With questions all over the roster and currently an incomplete coaching staff, the Redskins find themselves with plenty of holes to fill.

The team still needs to find a linebackers coach, and there is some question if Washington will be able to get a new contract done with defensive line coach Jim Tomsula.

Beyond those spots, there is zero certainty about the quarterback position for 2019. Colt McCoy looks like the Week 1 starter while Alex Smith has significant work to do to make it back from a serious leg injury.

On top of all that, the Redskins have four starters set to become free agents when the new NFL calendar starts in mid-March: Adrian Peterson, Jamison Crowder, Preston Smith and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

It's arguable which players the 'Skins need to re-sign and which players the team can let walk.

Peterson was Washington's best player in 2018. Smith is an athletic pass rusher in a league that doesn't have enough. When healthy, Crowder is one of the best slot receivers in the NFL. Clinton-Dix is a former Pro Bowler that might be able to regain that form for a bargain.

But according to Bruce Allen, those conversations won't even really get started until the NFL Scouting Combine in late February.

Speaking at the Senior Bowl, Allen explained that the Redskins contract guru Eric Schaffer has begun some conversations with the pending free agents, but no major progress should be expected until the Combine. Allen did not provide specifics about what players' representatives that Schaffer has engaged in conversations.

While it's customary for the Combine to serve as an unofficial incubator for NFL executives and player's agents to begin fleshing out the free agent market, the Redskins do have an exclusive opportunity right now to try and retain their own free agents.

Particularly, a player like Peterson might be inclined to get a deal done before free agency opens, given a contract serves up enough guaranteed money.

Peterson was impressive in 2018, rushing for more than 1,000 yards for the Redskins and playing in 16 games. He will turn 34 in March, and when true free agency opens, there will be a number of younger but less accomplished players available.

Last season, Peterson did not get much interest on the free agent market and didn't even sign with Washington until halfway through the preseason. He is the type of player that might appreciate the continuity of staying with one team, again, assuming the money is right.

Smith would be crazy not to test free agency. He could be in line for a big payday, even after a statistically down 2018 season. He can get to the passer, and teams pay big money for that.

Crowder is harder to figure out. He's been very impressive in spurts of his four seasons with Washington, particularly his second year when he logged 847 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Last year, however, he played in just nine games and dealt with a number of injuries.

Clinton-Dix won't generate early interest. Washington would be smart to wait and see what his market looks like before making a decision or contract offer.

The clock is ticking on the Redskins exclusive window to talk with their own pending free agents, but it doesn't sound like the team is too pressed to speed things up. That changes at the Combine.

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