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Washington coach Jay Gruden has said the team won’t trade safety Su'a Cravens. The truth is that they will, if they get what they want.

The problem is that they currently want more than interested teams will offer. Per a league source, it’s believed that Washington wants a third-round pick for the 2016 second-round selection.

Cravens sat out all of the 2017 season after he left the team — and after the team shut him down for the year before he could rejoin the franchise. He now intends to return, but it’s fair to wonder whether everyone would be better off if he gets a fresh start.

Teams (like the Broncos) are interested in giving him that fresh start, but Washington seems to be unwilling to get what they can. Which means that, without a trade, Washington may eventually decide to cut Cravens, and to get nothing for him at all.

The best approach could be to make the compensation for Cravens a conditional pick in 2019, based on factors like how many games he plays, how well he performs, and/or how well his new team does. Absent something creative like that, it may be impossible for Washington and some other team to come up with an agreement on a possible deal for Cravens.