NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 13: Nick Foles #9 of the Philadelphia Eagles warms up before the NFC Divisional Playoff against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
The Washington Redskins might be facing a serious dilemma at the most important position in football this upcoming season, and the answer might lie very close to home.
It was a season of challenges for the Redskins this past year. That tends to happen when you lose your starting quarterback to a horrific leg injury.
Alex Smith appears to be recovering from his badly broken leg suffered in the middle of November, but he might not be ready to take the field for the team in this upcoming season. According to Ian Rapoport, the Redskins don’t expect Smith to play at any point in the 2019 season, putting them in the market for a replacement at least in the short term.
With all due respect to the trio of Colt McCoy, Mark Sanchez and Josh Johnson, they won’t cut it in the NFL at this point. One of the premier options is going to be Nick Foles, a potential marriage our very own Ian Wharton dove into recently.
Wharton points out that Foles would be an excellent fit for the Jay Gruden offense from a schematic standpoint. He’s a veteran who will keep the unit on point and would could also benefit from having running back Derrius Guice return from an ACL tear before his rookie season even really got started. Guice faced his own setbacks in his rehab but should still be ready to go this year.
Since the contract situation appears to point towards Foles being a free agent, what becomes the next hurdle for Washington is money. They already have Alex Smith on the books through at least 2020 with a very hefty salary, so fitting Foles could be a challenge. He’ll be heavily sought after by multiple teams if he hits the market and will be looking for a nice payday.
After all, he won a Super Bowl last year and led the Eagles to the playoffs from the brink of a lost season before bowing out to the Saints.
From Washington’s perspective, it could be a playoff contender this year with the right solution at quarterback. The draft class doesn’t appear to have a slam-dunk option to come in and start for a team with playoff aspirations and the free agency market could be thin as well. Foles would be the best possible option, provided the money can be work for all parties involved.