to have Ramsey there knowing that he’s essentially gone.
They need to get something done by draft day. Waiting to see if another QB gets
injured in the preseason, opening the door for a desperation deal, is not a
viable option.
It says here that if the Redskins get a phone call offering
a fifth-rounder, they had better jump on it. There will be an explosion among
the Redskins faithful out there for letting a first-round pick go for such a
bargain-basement price, but the market is what it is. If they hold out for much
more they might end up having to lose him for nothing.
