|
|
||
GRANT PAULSEN: Redskins needlessly put themselves in a hole by releasing Taylor, Evans Date published: 3/8/2009
THE WASHINGTON You'd have to search diligently to find somebody who liked those signings more than I did. But I feel Vinny Cerrato and Dan Snyder have dropped the ball in the week since. Two of the four defensive ends the Redskins used most frequently last year are now gone. Jason Taylor was released on Tuesday, and Demetric Evans signed with the San Francisco 49ers on Wednesday. Each started games opposite Andre Carter last year. Taylor was largely unproductive in his only season in D.C., but the Redskins gave up a lot to get him. Cutting Taylor barely six months after Washington gave up second- and sixth-round draft picks to acquire him seems silly--especially considering that defensive end is a weak spot, Taylor's 3 sacks last year weren't the return on their investment Cerrato and Snyder were hoping for. But the guy was battling through serious calf and knee injuries. And it wasn't as if Taylor had an Albert Haynesworth next to him Evans' departure should frustrate Redskins fans even more. Unlike Taylor, Evans didn't come with a large price tag. He's also coming off a season in which he exceeded expectations. "It's going to be tough leaving people and home behind," Evans said via text message this week. "But I think the change is going to work out for the best." I file Evans in the same category as Antonio Pierce and Ryan Clark. He was a "core Redskin" (as Joe Gibbs would've called him) who wasn't re-signed because Washington was busy looking for bigger-name (and higher-priced) guys. Pierce helped the Giants win the Super Bowl last year. Clark helped the Steelers win the Super Bowl this year. Evans probably won't appear in a Pro Bowl. But he's a stout option and the kind of guy you don't have to worry about at a position where the Redskins have been doing nothing but worrying.
1. Be respectful. No personal attacks.
|
|
||||||||||||
