Thanks, as always, for taking part in the mailbag. Keep the questions coming, and we’ll do it all over again next week.

Send questions to mike.jones@washpost.com with the subject line of “Mailbag question.”

Here we go!

The last two times the Redskins won division titles under Snyder, chaos and regime change came swiftly. Is this time any different? Feels like it is, but from an insider’s perspective are the Redskins better off today, moving forward than they where in 2012 or 1999?

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– Morris Vereen, Lynchburg, Va.

I wasn’t covering the team in 1999, but things definitely seemed more dysfunctional during that time. Remember, in the offseason leading up to the 2000 campaign, Daniel Snyder and Vinny Cerrato went and played fantasy football during the offseason, signing well-past-their-prime players like Deion Sanders and Bruce Smith, and Norv Turner had Jeff George forced on him in 2000 even though Brad Johnson had just had a fine season the year before. Clashes between Turner and his bosses led to his firing late in the season.

The 2013 campaign went poorly thanks partly to more clashes between Snyder and then-coach Mike Shanahan over the handling of Robert Griffin III, who was “all in for Week 1,” in a race to make a return from the reconstructive surgery of his right knee, despite not having taken any team snaps during training camp or playing in the preseason. Griffin, Mike Shanahan and Kyle Shanahan had their offseason clashes over the style of offense the team would run, and the quarterback didn’t fully trust his coaches, believing they played a role in his injury. Meanwhile, the Redskins didn’t do enough to upgrade the roster during the offseason, believing that they were better than they were (Bruce Allen later admitted this). Throw in that aging roster, the premature return of Griffin, and his struggles to play effectively while not fully healthy and not as fluent in the revamped offense as needed, and there you’ll find the reasons for the collapse.

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Things do seem like they’re headed in the right direction this time around, however. The Redskins have identified their quarterback, have young building blocks all over the roster, and a general manager who understands he needs to have another busy and effective offseason. You won’t find any complacency in Scot McCloughan or Jay Gruden’s minds. And, Snyder appears as if he will stay out of the way and let McCloughan and Gruden continue to build this roster. So, the infrastructure does indeed appear more sound. Will the Redskins go from 9-7 to 10-6 or 11-5 in 2016? No way to know. Growing pains and the improvements of divisional opponents could cause them to take a step backward win/loss wise. But that doesn’t necessarily mean regression.

Mike, I’ve had the argument with my brother about the Skins’ progress. He says the Skins benefited from a weak division and really aren’t that good. I say, yes the division wasn’t that good, but the Skins are better because they are now consistently beating teams that they should (mediocre teams). Why is it that the Pats dominate a bad division for 15 years and are labeled a dynasty but the ‘Skins do it and we’re a bad team in a “terrible” division?

– Al Soumah, Falls Church

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The Patriots never draw criticism for winning in a weak division because they do more than just win their division. They go on to make deep playoff runs year after year, and they have a recent Super Bowl trophy to hold up.

The Redskins couldn’t help all the calamities that went on in their division. They could only worry about their own circumstances. And so, they did, and they took care of business when it really mattered. Would it have been nice to see Washington win against an opponent with a winning record? Absolutely. But, it’s about making progress, and sometimes, that means baby steps. That’s what the Redskins did this season. Should you feel like they have arrived and are a lock to make the playoffs next season? No. McCloughan has a lot of work to do this offseason. It takes time to fully stock a roster and mold it into a legitimate contender. But, you shouldn’t have to apologize that your Redskins won the division this year, or place an “it didn’t count because …” asterisk by this season either.

I know it’s early, but what positions/individuals do you envision general manager Scot McCloughan targeting in free agency?

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– Kyle Rosner, Richmond, Va.

It’s too early to know exactly who the Redskins will target in free agency, because McCloughan, Jay Gruden and their staff members are still working on formulating that plan themselves. These first weeks of the offseason are spent evaluating their own roster and figuring out the biggest priorities.

We have a good idea of many of those needs just based on how things played out this past season, though. Obviously, re-signing Kirk Cousins is Priority No. 1. The Redskins also need to improve their center position by either signing a backup to Kory Lichtensteiger, if the decision-makers still have confidence in him, or by bringing in someone to compete with him for the job. A big-target receiver, whether a draft pick or free agent, is probably on the shopping list. Washington also needs to sign another running back capable of competing with Matt Jones for the starting job.

Defensively, the team has to get younger and more explosive on the defensive line. The inside linebacker position needs work. Will Compton is an exclusive-rights free agent, so he will likely be re-signed. But McCloughan and Joe Barry must decide if Compton, who had a strong season, is their best option as a starter going forward, or if they should find someone else. They also have to decide if Perry Riley Jr. is the best option to start at the other inside linebacker spot, or if they should re-sign Mason Foster and/or Keenan Robinson, or draft or sign another candidate. In the secondary, Washington should probably add more help at cornerback because of the uncertainty of Chris Culliver’s health as he comes off of anterior cruciate ligament surgery, and possibly draft another developmental safety to groom behind Dashon Goldson and DeAngelo Hall.

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Presuming they release RGIII, what would be McCoy’s motivation to stay as a surefire backup? He might be a good fit in Cleveland and others where they play this offense. If he goes, that leaves the Skins right where Dallas was in 2015, with no solid backup? Please discuss the possibilities.

– Ronald Tucker

McCoy has a lot of respect for Jay Gruden and Sean McVay, however, he definitely would like the chance to go somewhere to compete as a starter. A number of teams need a quarterback, with Houston, San Francisco, Philadelphia, the Rams, Cleveland and possibly the Jets ranking among them. If any of those teams pursued McCoy, he would have to weigh the question of how stable a situation those teams offer. A situation of dysfunction – even if it presented a possibility of winning a starting job – might not be better than a stable situation where you know the offense, know the coaches like you, and have the chance to play and succeed in the case of an injury to the starter.

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As he cleaned out his locker for the offseason, McCoy said he’ll have to weigh such pros and cons, but that he didn’t yet know which way he was leaning. The Redskins would probably like to re-sign McCoy to ensure they have good depth at that position. Even if they decide to draft a quarterback in the mid to late rounds, that player wouldn’t likely be ready to step in and play at a high level if Kirk Cousins got hurt. So, re-signing McCoy makes sense for Washington for sure.

Any news on Silas Redd’s rehab? Do you think he has a realistic shot to make the roster next year given the uncertainty over the other backs (Jones apart)?

– Steve Robinson

Redd is making progress in his recovery from the preseason ACL tear that cost him all of this past season. He remains under contract for 2016, but it’s still too early to know how things will play out here. Until Jones receives full clearance and is running through football drills, the Redskins won’t know anything. So, they can’t count on him right now.

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This offseason, they’ll likely look to the draft to add another running back, and possibly re-sign Pierre Thomas, who has expressed a desire to remain in Washington. Alfred Morris is likely to depart, and Chris Thompson is an exclusive-rights free agent, so that means he’ll likely re-sign here. But it’s hard to say where Redd would rank among the mix. He had good quickness and was more physical as a runner than Thompson. But because he played only sparingly as a rookie and not at all last season, he is definitely lacking in experience, compared to Thomas. This spring, once offseason practices begin, or training camp, are when we’ll probably know something more concrete on Redd’s status.

What is your opinion on our rookie safety Kyshoen Jarrett and how hard we should address the free and strong safety positions? He seems to barely get mentioned in the media. In my opinion, he played a pretty large role during the seven-game win streak.

– Ryan Scarzella, Germantown, Md.

Jarrett was mentioned throughout the season (here’s a feed of blog posts primarily about him) because of his versatility as a nickelback and safety, which came in very handy for the Redskins in their injury-riddled secondary. With veterans in and out of the lineup, he started six games. The big question going forward is whether or not he can develop into a full-time starter, or if he’s more of a nickel- and dime-package type of player and a special-teams contributor. Those are important roles, so that’s not to downplay that possibility. But, it’s the question.

It sounds as if the Redskins plan to enter 2016 with Dashon Goldson and DeAngelo Hall as their starting safeties. Management and coaches remain high on those veterans. From talking to people around the league about Jarrett, most believe he’s a valuable young piece to have, but they don’t see him as that difference-maker, big-impact safety that a defense needs. Could they wind up being wrong? And could Jarrett end up developing into a reliable Robin to a future Batman safety, kind of like Ryan Clark was to Sean Taylor? Absolutely. But, that’s just how outside talent evaluators see him right now.

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Because of the age of Hall (going on 33) and Goldson (going on 32), the Redskins would be smart to add another safety through the draft and use this year to develop him. Like Jarrett this year, he could wind up having to play sooner than expected. The Redskins would certainly hope not; having to play too soon and not having enough time to develop is part of what led to Phillip Thomas and Bacarri Rambo not working out here. But, McCloughan has to approach this position, like all of the others, as if you hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

E-mail a Redskins question to mike.jones@washpost.com, with the subject “Mailbag question,” and it might be answered Tuesday in the Mailbag.