The Redskins have addressed another need by bringing back the missing original member of “The Dirtbags.”
Left guard Derrick Dockery will sign a five-year, $26.5 deal to return to the Redskins. The contract should be a happy medium between the reported three-year, $12 million pact offered by the Redskins just prior to free agency in 2007 and the seven-year, $49 million deal he ended up accepting from the Buffalo Bills, where he has started all 32 games the last two seasons.
On the eve of free agency, the Bills surprisingly released the six-year veteran. It didn’t take long for the Redskins to express their interest and soon after midnight Friday, the team reportedly negotiated until approximately 3 a.m. before focusing their attention on and eventually landing monster defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth.
Dockery was the Redskins third round selection in the 2003 draft and had made great strides to becoming a dominant guard under the tutelage of offensive line coach Joe Bugel since his return in 2004.
Dockery reportedly made a visit to the Detroit Lions on Friday and had a deal prepared but decided to return to the Redskins instead.
According to the Washington Post, the Bills and Lions had agreed to a trade that would have sent the 6-foot-6, 330-pounder to Detroit but Buffalo failed to give the NFL Management Council the proper paperwork on time, thus voiding the agreement.
His addition very likely means the end of Pete Kendall’s two-year stint in Washington.
In other Redskins free agent news, the team reportedly offered special teams standout and unrestricted free agent linebacker Khary Campbell a contract yesterday but he will take his time to test the market. It is likely he will return.
Unrestricted free agent defensive end Demetric Evans is scheduled to visit the San Francisco 49ers on Monday. After Haynesworth’s acquisition of his brand new $100 million contract and Evans’ No. 92, it appears unlikely he will return to the team. Evans is also looking for a chance to become a full-time starter. Despite being very effective in his reserve role for the past five seasons, the Redskins already have defensive end Andre Carter and Jason Taylor slated as the starting defensive ends, making it unrealistic that they will be able to accommodate his demands.
Edit: This blog was archived in May of 2016 from our original articles database.It was originally posted by Jake Russell