Josh Wilson (26) in the third quarter. Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Redskins were never expected to re-sign free agent cornerback Josh Wilson, and his fate was sealed after the Redskins re-signed DeAngelo Hall to a significant contract and signed former Oakland Raiders vet Tracy Porter. Wilson was once one of the most underrated cornerbacks in the league back when he played for the Baltimore Ravens, as he broke out after being stuffed on the depth chart with the Seattle Seahawks. When he finally received more snaps with the ‘Hawks in 2009, Wilson blossomed with 13 passes defended and was shipped off to Baltimore, where he excelled for one seasons. The Redskins took note, signed him on a three-year deal in 2011, and received two quality seasons of a combined 28 passes defended before he faded last year.
As a whole, the Redskins secondary was horrible last season, as only Hall was an above-average player. Safety was a disaster position under defensive backs coach Raheem Morris, who has a knack for leading secondaries that miss an awful lot of tackles. Wilson wasn’t bad last season, but he wasn’t good either and seemed to be viewed by the team as part of the problem. The Redskins also seem to be high on second-year N.C. State product David Amerson, who is a player to watch in 2014.
ESPN NFL Nation’s John Keim reports that Wilson has some significant free agent interest now, as he met with the Detroit Lions yesterday and will visit the Atlanta Falcons today. Both teams could use more depth at corner, and Wilson is a veteran who can succeed in the slot or on the outside. The Lions signed subpar backup Cassius Vaughn yesterday, and Wilson would be a solid signing behind starters Chris Houston and second-year pro Darius Slay. If the Lions sign Wilson, then Rashean Mathis probably won’t be back. Meanwhile, the Falcons have room for someone to help out last year’s star rookie Desmond Trufant.