It’s almost time to fill out a Final-Four bracket (or five) and the Washington Redskins still haven’t made any noise in the NFL free-agency period. For the Redskins, a typical March generally encompasses a slew of press conferences at Redskins Park to introduce new players. But this hasn’t been the typical March.

The big news out of Redskins camp this week was that Washington re-signed a couple of its own free-agents. Fullback Rock Cartwright, a key contributor on special teams, and defensive lineman Ryan Boschetti, a little-used backup defensive lineman, both inked new deals to stay with the Redskins. 

The Cartwright signing was significant, and not because of his proficiency as a kick-returner. Retaining Cartwright, a seventh-year Redskin who has over-achieved both in the backfield and as a special-teams standout, sends an important message.

Keeping Cartwright, a fan-favorite and a consummate professional, around is evidence that Washington is craving stability. The re-signing also proves that the Redskins front-office is serious about holding on to the players that they feel best embody what they want their team to represent.

An undersized tailback who stands 5-8 and weighs 218-pounds of pure muscle, the aptly named reserve is easy to cheer for. I’ve always said that Cartwright has a little Brett Favre in him. What I mean by that is that like Favre, cheering for Cartwright is easy because he plays with the same passion and intensity that we all think we would play with if we were pro football players.

Cartwright is the type of player that only exists in movies anymore. His smile is as relentless as his work-ethic, and he never hesitates to speak out when he thinks it could benefit his team.

When Washington’s red zone offense was fizzling last year, it was Cartwright who blasted his team’s inability to get the ball across the goal-line. “We can’t keep getting three-points” he yelled while standing in front of his locker, his eyes oozing with zeal.

“We need seven-points,” he continued – so bothered by his team’s struggles that he looked to be fighting back tears. “You can’t win with field-goals. We need touchdowns. If I need to do better on returns so we can get closer to the goal line I will. But we need to figure it out.”

Cartwright was speaking loud enough that his voice was being heard by all of the teammates whose lockers were near his. He wasn’t just talking because there was a microphone in his face. He was speaking from the heart — something he’s known for – and he was doing in loud enough so that his teammates could hear him.

Did the pact the seventh-year player inked get any national attention? No. But neither did Washington’s selection of him in the final round of the 2002 NFL Draft. Cartwright was considered a long-shot to make the team as a rookie. But he made it.

During three different training-camps since his status on the team has been in question. But Cartwright has hung around and more than that, he’s become more of a commodity each year, even as his role as a ball-carrier diminished.

His signing is something of a metaphor for Washington’s season. The Redskins could have signed a high-profile return-specialist but they didn’t. They kept Cartwright, their guy, and in doing show they sent a message that will soon be resonating league-wide.