The Washington Redskins got to work right at the crack of free agency, as they loosened the purse strings to the tune of $100 million to sign defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth.

The deal for the Pro Bowler is a seven-year deal, with an NFL record of $41 million in guaranteed pay.

The ‘Skins also just spent $54 million on cornerback DeAngelo Hall, a combination of moves that marks the return of old-school Dan Snyder, the owner that will spend and overspend in every way to get what he wants.

With the NFL’s salary cap structure, Snyder certainly isn’t doing anything wrone, but that doesn’t mean he’s doing everything right.

Les Carpenter of the Washington Post is one who thinks Snyder is doing it wrong and that spending the money on these two players right now was a mistake.

Since Hall was already here and the team simply spent too much to keep him, the message the team sent with the early morning deal with Haynesworth is that Washington is merely a player away from overtaking the Eagles and the Giants to become the best team in the NFC East. The Redskins are not a player away. Not even close. Haynesworth helps; he may help a lot. He may be the best defensive lineman who was available. He might be the best defensive lineman in the league. But bringing him here alone and inserting him on the same shoddy defensive line that failed the Redskins so many times last season is not going to send this team to the Super Bowl.

What happened to the Cowboys? Correct me if I’m wrong, but the ‘Skins have finished behind Dallas in five of the last six seasons. Nevertheless… Semantics, I suppose. But the point is taken.

The move is a good one for Washington as far as pure personnel goes. Haynesworth had 8 1/2 sacks last year alone, while the Redskins had just 24 as a team.

More on Haynesworth’s good and bad from the AP:

Haynesworth also had 75 tackles last year, plus 22 quarterback pressures, seven tackles for a loss and a team-high four forced fumbles. Possible downsides: He hasn’t played a full season since his rookie year because of various injuries, he’s been known to take plays off, and he might never live down a five-game suspension for swiping his cleated foot over Dallas center Andre Gurode’s face in 2006.

The suspension is the NFL’s longest for an on-field act, and Haynesworth also was required to attend anger management sessions. Now, having signed with an NFC East team, Haynesworth will face Gurode twice a year.

The question will have to be answered down the line whether Haynesworth is worth this kind of money. Obviously he is a tremendous defensive tackle, but his inability to remain on the field for one reason or another and his perceived lack of leadership are things he has to prove wrong over the course of this seven-year contract.

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