does veteran free agency hold any opportunities for replacing him?"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Looks Like Someone Has A Sixpack Of The MondaysDaily SlopRedskins RecapsESTShareTweetShareShareMore 2019 free agents: Tight EndsPhillip G. Pavely-USA TODAY SportsIn my earlier review based on a Top-50 free agents list Adrian Peterson Jersey , only one tight end was featured: 32-year-old Jared Cook.There are some interesting veteran free agent tight ends available to supplement a very strong draft class.Today I’ll shine the light briefly on four players: Maxx Williams Jesse James Nick Boyle Tyler KroftFor reference, here is the top of the list of NFL tight ends, in order of annual average salary, as per OverTheCap:The current Redskins depth chart is pretty simple:Jordan ReedVernon DavisJeremy SprinkleOf course, a few players got a look last season as injuries bit deeper and deeper into the ‘Skins roster:Matt FlanaganJ.P. HoltzMannasseh Garner These latter three seem destined for a career as depth/practice squad players, and the Redskins may have need of a legitimate playmaker in 2019.It is very possible that popular player and strong contributor, Vernon Davis, may become a cap casualty.The Redskins can save $5m in cap space by cutting him.But that would leave a gaping hole in the roster, as the Redskins need a reliable backup with playmaking ability to step in for Jordan Reed when (not if) he goes down with injury.It is even conceivable that Reed, who has talent but is too often injured, could be cut if the front office feels that his cap hits of $9.6m, $10.3m, and $9m over the coming three seasons simply aren’t justified.There may be room to completely re-make this 3-man unit by releasing both Reed & Davis (creating $11m in cap space) and replacing them with a veteran playmaker and a draft pick.At the very least, I think fans should be prepared to see the front office move on from Vernon Davis, even if it simply means giving his cap money to a younger player with a longer future career ahead of him.Free agency begins in earnest on 10 March, and players can sign new contracts from 4pm on 13 March, so, if the Redskins are going to cut some veterans for cap space, expect the cuts to be announced imminently.Maxx Williams, RavensAaron Doster-USA TODAY SportsA lot of Redskins fans liked Maxx Williams coming out of college Joe Theismann Jersey , and he was a popular pick in mock drafts in the 2015 off season.He ended up being drafted in the 2nd round, 55th overall, by the Ravens.He hasn’t really distinguished himself or lived up to his draft expectations, playing in just 42 games and amassing less than 500 yards and 3 touchdowns in his career.He missed virtually the entire 2016 season, in which he didn’t record a statistic, and hasn’t managed to appear in more than 13 games since playing in 14 during his rookies season.For a fan base frustrated with Jordan Reed’s lack of game availability, WiIliams looks like a bad fit.Jesse James, PittsburghDouglas DeFelice-USA TODAY SportsAt 6’7” and 261 pounds, James was a beast coming out of Penn State in 2015, but wasn’t drafted until the 5th round when the Steelers, looking to replace the aging Heath Miller, picked him.Unlike Maxx Williams, who was taken more than 100 spots higher in the draft, James has paid off pretty well for the team that drafted him.Since missing half of his rookie season, James has played in every game for the past three years, caching 2 to 3 balls per game for around 370 yards per season.He has scored 9 touchdowns in his career.When compared to the stats put up by Jordan Reed, or even Vernon Davis, these numbers aren’t eye-popping, but James was filling a role in a very different type of offense where he was competing for touches with Le’veon Bell, Antonio Brown Sonny Jurgensen Jersey , JuJu Smith-Schuster, Martavis Bryant and others.With Jay Gruden and the Redskins’ tight end friendly offense, James could likely double his production, and his physically dominating size would be a welcome addition to a Redskins team that seems, increasingly, to be looking for bigger targets in the pass game, and better blockers in the run game.James certainly doesn’t sound like a man who will shed tears at the thought of leaving the team that drafted him; and it may be that he Steelers won’t be losing sleep over letting him walk either:It’s hard to understand why James would have played second banana to Ladarius Green or Vance McDonald.He seems as physically gifted as either of them, and his statistical production when he touched the ball wasn’t really worse.James has been consistently healthy over the past three seasons.He’s a big-bodied competitor that would add size to Jay Gruden’s offense.At just 24 years old, James could easily replace Vernon Davis, probably without increasing the 2019 salary cap burden, and has the potential to offer the Redskins a smooth transition whenever they are ready to move on from Jordan Reed.In a rare situation, the Redskins may be one of the most attractive opportunities around for this pending free agent.Washington has an offense that Jay Gruden has often said “runs through Jordan Reed”.Jesse James may have the opportunity to step in as an important part of the offense in 2019, and then provide a seamless transition into the team’s premier pass-catching tight end in 2020 and beyond.This is a veteran free agent target I like a lot.Round peg, round hole.Nick Boyle, RavensBob Donnan-USA TODAY SportsNever mind:Boyle (6-foot-4, 270 pounds) operated basically as a tight end-fullback hybrid in 2018.He often acted as a lead blocker for a ground game that, sparked by rookie Lamar Jackson’s insertion as the starting quarterback, finished No. 2 in the league with 152.6 rushing yards a game. Nick Boyle, let me introduce you to Jay Gruden, a man who simply doesn’t believe in using fullbacks.Boyle Doug Williams Jersey , a fifth-round pick out of Delaware in 2015, played 651 snaps last year, about 240 more than any other Ravens tight end. He started 24 games the past two seasons after missing 14 games during his first two years due to a pair of suspensions for violations of the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. With Hayden Hurst being drafted 25th overall last year, the Ravens simply have more tight ends than they really need.It seems a sure thing that they will let Maxx Williams walk; Boyle may have a hard time finding a team that will make use of his talents as effectively as Baltimore has been able to.I wouldn’t be surprised to see Boyle test the market, then return to the Ravens as the backup tight end.In any event, I don’t see him as the best fit for Jay Gruden’s Redskins.Tyler Kroft, BengalsAaron Doster-USA TODAY SportsKroft emerged as a solid receiving threat for the Bengals in 2017, when he had 42 catches for 404 yards and seven touchdowns.Last year, he broke a bone in his foot and saw his season cut short at just 4 receptions and 36 yards.The question is whether 2017 represents a fluke, or whether it’s merely an indication of what Kroft is capable of.The 3rd round draft pick out of Rutgers has had inconsistent production in his 4-year career.For a hint about what his upside is, I looked back to a draft profile from 2015:His draft projection was “a quality backup”.The Bengals have Tyler Eifert as a starter; I could see Kroft returning to Cincy as a backup if he doesn’t find a more promising situation in free agency.With the Redskins, he could be a low-cost replacement for Vernon Davis — a flexible tight end option that would contribute to an improvement in Washington’s salary cap situation and provide help for both the running and passing attacks. News, links to articles, updates and more from DC area writers and national sports journalists"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Looks Like Someone Has A Sixpack Of The MondaysDaily SlopRedskins RecapsDC area writers and national sports journalistsEDTShareTweetShareShareThe Daily Twitter: 13 April 2019Geoff Burke-USA TODAY SportsThe Daily Twitter will be posted at the beginning of every day (at midnight in Washington, DC). The goal is to give readers a handy spot to check the Redskins beat writers & bloggers, and national sports journalists to keep up on the latest news about the Redskins, the NFL, and sports in general, along with a sprinkling of other stuff.NFL News twitter feed:Tweets from https://twitter.com/HunterLoganX/lists/nfl-rumors-and-reportersRedskins twitter feed:Tweets from https://twitter.com/HunterLoganX/lists/beat-writers