The Washington Redskins have released starting safety Dashon Goldson after an absolutely abhorrent 2015 NFL season. This was the first year that Goldson was with the Redskins and clearly his last. In 2015 the safety only recorded 3 pass defenses, an interception and 110 combined tackles throughout 15 starts. He also managed to get a defensive touchdown and a forced fumble along the way.
The main issue with Goldson was the fact that his release would free up $8 million in cap space for Washington. The Redskins signed him to a 5-year, $41.25 million deal in the offseason and a terrible start turned into one of his least productive seasons as a starter. Goldson is 32 years old and this was his 10th season in the NFL. From 2013-2014 he played with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and originally was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers; who drafted him in the fourth round in 2007.
The Redskins had a busy start to the week as they have also released Jeron Johnson, Robert Griffin III and Jason Hatcher. The Redskins tagged quarterback Kirk Cousins who was about to hit free agency so they will attempt to get a long-term deal done with him in order to free up more cap space.
Washington must also decide on what to do with Alfred Morris, Terrance Knighton and Junior Galette. All three players have been productive in their own way, however the Redskins are more likely to draft a nose tackle than to resign Knighton. Galette is a troubled pass rusher who got released by the Saints during the 2015 season. Galette has already gotten the Redskins logo tattooed on his arm, so for his sake we hope he is resigned.
Morris is the one wild card as he has been Washington's primary back for quite some time; he even got the start in most of the games in 2015, however Matt Jones and other running backs saw more snaps. The Redskins will likely look to replace a lot of these players and make significant upgrades to their roster throughout free agency and during the 2016 NFL Draft.
