Zach Brown Washington Redskins Rumors: Dolphins, Bills, & Raiders Still Lurking


Zach Brown-Washington Redskins rumors are heating up following a report from Sunday, April 2. After meeting with the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills this NFL offseason, Brown has a meeting scheduled with the Redskins on Monday, April 3. Brown could represent the inside linebacker improvement that the franchise has been looking for, possibly making this a match during free agency.

The report by Washington Redskins beat writer Master Tesfatsion puts the 27-year-old Pro Bowl linebacker in contact with yet another team. Official meetings already took place with the Dolphins and Bills, while continued NFL rumors also link Zach Brown to the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders certainly have the money to offer him a nice contract, but have not had official contact yet.

Zach Brown’s contract for the 2016 NFL season was a very affordable one for the Buffalo Bills, as the team only had to pay $1.25 million for some exemplary stats. This could be why Brown has not signed with a new team yet because his asking price has likely gone up by quite a bit. That could make signing him an expensive endeavor for any team looking for an improvement at the linebacker position.

Brown played his first four NFL seasons with the Tennessee Titans, starting 33 games for the team, but saw his playing time take a big hit in the 2015 season. Though he played in all 16 games for the Titans, he only started five of them, leading to unimpressive numbers on his stat sheet. That allowed the Bills to swoop in and offer him an affordable contract that would yield nice dividends for the franchise.

[Image by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images]

These Zach Brown-Washington Redskins rumors are a direct result of the numbers he put up with the Buffalo Bills in 2016. Starting all 16 games for the Bills, Brown finished with 149 total tackles, an interception, four pass deflections, four sacks, and two forced fumbles. Brown was not only named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week early in the season, but also made the AFC Pro Bowl team. During the postseason awards, Brown was elected to the All-Pro Second Team by the Associated Press.

Getting Brown would serve as a huge upgrade for the Redskins at inside linebacker. The Redskins do have a bit of salary cap space left, but it might require some money maneuvering before training camp begins. At last count, the Redskins had about $6.2 million in unused space, taking into account the nice raise for quarterback Kirk Cousins. The Redskins also invested heavily in receivers Terrelle Pryor and Brian Quick this offseason, giving Cousins some more weapons to work with during the 2017 NFL season. Now the Washington Redskins rumors focus on the team improving its defense.

Last year, the team allowed 383 total points, making them the worst defense in the NFC East. The next closest team was the Philadelphia Eagles, who allowed 331 points. As a comparison, the New York Giants allowed 284 points and the Dallas Cowboys gave up 306 points. The Cowboys also sported one of the best offenses in the entire NFL, which is something that the Redskins defense is going to have to deal with for several more years, at least.

[Image by Brian Bahr/Getty Images]

There has been a lot of debate and mentions in previous NFL rumors about what the Redskins should do with their first-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Nearly every NFL mock draft has the team targeting defense, with possible players including Ohio State safety Malik Hooker, Florida defensive tackle Caleb Brantley, and Michigan linebacker Jabrill Peppers. If the Zach Brown-Washington Redskins rumors can actually lead to action from the front office, the signing would provide answers at the linebacker position, allowing the team to focus on the line or in the secondary when draft day rolls around.

[Featured Image by Michael Adamucci/Getty Images]

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