19. WASHINGTON (7-10)
LAST SEASON: Washington took advantage of a weak NFC East to win the division in coach Ron Rivera’s first season after a 1-5 start. Dwayne Haskins was benched as starting quarterback after four games and later released, with Alex Smith eventually taking over and leading the team to the playoffs. It took Smith winning at Philadelphia on a strained right calf to get Washington in, and the injury prevented the NFL Comeback Player of the Year from playing in the wild-card round loss to eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay.
FREE AGENCY: Lost CB Ronald Darby, CB Fabian Moreau, LB Kevin Pierre-Louis, TE Jeremy Sprinkle, LB Ryan Anderson. Released Smith, LS Nick Sundberg. Signed QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, WR Curtis Samuel, WR Adam Humphries, CB William Jackson, CB Darryl Roberts, C Tyler Larsen, LB David Mayo.
THEY NEED: OT, LB, TE, QB, RB, WR, S.
THEY DON’T NEED: DL, G, C, CB.
POSSIBLE FIRST PICK: North Dakota State QB Trey Lance, Virginia Tech OT Christian Darrisaw, Notre Dame LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Oklahoma State OT Teven Jenkins, Tulsa LB Zaven Collins, USC OL Alijah Vera-Tucker.
OUTLOOK: Washington has legitimate holes to fill at left tackle a year after trading Trent Williams, and at linebacker after losing Pierre-Louis in free agency. Even after signing Fitzpatrick, there’s still a temptation to trade up for one of the non-Trevor Lawrence or Zach Wilson QBs: Lance, Ohio State’s Justin Fields or Alabama’s Mac Jones. The safer bet would be drafting Darrisaw or another offensive lineman at 19 and taking a flier on a developmental signal caller on Day 2 or 3, such as Florida’s Kyle Trask.
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