ESPN: Nate Clements in Redskins' plans?

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by Bill B

If the Redskins go after and sign Clements will the team ask Springs to redo his contract or cut him?

From a salary cap standpoint, they have no motivation to cut Shawn Springs. If he's under contract, he'll count $7.3 million in 2007. If they cut him before June 1, he'd count $7.4 million in deadcap. So if they were going to cut Springs, it would be because they didn't think he fit the squad anymore. But they could save cap space by asking him to restructure his deal. He'd still get paid what his contract says, he'd just get it in the form of a lumpsum signing bonus instead of in game checks.

There's no reason to ask him to take a paycut. On the open market he's worth what his contract is scheduled to pay him.

All that aside, I think he's still a valuable player for us. He's still our best corner. If Clements came on board and Springs were healthy, they'd both be starters.

One of the biggest questions the defensive coaches will have to ask themselves is can we play top 10 defense again with Springs and Rogers as our starters, or do we need to get a top guy to pair with Springs? We know that K Wright probably isn't cutting it as a nickel. So the question is do the Skins go after a young CB to play nickel initially and eventually take over for Springs? Or do we need a stud right now because Rogers just won't cut it? I don't know the answer at this point - Rogers has quietly had a much better second half of the season.