Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan wants a franchise quarterback in Washington. We know that. The ‘Skins have already met with Tim Tebow, are scheduled to work out Irish QB Jimmy Clausen and — like the rest of the league — came away from the Sam Bradford workout impressed.

Jason Campbell is serviceable and will be able to run Shanahan’s offense in 2010, but should that stop owner Dan Snyder and the ‘Skins from making a play to move up to the top spot later this month and take Bradford off the board?

The ‘Skins are a mess on the offensive line, and the conventional play is to sit at No. 4 and draft a tackle like Russell Okung from Oklahoma State. The vacated left tackle spot left by the retirement of Chris Samuels is — and should be — a top priority. Okung is considered the top prospect at the tackle position, a player you hope will anchor your O-Line for the next 8-10 years.

I think we can all agree that you win on Sundays at this level by the play of your offensive line. But if you’re a GM with a pick in the top 10 right now — and you need a quarterback — the idea of having Bradford in training camp is intriguing. If you can make an offer strong enough to get the Rams to move down.

St. Louis is doing its homework on QBs. The Rams will work out Bradford again prior to the draft and, according to reports, will also see what Texas QB Colt McCoy can do. They’re a team that’s littered with holes at crucial positions on the roster. Can they be enticed to move down and take their QB later in the draft while filling some holes along the way?

However, it all comes back to Bradford. We can debate the importance of his workout for hours, and I know that there are some opinions from readers here at the NFP who think he’s still a risk at No. 1. But if you’re the Redskins, with a new offensive head coach who wants a legit QB, how do you weigh the positional importance to your football team?

Is it the safe play to take a player like Okung at No. 4 and put the keys in Jason Campbell’s, or even Rex Grossman’s, hands for 2010? Allow him to run the various movement passes in Shanahan’s system and hope that the boots, the swap-boots, the play action and the misdirection game cater to his skills? And then go back into the 2011 draft looking for a QB — again?

Or do you see Bradford as that “franchise guy” you can’t miss out on? Put together a deal that includes the No. 4 pick, Campbell and a possible mid-round pick to offer to St. Louis?

Campbell, like most of the Redskins roster, will eventually be turned over with Shanahan in town. It happens throughout the league with coaching changes. The important thing for the new regime is to build a roster that can beat Dallas, New York and Philadelphia.

Now they have to figure out if the answer is Bradford.

Follow me on Twitter: MattBowen41