The Washington Redskins traded for Miami Dolphins Pro Bowl defensive end Jason Taylor Sunday night, just hours after losing starting left end Phillip Daniels and reserve end Alex Buzbee to season-ending injuries on the very first day of training camp.
Vinny Cerrato, Washington’s executive vice president of football operations, dealt a second-round pick in 2009 and a sixth-round pick in 2010 to acquire Taylor, a perennial Pro Bowler and former defensive player of the year who was engaged in a public spat with the Dolphins after skipping offseason workouts to participate on “Dancing With the Stars.”
The Redskins have lacked depth and a consistent pass rush from their defensive line for years, but Taylor, who will turn 34 in September, has been one of the game’s elite sack specialists, and premier all-around athletes. The Redskins assume the final two years of Taylor’s contract, Cerrato said, with no renegotiation. Taylor is set to make $8 million this season (about the cap space the Redskins had prior to the trade, Cerrato said), including a $500,000 roster bonus, and $8.5 million next season with the same bonus.
Taylor, who was not available for comment and is expected to take a physical today in Washington, has talked about playing just one more season before pursuing acting options, but Cerrato said he is “100 percent confident he’ll play more than one year.”
The trade capped a whirlwind series of events after Daniels and Buzbee were injured. Immediately after the second practice, Cerrato told the media, “We haven’t talked with anyone yet on anything,” and roughly an hour and a half later, the deal was announced.
Cerrato said the injuries to Daniels and Buzbee forced Washington to exhaust all options. He said Taylor (6 feet 6, 255 pounds) will move to the left side with Washington — he played right end in Miami — and Andre Carter will remain the starting right end.
“We’re fortunate there is a guy of that caliber on the market when a guy gets hurt,” Cerrato said.
Taylor has clashed with Bill Parcells, Miami’s new executive vice president of football operations, about being away from the team for much of the offseason to pursue his Hollywood ambitions. Cerrato is close to Gary Wichard, Taylor’s agent, and was confident the player was ready to make an impact and is focused on football. “He’s excited for a new start,” Cerrato said of Taylor.
Taylor had 11 sacks last season — more than any Redskin — and has had at least 8 1/2 sacks every season this decade. He has missed just four games since entering the NFL in 1997, and had spent his entire career with the Dolphins after being selected in the third round of the draft.
The loss of Daniels, in his 13th NFL season and starting his fifth with Washington, sent an emotional ripple through the locker room. Daniels, 35, is a key leader and had worked hard, with among other things a rigorous power-lifting regimen, this offseason to try to stave off nagging injuries. Role player Demetric Evans moved into Daniels’ starting role during practice — Evans has started 12 games for Washington since 2004 — with the roster very thin beyond him and Carter, who is the only lineman with established pass rushing skills on the roster.
Daniels leaped awkwardly during the first snap of seven-on-seven drills in the morning practice — the Redskins wore shells and shorts Sunday and were not in full-contact with pads — and remained on the ground for several minutes before being carted off. He tore his left anterior cruciate ligament and will undergo career-threatening surgery Friday.
Buzbee, a Georgetown product who showed promise on the practice squad last season, ruptured his right Achilles’ while backpedaling during drills early in the afternoon.
RAMS: Defensive end Chris Long agreed to a multiyear deal with the St. Louis on Sunday, leaving plenty of time for the second overall pick in the 2008 draft to report to training camp. The Rams project Long will start at right end, beefing up an anemic pass rush. The team did not disclose the terms of the deal. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on its Web site Saturday night that the son of Hall of Famer Howie Long was expected to sign a deal that covers at least five years early this week. The Rams report to training camp at Concordia University in Mequon, Wis., on Thursday.
EAGLES: Wide receiver DeSean Jackson and the Philadelphia Eagles agreed on a four-year contract Sunday night, leaving only one draft pick unsigned by the team on the eve of training camp. Jackson was the second of Philadelphia’s two second-round picks. Jackson caught 162 passes for 2,423 yards and 22 TDs in 36 games at California.
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