Crazy Trade Idea With Redskins

[HPF Bob]

LT Trent Williams, a multiple all-pro, had a health issue this winter that he blames the Redskins for mishandling and now claims he'll never play for the team again. Perhaps it really is just a tactic to renegotiate a new contract but, if he's serious, I would consider the following trade:

Washington sends:
LT Trent Williams
OLB Montez Sweat

Houston sends:
DE-OLB Jadeveon Clowney
any OT currently on our roster
3rd round 2020 draft pick

Why Washington does it:
Gets rid of a player who doesn't want to be there.
Gets a proven impact pass rusher, something they wanted from Sweat
Gets either a replacement (Kalil) at LT or someone they can groom for the position (Howard, Sharping, Rankin)

Why Houston does it:
Solves their LT issue for the next 3-5 years
Gets a solid edge rusher who does have potential to be great but also has a heart condition that will need watching.
Gets Clowney's impasse off the table.

The third-rounder is just in case the Redskins feel they are giving up more than they are getting in return. Williams is four-years older and Sweat is a career health risk but we'd, at long last, fix the LT position and perhaps not lose much on the defensive side. If it works, losing the third is not a big deal.

Thoughts ((ducking))?

[nunusguy]

Gots to give it up for you Bob because that's very imaginative.

[barrett]

LT Trent Williams, a multiple all-pro, had a health issue this winter that he blames the Redskins for mishandling and now claims he'll never play for the team again. Perhaps it really is just a tactic to renegotiate a new contract but, if he's serious, I would consider the following trade:

Washington sends:
LT Trent Williams
OLB Montez Sweat

Houston sends:
DE-OLB Jadeveon Clowney
any OT currently on our roster
3rd round 2020 draft pick

Why Washington does it:
Gets rid of a player who doesn't want to be there.
Gets a proven impact pass rusher, something they wanted from Sweat
Gets either a replacement (Kalil) at LT or someone they can groom for the position (Howard, Sharping, Rankin)

Why Houston does it:
Solves their LT issue for the next 3-5 years
Gets a solid edge rusher who does have potential to be great but also has a heart condition that will need watching.
Gets Clowney's impasse off the table.

The third-rounder is just in case the Redskins feel they are giving up more than they are getting in return. Williams is four-years older and Sweat is a career health risk but we'd, at long last, fix the LT position and perhaps not lose much on the defensive side. If it works, losing the third is not a big deal.

Thoughts ((ducking))?

Washington has a guy who wants out and we have a DPOY candidate in his prime and we are the ones giving up the 3rd rounder?

Seattle traded Frank Clark for a 1st and 2nd round pick and most would call Clowney at least his equal as a player. No way we would add a meaningful draft pick to this deal.

[HPF Bob]

I thought the Skins would be underwhelmed about the potential LTs we might be able to offer them, that's the main purpose of the third-rounder. Sweat is one of their first-rounders from this spring so, in my mind:

Multiple All-Pro at critical position plus first-rounder from current draft

in exchange for

Multiple All-Pro at important position plus major band-aid at LT plus third-rounder.

Khalil is a former first-rounder with an inconsistent track record. Howard or Sharping could be good but they'll probably need a year or two of development first.

In a roundabout way, we are getting two firsts for Clowney. There were many who said, but for the heart risk, Sweat would have been a top 10 draftee.

[chuck]

Let's sweeten the pot by dangling one of our OTs!

Is that drunk guy still the GM over there?

[barrett]

I thought the Skins would be underwhelmed about the potential LTs we might be able to offer them, that's the main purpose of the third-rounder. Sweat is one of their first-rounders from this spring so, in my mind:

Multiple All-Pro at critical position plus first-rounder from current draft

in exchange for

Multiple All-Pro at important position plus major band-aid at LT plus third-rounder.

Khalil is a former first-rounder with an inconsistent track record. Howard or Sharping could be good but they'll probably need a year or two of development first.

In a roundabout way, we are getting two firsts for Clowney. There were many who said, but for the heart risk, Sweat would have been a top 10 draftee.

I didn't recognize Sweat. That makes more sense from an equality standpoint but makes it less realistic. Teams don't trade 1st round picks who sign before they ever play a game. Can't remember the last time that happened.

[HPF Bob]

It's truly rare that a team trades their first-round QB after just one year but Arizona did just that. Still, your point is made.

I see an opportunity to fix two problems (hole at LT, Clowney's holdout) and coming up with an idea, that's all. I'm not fond of the idea of exposing our franchise QB we've waited three years to find to a 2-3 year trial-and-error period at LT.

[barrett]

It's truly rare that a team trades their first-round QB after just one year but Arizona did just that. Still, your point is made.

I see an opportunity to fix two problems (hole at LT, Clowney's holdout) and coming up with an idea, that's all. I'm not fond of the idea of exposing our franchise QB we've waited three years to find to a 2-3 year trial-and-error period at LT.

But this wouldn't be after a year. Sweat was just drafted and has never played. What Arizona did is rare enough but I can't remember anyone trading a guy who signed before he played a snap.

[chuck]

There's an reply to a letter in the Athletic broaching this very thing.

Any chance the Texans would trade for Trent Williams? He would solve a huge hole and the team should have the cap room for him. — Buford H.

I doubt it, but I get your logic.

Let’s first dig into why trading for Williams makes sense. Houston still has over $40 million cap space (second behind the Colts), and although Tytus Howard and Max Scharping might turn into the team’s offensive tackles of the future, it’s hard to know that right now. As the offseason program winds down, both men are practicing on the inside and outside. It’s unclear how much they’ll improve the line as rookies. Williams, on the other hand, has made seven consecutive Pro Bowls.

So why will the Texans probably not make a deal for him? Trading for Williams runs counter to general manager Brian Gaine’s entire M.O. this offseason. Despite having a huge need for a tackle, he let the Oakland Raiders make Trent Brown the richest offensive lineman in league history. And he didn’t move up a spot in the draft to grab Andre Dillard, who was widely regarded as a more pro-ready prospect than Howard. Right or wrong, Gaine doesn’t believe he needs to be overly aggressive to improve his line.

It’s unclear what exactly Williams’ absence from Redskins practice is really about — his contract or his issues with the team’s medical staff. If he does want a new deal, then it is worth considering that he will be 31 next season and hasn’t played in 16 games since 2013. Is this someone whom the Texans should invest big, long-term money into? Even if they front-loaded a new contract for Williams to utilize their immediate cap space and provide their line with a quick-fix, an obvious question would present itself: Why not instead offer big money upfront to Jadeveon Clowney, so Houston can fit him into its long term plans while maintaining room for Deshaun Watson’s second contract?

Maybe the Texans will look foolish for not adding established, sure-fire answers to their offensive line through free agency and the trade market during this offseason. Or maybe Howard and Scharping will excel as rookies. Regardless, Houston made Howard the highest-drafted offensive lineman in franchise history with hopes that he’ll occupy the left tackle spot for years to come. Adding Williams at the same might stunt the rookie’s development.

[chuck]

And in the most Texans thing ever, they just fired Gaine. So it'll have to be someone else who trades for Williams.

[HPF Bob]

LOL. That sounds like MY sense of timing. I'd be the one caught holding up the "Madame President" Newsweek cover on Election Night.

[chuck]

I'd be the one caught holding up the "Madame President" Newsweek cover on Election Night.

Somehow I doubt that.

[HPF Bob]

I'm too young to hold up "Dewey Defeats Truman".