Redskins Sign Dirk Johnson to Punt

The Redskins punter in 2008, Ryan Plackemeier, finished 27th in the NFL in gross average per punt. At 33.9 yards per punt, he ranked dead last in the NFL in net average (among full-season punters), so it was obvious the 'Skins needed to go in a different route with the punting game. Thus, they have inked Dirk Johnson -- one of the greatest names of all-time, by the way -- to take over punting duties.

Of course, Johnson didn't fare much better in Arizona last year. He was 26th in gross average and tied for 26th in net average. This will be Johnson's fourth team in the past five years, so he's obviously not been setting the world on fire.

The Redskins could have gone after a more established punter like Hunter Smith, but they have already spent a ton of money this offseason -- and their cap situation isn't pretty. They could have tried to draft another one, but Durant Brooks blew up in their face last season.

Simply put, they are probably going to have to do without a quality punter in light of the current state of the team. They did win eight games last year with a horrific punting game, so maybe the improvements elsewhere can propel them to 10 wins?