Chris Cooley was the longest tenured Redskin and is their all-time leading receiver as a tight end, but all good things come to an end. The Redskins cut the 2004 3^rd round pick, who has caught 428 passes for 4703 yards and 33 touchdowns over the course of 8 seasons for them. The writing appeared to be on the wall for Cooley all offseason as he missed most of last season with injury and only caught 8 passes. He lost his starting job to Fred Davis and was owed 3.85 million in salary and counted for 6.23 million against the cap (3rd highest on the team). Never one to be mistaken for a good blocker, Cooley’s explosiveness as a receiver is also mostly gone at this point in his career.

His only chance to make the roster was as an h-back/fullback type at a reduced rate, but Cooley was apparently not willing to take a pay cut because he still felt he could start somewhere in the league. Even only heading into his age 30 season, it’s unlikely someone would sign him to be a starter, especially at this stage of the offseason, but the Raiders, Bills, and Bears might all have significant roles for him, to name a few possibilities. The Panthers and Eagles are other possibilities if he’s fine with a more limited role. Both of those teams have shown interest in Jeremy Shockey, the other available big name veteran tight end.

If you’re interested in doing a fantasy football league with me, here’s the link (no draft date set yet, currently standard, with the option to become PPR with group vote). http://msn.foxsports.com/fantasy/football/commissioner/Registration/Private.aspx?league=55086&password=FanSpot2

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It’s official, Mike Shanahan hates fantasy football (in case you didn’t already know). Shanahan made an already murky running back situation even murkier by giving 6^th round rookie Alfred Morris two straight starts in the preseason, one because he wanted to see what he had and one because Evan Royster was hurt. Morris impressed, rushing for 195 yards and a touchdown on 39 carries.

Shanahan said that Morris could start week 1. Royster, most recently the presumed starter, is currently nursing a knee injury, while Roy Helu, at one point the presumed starter, is nursing an Achilles injury. Meanwhile, Tim Hightower, the starter last year before tearing his ACL, just saw his first preseason action last week, as the #2 back behind Morris.

Shanahan loves a murky running back situation. He loves his opponents not to know what kind of back they’ll have to game plan against and he loves to be able to switch running backs depending on the matchup. It’s a smart football philosophy, but it creates a wasteland in fantasy leagues. Morris, Hightower, Royster, and Helu could easily all get starts this season.

In fact, I’d be willing to bet that a running back not currently on their roster will get at least one start for them at running back this season (Ryan Torain?). Don’t draft any of their backs before the late rounds in fantasy leagues and only do it if you’re comfortable ripping out half your hair over the course of the season out of frustration with Shanahan.

If you’re interested in doing a fantasy football league with me, here’s the link (no draft date set yet, currently standard, with the option to become PPR with group vote). http://msn.foxsports.com/fantasy/football/commissioner/Registration/Private.aspx?league=55086&password=FanSpot2

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Chris Cooley has been a Redskins fixture since they drafted the tight end in the 3^rd round in 2004. Cooley has caught 428 passes for 4703 yards and 33 touchdowns in his career, all with the Redskins, and is the Redskins’ all-time leader in receptions by a tight end. However, Cooley missed 11 games with knee problems last year and was limited in several others, catching just 8 passes. Fred Davis has emerged as an above average tight end in his absence, catching 59 passes for 796 yards and 3 touchdowns in 12 games last season. Owed 3.85 million in salary and counting 6.23 million against the cap (3^rd highest on the team), speculation that Cooley could be a final cut or cut even before then is pretty prominent.

The Redskins have been using Cooley a lot this Training Camp and preseason, in an effort to see how his surgically repaired knee holds up. They’ve used him in many creative ways, playing him as an h-back and a fullback in addition to a tight end. Given how entrenched Davis has become at tight end, that’s almost a necessity. Cooley is actually currently listed as the Redskins’ starting fullback. If Cooley agrees to a pay cut before the final cuts deadline, he might be able to stick on the roster, assuming the Redskins are comfortable with his knee. The Redskins do have a need for a fullback and Cooley, still only heading into his age 30 season, would be a valuable locker room guy as well.

If you’re interested in doing a fantasy football league with me, here’s the link (no draft date set yet, currently standard, with the option to become PPR with group vote). http://msn.foxsports.com/fantasy/football/commissioner/Registration/Private.aspx?league=55086&password=FanSpot2

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TE Fred Davis

Players aren’t franchised two years in a row very often and Davis was franchised this offseason, but he does make sense as an exception. The tight end franchise tag value is still relatively cheap, the cheapest of any non-special teamer (5.4 million in 2012). The Redskins could franchise him for the 2nd time in 2013 at the rate of just 6.48 million, which is much, much cheaper than franchising any other position for the 2nd time.

Davis was on pace for 79 catches for 1061 yards and 4 touchdowns before getting suspended for 4 games last season. The reason the two sides did not reach a long term agreement this offseason was because Davis felt he could produce elite tight end numbers and the Redskins wouldn’t pay him like an elite tight end without actually seeing it over a full season, rather than on a per game basis. With better quarterback play in 2012, if he even approaches those numbers, Davis would be worthy that “re-franchised” figure.

Likelihood: Likely

K Neil Rackers

Punters and kickers are the most often franchised because the franchise tag values for them are very cheap and franchising them makes a lot more sense than giving them a long term deal. However, they’re almost always franchised only when the team doesn’t have someone more important to franchise. If they choose not to tag Davis again, for whatever reason, Rackers could be a candidate. He’s a career 80.0% kicker.

Likelihood: Unlikely

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Santana Moss has had a remarkable turnaround this offseason. Once seen as a player on the roster bubble, after the additions of Pierre Garcon and Josh Morgan, Moss was kept over Jabar Gaffney, who is younger and was more productive last year. Moss then got himself into fantastic shape and really impressed in offseason practices. Now he has shown up at 189 pounds (at 5-10) for Training Camp, down roughly 15 pounds from last season, when he admits he was out of shape and overweight.

Moss is currently working as the primary slot receiver only, while 2011 3^rd round pick Leonard Hankerson works as the starter opposite Pierre Garcon. However, he’s in the competition for the starting job with Hankerson and, to some extent, Morgan. Hankerson is inexperienced and Morgan is marginal at best, so Moss definitely has a chance to be the week 1 starter opposite Pierre Garcon.

Some even speculate that he could lead the team in receiving. I give him an outside shot of doing that because Pierre Garcon has never been a #1 receiver and because receivers switching teams don’t have a great track record. However, doing so would require him to have a bounce back year at age 33 after catching 46 passes for 584 yards and 4 touchdowns last year. That’s possible (see Smith, Steve), but not likely. He is less than 2 years removed from catching 89 passes in 2010, however. I think he’ll finish the season as the Redskins’ 3^rd leading receiver behind Garcon and tight end Fred Davis.

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Proving once again that Mike Shanahan hates fantasy football, Evan Royster, not Tim Hightower or Roy Helu, took the 1^st team snaps for the Redskins in Training Camp. Hightower is still recovering from the torn ACL that ended his 2011 season, while the Redskins apparently view Helu as more of a change of pace option.

However, it’s Mike Shanahan, so this is all subject to change. Hightower will be ready to go by week 1 and could supplant Royster as the starter or Helu, who had more carries than Royster last year, could flip spots with Rosyter at any time. Any one of these three backs could be their week 1 starter and he can change his mind on a weekly basis thereafter depending on the matchup without telling anyone.

Drafting any of Washington’s backs could lead to you missing half your hair by the end of the season out of frustration with the inconsistency. I’d stay away from Helu at his current ADP in the 6^th round and Hightower at his current ADP in the 11^th round, though Royster is worth the frustration as a late round pick. His ADP is currently undrafted.

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According to ESPN NFC East reporter Dan Graziano, Santana Moss still has a chance to be the Redskins’ #1 receiver. That’s a pretty big leap for the man who was once considered to be on the roster bubble after the Redskins added both Pierre Garcon and Josh Morgan this offseason. However, a window opened when the Redskins cut Jabar Gaffney and Moss took it and ran, losing 15 pounds and putting himself in phenomenal shape. He’s reportedly been incredibly impressive this offseason in practice.

At the very least, Santana Moss will be the Redskins’ slot receiver, but he’ll compete with Josh Morgan and Leonard Hankerson for the starting job opposite Garcon. If Moss wins it, he’d move to the slot in 3-wide receiver sets and their #3 receiver would play outside. I actually think Moss is the favorite over the marginal Josh Morgan and the unproven Leonard Hankerson and given how much receivers can struggle when changing teams, I give Moss an outside shot to lead the team in receiving over Pierre Garcon.

My biggest concern is that Moss is 33 and had just 46 catches for 584 yards and 6 touchdowns last year, while dealing with injuries, age, and poor conditioning. A strong year this year would mean a bounce back year at age 33, which rarely happens (don’t see Smith, Steve). Still, Moss is a talented player who caught a career high 93 passes for 1115 yards and 6 touchdowns as recently as 2010 and surpassed 790 yards in every season from 2003-2010, despite inconsistent quarterback play. He’s 858 yards away from 10000 and I think he’ll get it at some point, maybe even this season.

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According to ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano, if healthy, Tim Hightower will be the Redskins’ starting running back next season. This is notable because Graziano is the reporter who first predicted Hightower would start last year and he did. Hightower rushed for 321 yards and a score on 84 carries last season in 5 games before getting hurt. In his absence, both Evan Royster and Roy Helu played well and exceeded Hightower’s mere 3.8 YPC, but Shanahan seems to have a thing for Hightower, though Graziano admitted that Helu and Royster will see carries.

Mike Shanahan is notoriously inconsistent with his running backs and can change them up on a weekly basis depending on the opponent, with no warning to the public. It’s a smart football move, but it’s incredibly frustrating for fantasy football owners so stay away from Washington’s entire backfield this year. Let them be someone else’s problem. Even 6^th round rookie Alfred Morris could be in the mix and don’t rule out Shanahan calling up his old pal Ryan Torain, who really struggled down the stretch last season.

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