Thus far, the team has had some initial talks with the Cousins camp, but brass has yet to negotiate with the representatives for most of the other impending free agents.

In the mailbag today, we discuss this, and what it means for players’ chances of returning.

Thanks, as always, for taking part in the mailbag, and keep the questions coming. Email me at Mike.jones@washpost.com with the subject line “Mailbag question,” and we’ll do it all over again next Tuesday.

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Do you have any insight into the Redskins’ lack of communication with either DeSean Jackson or Pierre Garcon? I know it’s early on in the process, and I definitely get the thought behind letting one go for financial reasons (and arguments can be made for which one is more valuable to this team), but to let both go seems like a huge gamble to me. Without them, the receiving [corps] consists of a hyper-talented but injury prone tight end (Jordan Reed), a solid-but-33-year-old tight end (Vernon Davis), a rookie who missed his entire rookie year with a yet-to-be-diagnosed injury (Josh Doctson) and a talented slot receiver (Jamison Crowder). Going forward with that group would seem to be putting a lot more on Cousins, who they have yet to commit to. Not sure I understand the overall strategy here on offense.



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– Max Shrier, Arlington

It’s still extremely early. In years past, the Redskins haven’t done a lot of heavy negotiating this early in the year. So, there’s no need for concern because the Redskins haven’t yet engaged in intense negotiations with Pierre Garcon, DeSean Jackson or any other free impending agents. Look around the league; nobody else is either.

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Sure, some agents would love to get their client taken care of ASAP. But there’s not really a high sense of urgency this time of year. Generally, it’s not until the week of the combine, at the end of February, that teams and agents begin discussing these types of things and get an idea of the market value.

So, no need for concern right now. And, as far as the plan at wide receiver: From what I gather, it seems like Garcon has a better chance of returning than does Jackson. There’s mutual interest there. Jackson admittedly is intrigued by free agency, and the Redskins just seem kind of lukewarm on him right now. But I am with you on this, and I think Washington management is as well, regarding the state of the receiving corps sans Garcon and/or Jackson. That’s not enough to get it done. So, I expect a strong push for Garcon, and if they fail, another veteran wide receiver will be pursued in free agency.

Do you think that because Pierre Garcon and the Skins aren’t in talks of a new contract that he’s going to leave? And is it possible we lose both Garcon and DeSean?

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– Kaleb Metaferia, Silver Spring

No, I don’t think it’s a sign that Garcon is going to leave. The Redskins in the past have gotten re-signings done just before the start of free agency. I don’t expect anything to change. The Redskins want to re-sign Garcon. But will the sides be able to agree on his value? Market value calls for a deal that would pay him in the neighborhood of $9 million per year. But the Redskins will likely face some competition. I’d expect San Francisco, the Rams, the Bears, Eagles and Cowboys to all go after Garcon. He’s a great security blanket for a young quarterback. So, the Redskins can’t foolishly go at Garcon with a half-hearted effort. They need to give him the respect that he will receive elsewhere. I think he’d be a huge loss for Kirk Cousins and this offense. And as mentioned up above, anything’s possible. But I’d expect a Garcon re-signing and a Jackson departure.

What is the Redskins’ opinion of Nate Sudfeld? Is he part of any plans in the near future? I’ve heard he’s liked around the facility.

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– Rick Edwards

They like Sudfeld, and they think he’s got some promise. But, he remains very much a project player right now. I don’t think there’s anyone inside the Redskins’ building that would be comfortable starting Sudfeld in such an important year. I think they’re still more comfortable with Colt McCoy in that backup role. But, we’ll see what kind of progress Sudfeld makes this offseason.

With the 2017 schedule seemingly more stacked than the 2016 schedule initially, the Redskins obviously need to load up on talent. Who do you see as the top free agency targets, both in-house and out, that could provide immediate impacts?

– T.J. Settles, Arkansas

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The Redskins have some pressing needs, especially on the defensive side of the ball. But it’s hard to say how aggressive they’ll be in free agency. The Redskins haven’t gone hard in free agency for a number of years now. However, the top players at their positions of need include safety Eric Berry, defensive end Chandler Jones, defensive tackle Kawann Short, linebacker Dont’a Hightower, defensive tackle Brandon Williams. It’ll be interesting to who of these players receive franchise tags, and who remain available. I still don’t know that we can expect the Redskins to break the bank on any one player. I think they would prefer to take a more frugal approach and sign multiple mid-level players.

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I’ve seen a lot of mock drafts where the Redskins are passing on Jabrill Peppers, and taking a defensive lineman instead. I have heard many times that this is a lineman/pass-rush heavy draft, so why not take a safety in the first round, especially since that seemed to be a position of need? Just wondering.

– Nathaniel Koenick

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It’s so early, and mock drafts – especially in the first week of February – are just shots in the dark. Heck, even the ones that come out in late April are mostly guesstimates. So, while they’re interesting to look at, I wouldn’t lose sleep over any of them.

The Redskins have multiple needs: defensive line, inside linebacker, safety, maybe another pass rusher. So, they can help themselves in a variety of ways. Safety would make sense. I like Peppers, Budda Baker of Washington, and Malik Hooker of Ohio State, to name a few. It’s hard to say if any of them will be around by the time the Redskins are on the clock with the 17th overall pick. But, they all boast loads of potential. Would one of those players make more sense than one of the top players at the other areas of need? It’s hard to say. That kind of depends on what the Redskins have done in free agency, and also how the depth of the draft at safety compares to the depth at defensive line, or linebacker some other position.

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Can we expect a switch to a 4-3, or to stay with a 3-4?

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– Carter Furr, Norfolk

Jay Gruden has said that the defense will remain a 3-4 in base packages, but that they will also switch to a 4-3 at times, just as they have in years past. But all 3-4s are not the same, and all 4-3s aren’t the same. Greg Manusky’s defenses featured different gap assignments for his linemen than did Joe Barry’s.

More than anything, it’s approach and talent that matters. Alignments are overrated. The Redskins haven’t consistently stopped the run when in four-man fronts or three-man fronts. They haven’t gotten enough pressure on quarterbacks with four-man fronts or three-man fronts. If you don’t have talent, and you don’t have an aggressive mind-set, you’re not going to succeed. So, the Redskins need to first start by upgrading talent.

Someone should do some investigating and reporting and figure out what really happened with Matt Jones. I understand him being benched for his fumbling, but his being made inactive and essentially disappearing for the rest of the season seems to indicate that there was something else going on. Can’t you find out what happened?

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– William Warshauer

This isn’t really a secret. The coaches lost confidence in Matt Jones because he continued to struggle with ball security and decision-making. He was missing chances for better runs because he was indecisive. He struggled to pick up yards after contact. And he didn’t do well on special teams. So, all that adds up to inactive designations, week after week. Rob Kelley did a better job of taking care of the ball, running with patience and decisiveness and making something out of nothing. Mack Brown contributed on special teams. So, Jones was deemed the odd man out. I believe Gruden felt like it was a good lesson for Jones. The Redskins aren’t done with him, though. They hope he comes back from this and that this offseason, he works really hard to further develop and then competes with Kelley for the starting job.