Rivera rebuild can get big jump-start
He faced similar situation 9 years ago and acted quickly
Ron Rivera’s first free agency as a head coach came in the frenzied late July days following the 2011 NFL lockout, when teams scrambled to sign free agents and fill rosters while training camp opened.
As practices started, Rivera had 25 players on his 90-man roster he had never met.
Whatever the league decides to do in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak with free agency — starting next week without player visits or pushing the signing period off until April — it is unlikely to be more hectic than what happened in 2011. And yet despite the chaos of that summer, the moves Rivera and Carolina Panthers general manager Marty Hurney made in those first days of free agency helped build the foundation for a franchise that would go to the Super Bowl four seasons later.
With currently around $61 million in salary-cap room and the second overall pick in April’s NFL draft, this may be Rivera’s most important offseason with the Washington Redskins.
At his hiring news conference Jan. 2, he was adamant that he wants to win quickly, confessing a lack of patience for the slow build. Redskins owner Daniel Snyder has given him complete control to build the team, and these next two months could go far toward determining how fast the franchise recovers from last year’s 3-13 disaster.
Many around the league expect Rivera to be aggressive in this year’s free agency, given the glaring needs on Washington’s roster. He always has sounded optimistic about the team’s talent, believing there are more promising players than last season’s result might indicate. He asked his assistant coaches to study last year’s roster and identify a core group of players to build around and promoted college scouting director Kyle Smith to vice president of player personnel and tasked him to present a plan for filling the gaps.
“We’re going to ID which positions we think we should go out in free agency and spend the money on, and try and take care of those,” Rivera said at last month’s NFL scouting combine. “I don’t want to fill in all the holes with them because then you’re not going after the high-quality guys because you can only spend so much money . ... Sitting down with Kyle and talking about it, there’s several groups out there that can support the groups we need.”
Back in 2011, Rivera and Hurney talked a lot about the “core” of Carolina’s team. The Panthers had been horrible the year before, going 2-14, but they also had talent and the No. 1 pick in the draft, which turned out to be Cam Newton.
Rivera and Hurney moved quickly in that frenzied week of free agency to keep their “core” and find pieces to fit around it. What they did in those chaotic days of free agency could provide a guide for what Rivera and Smith might do this spring.
Rivera and Hurney flew to Miami as free agency opened to make a personal pitch to the player they wanted most to keep: defensive end Charles Johnson. After convincing Johnson to re-sign with the Panthers, they moved to keep others from that core, including wide receiver Steve Smith, running back DeAngelo Williams, safety Charles Godfrey and linebacker Thomas Davis.
Carolina made a series of smaller free-agent signings, bringing in players from other teams on short contracts, and also traded for Chicago Bears tight end Greg Olsen, whom the Panthers signed to a four-year, $24 million contract.
All of those key players re-signed and signed in that crazed week of free agency became critical pieces as Rivera’s Panthers jumped to 6-10 in 2011, then 7-9 in 2012 before winning the NFC South three straight times. While the Redskins’ situation is different, there are similarities in how Rivera has approached this offseason.
He has worked to try to keep several of Washington’s free agents, including guards Brandon Scherff and Ereck Flowers and linebacker Jon Bostic. He has tried to convince star left tackle Trent Williams to come back to the team after Williams missed all of last season in a dispute with former team President Bruce Allen, only letting Williams seek a trade after those talks stalled.
As in 2011, Rivera is likely to look for players he can build around this year. The Redskins won’t have as many free agents to re-sign as the Panthers did in 2011, but he seems determined to make a few key signings who will have impact for several seasons to come.
“To think we can fill all those holes at once and try and do that, you’re not going to get enough of the quality guys,” Rivera said at the combine.
Many around the league believe Rivera will try hard to sign his top cornerback in Carolina, James Bradberry, filling a key position with a player he trusts. Rivera also is likely to pursue a tight end such as the Atlanta Falcons’ Austin Hooper, given Rivera’s belief that a good tight end is critical to his offense and Washington’s current lack of tight ends.
But what other moves will he make? Will he pay for an experienced quarterback to compete with Dwayne Haskins? Will he chase a top wide receiver, even though this might be the best receiver draft in recent memory?
Rivera’s past says he won’t make many signings, but they will be significant. It could be his most important offseason as Redskins coach.