Proving again that one team's reject usually becomes another club's
reclamation project in the NFL, the Washington Redskins will meet Wednesday
at their Carlisle, Pa., camp site with free agent quarterback Tony Banks,
released Tuesday by the Dallas Cowboys.
Washington sources said Wednesday there is "a pretty good chance" that the
club will eventually sign Banks to bolster its ailing quarterback corps. One
team official said he was unsure of the timetable for dealing with Banks,
noted it might not occur until after the Friday night preseason game, but
acknowledged the five-year veteran is at the top of the list of the
quarterbacks being considered by coach Marty Schottenheimer.
In a related matter, it now appears that starter Jeff George, who is
recovering from a bout of tendinitis in his throwing (right) shoulder, will
not play until the final preseason game, at New England on Aug. 30. George
was scheduled to throw briefly, for the first time in more than a week, on
Wednesday morning.
Banks apparently told friends as he departed the Cowboys' training camp that
he wants to take a week or so to think about his future, but appears to have
reconsidered.
In five seasons, Banks, 28, has appeared in 66 games and started 61 of them.
A second-round pick of the St. Louis Rams in the '96 draft, Banks has
completed 1,004 of 1,857 passes for 12,047 yards, with 61 touchdown passes
and 58 interceptions. In addition to the Rams (1996-98), he also played for
Baltimore (1999-2000).
It is not known yet if Banks will actually arrive at Carlisle in time to
work on the field for Washington officials.
Despite their problems at quarterback, Washington on Tuesday decided not to
sign unrestricted free agent Danny Kanell, a five-year veteran who played
the past two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons.
Kanell, 27, worked out for the Redskins coaches and personnel officials
early Tuesday afternoon, before the rest of the Washington roster returned
to training camp to resume practices. The urgency of signing another
quarterback might have been somewhat ameliorated when second-year veteran
Todd Husak was able to get on the field despite a strained oblique muscle.
Husak participated in some drills, but it will be rookie Sage Rosenfels, a
fourth-round draft choice, who will start against the Falcons on Friday
night. The only other healthy quarterback on the roster is undrafted free
agent Mike Watkins.
Although there have been rumors the Redskins would try to land a veteran
quarterback in a trade, team officials insisted they were not actively
working on any deals.
A former Florida State star, Kanell has been playing baseball for an
independent minor league team, the Newark Bears, and hitting just .216 with
two RBIs in 12 games. A first baseman, he has struck out 14 times in 37
plate appearances.
Kanell was a fourth-round choice of the New York Giants in 1996 and played
three years for the team before being released in the spring of 1999. He
signed a month later with the Falcons, where he knew coach Dan Reeves from
their tenure together in New York.
He has played in 38 regular-season games and started 22 of them. Kanell has
completed 438 of 853 passes for 4,687 yards, with 29 touchdown passes and 29
interceptions. His career passer rating is 64.9.
The Redskins have not contacted the agents for unemployed quarterbacks John
Friesz, Moses Moreno or Stoney Case but might consider former San Francisco
first-rounder Jim Druckenmiller, who played in the XFL this spring.
Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.
| |
|
