WASHINGTON — The Washington Redskins’ blockbuster trade with the St. Louis Rams was the talk of pro football Saturday, a move that ignited vigorous debate about how much is too much to give up for an unusual talent in an increasingly quarterback-centric league.
“It’s exciting that it happened, and it was something that needed to happen,” Redskins receiver Anthony Armstrong said. “If you look at our quarterback position, stability is something we’ve been looking for a while now. We’ve worked hard the last couple years and we’ve just been missing one or two pieces, and now we can have that piece in place at quarterback.
“And hopefully, if everybody can step up and do their jobs, it eases pressure on him. Maybe he can have a Cam Newton-type impact coupled with some more wins and we can start something special.”
The Redskins agreed to trade the Rams their first- and second-round picks in this year’s draft, plus their first-round selections in the 2013 and 2014 drafts for the second overall pick in this year’s draft. The move ensures the Redskins of landing Robert Griffin III, the Heisman-Trophy winning quarterback out of Baylor, or Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, regarded by some scouts as the best quarterback prospect in years. The Indianapolis Colts are expected to take Luck with the first overall pick after releasing four-time MVP Peyton Manning.
Few questioned Griffin’s skills or denied the Redskins’ need for a top quarterback.
“The Redskins have needed a marquee quarterback for some time,” said former NFL executive Michael Lombardi, who now works for the NFL Network. “They haven’t had success without one. They’ve tried to do it with coaches, and now they will have both the quarterback and coach.”
An executive with another NFL team questioned whether the Redskins gave up too much in the trade.
“You can’t use the draft to build around the guy when you do something like that,” said the executive, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “It’s a lot to give up. I wonder if it’s too much.”
Former Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann said he thinks the Redskins made a good trade.
“I think it’s a heck of a deal,” Theismann said. “When you’re retooling and looking at a quarterback like Andrew Luck or RGIII, then it’s worth it. You’re talking about a position where you’re going to have the guy for seven to 10 years and he’s going to carry the fortunes of the franchise on his shoulders.”
