When healthy, New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Jammal Brown is among the top tier pass protectors in the league. You can now change the team attached to his name as the always willing to make big offseason splashes Washington Redskins made a deal to acquire the lineman from the Saints over the weekend. Brown and New Orleans were having a bit of a dispute over the lineman’s contract as he was tendered by the team under the final year of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) much like several other unhappy players around the league and didn’t attend voluntary workouts. Although he is coming off of a lost season due to both hip and sports hernia surgeries, Brown is a former first round pick with loads of talent that can presumably still be a force in the NFL as a bookend tackle.

In New Orleans, the team thought enough of what they saw from Jermon Bushrod last season to show Brown the door as they believed it would be an open competition this offseason between the two even if Brown had stuck around. This trade is a bit confusing for Washington who spent their first round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft on a presumed left tackle of the future in Trent Williams only to trade for a still young Brown just two months later. Unless the team sees one of these players as a primarily right tackle only, the Skins have in essence just leased Brown for one year (after he signed his tender in order to be traded) in hopes of grooming Williams behind him.

The compensation for this deal is awfully convoluted and is difficult to digest on first glance as the Redskins already owe the Philadelphia Eagles a conditional draft choice for the Donovan McNabb acquisition earlier this offseason. If McNabb is selected to the Pro Bowl, the Skins win nine games, or the team makes the postseason, Washington owes Philly a third rounder. If none of the above occurs, the Redskins instead give the Eagles a fourth round choice and that will determine the Saints compensation. If Washington gives Philly a third, New Orleans receives a fourth in exchange for a sixth or seventh in the 2011 NFL Draft. If Philly only warrants a fourth however, the Saints will get that third rounder and they will send a fifth back to Washington.

Now that your head is surely spinning, just consider the overhaul that has taken place in D.C. this offseason with the retirement of long time star offensive tackle Chris Samuels, the addition of McNabb, and some new arrivals in a crowded backfield with Larry Johnson, Willie Parker, and the incumbent starter Clinton Portis. This Redskins offense seems to be loaded with older players on the back end of their careers, but that could be a recipe for success or one destined for failure. The injury bug has plagued many of these guys in the past so it could play a huge role in determining just how successful the team is in the 2010 season.