Redskins training camp is three weeks away and Albert Haynesworth is still unhappy to be Washington’s highest paid player.
This can’t end well.
With nothing else to do while we wait to see if Haynesworth follows through on his promise to attend training camp, we've put together a list of some of the Redskins’ biggest recent busts.
After all, Haynesworth is another forgettable season away from being the captain of the following "roster."
Quarterback: Heath Shuler
The No. 3 overall pick in 1994, Shuler threw twice as many interceptions as touchdowns in his 22 NFL starts, and he won just four more games with the Redskins than you did. Shuler was a better politician than quarterback before the congressman ever won an election.
Running back: TJ Duckett
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Sorry, Tung Canidate. You almost got your first post-career mention in a sports blog. But Duckett was worse. The Redskins traded a third-round pick for 40 touches and 150 yards of his awesomeness back in 2006.
Wide receivers: Michael Westbrook and Rod Gardner
Both first-rounders, Westbrook was taken fourth overall in 1995 and Gardner was selected at No. 15 in 2001.
The former is best known for beating up one of his teammates. The latter lasted just four seasons with the Redskins. If you’ve got to direct your frustration at one, choose Gardner. Westbrook’s a trained cage-fighter.
Offensive line: Chad Rinehart
Rinehart still has time to erase his name. Washington’s list of o-line busts is paper-thin. Don’t get too excited, though. That just means they haven’t been drafting any. It’s hard to miss on players you aren’t acquiring.
Defensive line: Dana Stubblefield and Jason Taylor
Stubblefield’s 15 sacks and Defensive Player of the Year honors the year before coming to the Redskins were a tease. He managed seven sacks in three years in D.C.
Taylor’s one year in Washington was sandwiched between a combined 18 sacks in two prolific years in Miami. He mustered just 3.5 with the ‘Skins. Not the type of return you’d like from a guy you traded second- and sixth-round picks for.
Linebacker: Mike Barrow
Signed after a 200-tackle season with the Giants, Barrow never played a down in D.C. He had a degenerative knee problem that kept him from ever taking the field as a Redskin.
Cornerback: Deion Sanders
Sanders’ tenure with the ‘Skins peaked when he donned a custom-made burgundy suit with gold buttons to his introductory press conference. It was all downhill from there. Finding a highlight of his time with the Redskins is like trying to find a doughnut at a weightwatchers convention.
Safety: Adam Archuleta
A half-season after making him the highest-paid safety in NFL history, Archuleta’s lone gig with the ‘Skins was calling cadences on punt-team. That’s not a joke. He actually did that. And he signed a $30 million contract before doing so.
Unfortunately, Haynesworth doesn’t profile well on special teams or else the Redskins could give him the "Archuleta treatment" this season.
If the big guy doesn’t show up in shape, he’ll play as big a role on this list as he’s been a pain in the butt for the coaching staff that’s inherited him.
