The Washington Redskins have had a mostly quiet offseason so far this year, with the biggest news being the injury status of quarterback Robert Griffin III, but that changed on Wednesday as they brought in A.J. Smith in a senior executive position.
According to the Associated Press, The Redskins brought in the former San Diego Chargers general manager and announced the move on Wednesday. Smith spent nine seasons with the Chargers before being fired after the 2012 season along with head coach Norv Turner.
Smith was fired on Dec. 31 and now joins his son on the team, who has been working as an area scout for the Redskins the past two years. No details were given about Smith's position and the team currently has Bruce Allen at general manager, with coach Mike Shanahan making the final football decisions.
The addition of Smith could signal a potential free agent move for the Redskins, as they could go after one of his former players in cornerback Quentin Jammer, who is set to become a free agent on March 12. The Chargers have signaled that they not going to re-sign the corner and although he will be 33-years-old, he has played a consistent level while with San Diego and could provide dept for the Redskins.
The Redskins have DeAngelo Hall at cornerback, but the team ranked 30th in passing yards per game last season with 281 and could use to upgrade in coverage. Jammer has been a durable player during his 11-year career, playing in all 16 games in eight seasons. Jammer has missed only one game over the past five years and he has never played less than 14 games.
Last season he had three interceptions and 64 tackles, while he has picked of 21 passes in his career with the Chargers. Jammer scored two touchdowns last season and has been one of the most consistent players with San Diego over the past decade.
Smith assembled a number of competitive teams during his tenure in San Diego, including players like Antonio Gates and Malcom Floyd. The Chargers are trying to get younger at the position and last month they claimed cornerback Johnny Patrick on waivers from the New Orleans Saints.
The Chargers are also set to lose cornerback Antoine Cason and he also could be a candidate to join Smith with the Redskins, as he had a solid year last season while making over 70 tackles and two interceptions.
