Old news by now, so let's rip right into what exactly this trade means.
Miami is building for the future and Taylor wanted out. There's little to discuss on their end. Less still your average Seahawks fans should care about.
Seattle faces Washington this season, so this trade does have some immediate impact in that regard. Football Outsiders projected Washington at 6.9 wins and 75% of their projected seasons ended somewhere between Loserville (4-6) and Mediocrity (7-8). The projection is probably a bit optimistic. The team started hot, posting the fifth best pass defense in the NFL through week 9. When the season concluded, the Skins had the 7th best pass defense in football. That sounds impressive, but it's full of holes.
That same unit, minus only the very talented LaRon Landry and the suddenly and perplexingly overrated Fred Smoot, posted the 32nd ranked pass defense in 2006. The Skins late season surge was dubiously accredited to the spirit of Taylor, but had more to do with two games: The week 16 matchup against the Vikings in which Gregg Williams figured out Minnesota's offense, stacking the box and daring Tarvaris Jackson to pass. Much to Minnesota's detriment, he did and sucked with gusto. Williams is gone and that's not a repeatable strategy. The week 17 matchup against Dallas in which the Redskins, with everything to play for, clobbered a Cowboys squad taking the field in between tuckin' small bills. Football Outsiders applied their backups adjustment, but I wonder what adjustment can be applied for not giving a damn. Minus those two games and Washington's pass defense is exposed for what they are, a good secondary, too old at the corners, with very little pass rush.
The Redskins are old and thin on both lines. They spent this last draft loading up on skill position players. When week 12 rolls around and the Skins travel into Seattle, Jason Taylor could be playing for a worse overall team than the one he left. If he plays out of his mind, repeats his DPOY showing from 2006, Taylor could conceivably add another win. That should be enough to push Washington's next 4-12 season to 2009.