Redskins TE Situation

Chris Cooley's knee could be somewhat of a concern for the Redskins in 2012. (Photo: dunyaheadlines.com)

As I look at the Redskins roster I can't help but laugh at the mess that is the tight end position. Of the top two tight ends on the roster, one has a bad knee, Chris Cooley, and one has a drug problem, Fred Davis...it's okay to laugh!

Over the past three seasons, Chris Cooley has missed 20 games. In 2010, he played in all 16 games and had 77 receptions for 849 yards and 3 touchdowns. In 2011, he played in five games and had 8 receptions for 65 yards.

Cooley is only 29, so he has some years left in him, but, how many years does his knee have? According to rotoworld.com, Cooley is scheduled to make $3.8 million in 2012. If his knee is above 100 percent (I know...that's not possible), the Redskins may want to put that towards his medicals bills.

For me, he's got one season left. If he can prove that his knee is 100 percent, I'm sold. If not, either take a pay-cut or take a hike!

Fred Davis is a different case. Before he had his little..."mishap"...he was playing quite well for the Redskins. Prior to be suspended for the remainder of the season, Davis was well on his way to being the teams leading receiver with 59 receptions for 796 yards and 3 touchdowns.

The Redskins have already franchise tagged Davis so he will be around for at least one more season.

While the tight end position is not the biggest need for the Redskins, they do have some options if they want to address it.

A couple of free agents that pop out to me are Bo Scaife and Leonard Pope. Both are proven players that are not at the end of their career. They can be signed for minimum cash and that also makes them releasable if the don't pan out.

Looking towards the draft, if the Redskins draft a tight end, it should be done no sooner than the sixth round. They have many other holes they need to fill. But, I believe that a quality tight will be available in later rounds.

One player that I believe will be available is Adrien Robinson. Robinson, a 6' 4" 264 pound senior, will be a big target for whomever is playing quarterback for the Redskins. Another draftee that should be available towards the end of the draft is Brad Smelley from Alabama. Smelley is a 6' 3" 229 pound tight end that showed great blocking skills throughout his career with the Crimson Tide.

While the tight end position is not the Redskins biggest need, it is somewhat of a mess. There are a number of available free agents that would be useful to the Redskins, but, there is no need to spend big money on a big name tight end.