Washington Redskins interested in Mike Mitchell
Carolina Panthers safety Mike Mitchell (21) celebrates breaking up a pass by the New Orleans Saints during the second quarter of the game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Redskins have a massive need to make a significant upgrade at the safety position, as they cannot move forward with Bacarri Rambo and Brandon Meriweather as their starting safety duo. Re-signing veteran leader Reed Doughty on the cheap would make sense, especially since he is a very good special teams player. However, that wouldn’t be close to addressing the safety position properly, as getting a better safety duo is an absolute must for the Redskins. Their defense was beyond dysfunctional last season, and the biggest offenders were located in the secondary.
A source told ESPN NFL Nation’s John Keim that the Redskins inquired about Carolina Panthers starting safety Mike Mitchell yesterday “early in the process”, which isn’t a surprising development to Keim.
Mitchell has already received significant interest in the legal tampering period, as the likes of the Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, and Chicago Bears are reportedly interested in him. The Panthers really want to re-sign Mitchell, who emerged as a leader in a breakout 2013 campaign, but it sounds like he could leave Charlotte due to all the interest he will receive on the open market.
At just 26 and with four sacks, 67 tackles, and nine passes defended last season, Mitchell would be a nice upgrade for the Redskins and has the added bonus of being able to start at either free or strong safety.