Skins: Centers In & GM Out

July 6, 1999 / 10:36 PM EDT / AP

The Washington Redskins signed free agent fullback Larry Centers, a two-time Pro Bowl player and one of the league's premier pass-catching running backs, to a one-year contract Tuesday.

Centers, entering his 10th season, has spent his career with the Arizona Cardinals. He has 535 career receptions, including 101 in 1995 and 99 in 1996. His 1995 production broke Roger Craig's running-back record of 92 catches in a season.

He was in the Pro Bowl in 1995 and 1996, and had 69 receptions for 559 yards and two touchdowns last year for the Cardinals.

Redskins coach Norv Turner said centers "brings versatility at fullback" to the club. "He's an outstanding receiver, a good blocker and a proven player in this league," Turner said.

Charley Casserly, the Redskins' general manager, said Centers is "a talented runner with exceptional pass-catching skills and will be a great asset to our offense."

Meanwhile, The Washington Times reported Tuesday that the Redskins' new owner, Daniel Snyder, intends to replace Casserly when he takes control of the club next week.

Turner will get more power over personnel decisions in the shakeup, the Times said, and Snyder will create a "director of football operations" to oversee player contracts and scouting.

Snyder, a businessman who lives in suburban Maryland, said shortly after the league accepted his $800 million offer for the team and Jack Kent Cooke Stadium that Casserly and Turner would be retained at least for one year.

But the Times, quoting further unidentified NFL and team sources, said Snyder has concluded that Casserly was responsible for the team's recent poor drafts.

Casserly joined the Redskins in 1977 as an unpaid intern. He was promoted to general manager in 1989 and has three years remaining on a contract believed worth more than $500,000 a year.