Less than two hours until the start of free agency, rumors are flying that the Washington Redskins will soon be signing defensive end Julius Peppers.
The thinking had been that, if the Redskins decide they want Peppers, they’ll get Peppers. It just wasn’t clear whether the Redskins want Peppers.
Our pal Lance Zierlein of KGOW in Houston has reported, via Twitter, that the Redskins will come “charging hard” after Peppers and that he expects a deal to be done by tomorrow. Last year, Zierlein reported that the Redskins would land defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth days before it happened.
And we’re hearing that the situation has progressed well beyond the Redskins “charging hard.” We’re hearing it’s essentially done — and that barring an unexpected development the only question is whether the deal will be announced before or after the sun rises in D.C.
That’s bad news for the Bears, who had planned to make a strong push for Peppers.