As players leave Redskins, in-house replacements must produce

The Washington Redskins' first day of free agency was notable for who they lost -- not for who they added. It was already known that quarterback Alex Smith and receiver Paul Richardson would be joining them.

In most cases, the Redskins had no choice but to watch them leave: Players who would have been backups are getting paid much differently by other teams. It’s not bad when other teams sign your backups to lucrative deals. The problem for the Redskins is that developing that talent hasn’t led to the level of success anyone desires.

It’s hard to say the Redskins have been crippled by these losses. In some cases, they have their younger options in place -- they just need to produce. In…