Gibbs: QB for future still Ramsey

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Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs launched a passionate defense of starting quarterback Patrick Ramsey yesterday, raising questions about a published report that the club might trade Ramsey if it acquires Auburn quarterback Jason Campbell in this weekend's NFL Draft.

ESPN.com reported Tuesday night that the Redskins acquired the 25th overall pick to select Campbell, whose dominant senior season shot him into the draft's group of elite passers. Gibbs didn't deny interest in Campbell, but his comments on Ramsey made it sound like Campbell at most would be a developmental player in Washington next season.

"The good thing about Patrick Ramsey, he knows where he stands with us," Gibbs said. "He's our starting quarterback. He's somebody we're counting on being the guy that takes us to the promised land. And what we're trying to do, as a coaching staff and an organization, we're trying to field the best possible team we can, including putting every single thing around him that can make him look good."

Gibbs' comments came as part of a predraft round-table interview, at which vice president of football operations Vinny Cerrato and owner Dan Snyder also spoke. Gibbs admitted to being at Auburn on Tuesday but said it was one of several trips that day. The coach wouldn't talk specifically about Campbell.

"I'd say right now, all options are open for us," Gibbs said. "Obviously we think we've got certain needs. But also you want to be prepared all the way across the board."

Gibbs, Cerrato and Snyder said that, in contrast to what Cerrato claimed Tuesday, they are willing to package the No. 25 pick overall (which they acquired from the Denver Broncos for a 2006 first-rounder, 2005 third-rounder and 2006 fourth-rounder) with the ninth pick overall (their original first-rounder) to move into the draft's upper reaches.

Snyder said the Redskins "absolutely" are willing to move up, while Cerrato reversed course and said Washington spent yesterday calling "every team in front of" it. The logical player for the Redskins to draft in the top five would be Michigan wide receiver Braylon Edwards.

"We're evaluating everything, so we can have options," Cerrato said. "Is moving up the best option? Is moving back the best option? Staying at nine and 25? We're going to gather all the information and then do what's best for the organization."

Of course, it's difficult to tell what's true and what's not this time of year. If the Redskins really are targeting Campbell at No. 25, the information becoming public is a big problem. Now a team at the top of the second round, such as the Cleveland Browns or Tampa Bay Buccaneers, could jump Washington without much ammunition.

Snyder, who according to one NFL source was talking up Campbell at the owners meetings Tuesday, said trading for No. 25 so early in the week would be a bonehead play if Washington were targeting just one player. He cited last year's move for third-round H-back Chris Cooley as an example of how to land a specific player.

"Generally if you're targeting a particular player, you'd do it draft day because you don't know if a player's going to be there or not," Snyder said. "You don't really do what we did with a target of one or two guys. You think you've got an array of options and alternatives."

Statements from Gibbs, Cerrato and Snyder made it sound like Washington is targeting two positions of depth in the first round -- most likely cornerback at No. 9 and wide receiver at No. 25. Said Snyder: "If you look at what will be there and you run depth of position and you run grids out, you get a pretty good comfort zone that it would be safe to do the transaction."

To defend trading away three picks for a late first-rounder, the Redskins trotted out their draft-value board. According to the board, Washington gave up 715 "points" to acquire a pick worth 750 "points." The board assigns a point value to every selection and devalues year-in-advance picks by one round.

Tuesday's deal left Washington with just three selections after the first round -- a fourth-rounder, a sixth-rounder and a seventh-rounder. Thus a team that has had difficulty developing quality depth could be hamstrung again.

Still lingering, though, is the fate of wide receiver Rod Gardner. Gibbs said the Redskins have a "game plan" for trading Gardner this weekend -- probably for a mid-round pick -- and added that the absence of a deal already isn't because of contractual issues between Gardner and possible new teams.

"I think it's just all of us more or less reaching an agreement [about] what's best for him," Gibbs said.

• Staff writer David Elfin contributed to this article.