Washington Redskins: What’s Su’a Cravens’ Role In 2017?

Washington Redskins youngster Su’a Cravens clearly needs a defined role in 2017—but what will that be next season?

Su’a Cravens was one of the most exciting players on the field for the Washington Redskins defense in 2016. The problem was getting him on the field. Due to an undefined role, Cravens wasn’t always on the field, and struggled at times.

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Still, he managed to make plays, electrify the crowd, and help the Redskins win. In 11 games, Cravens recorded 34 tackles (two for loss), one sack, one interception, and defended five passes.

He was able to blow past offensive linemen and fill gaps. Meanwhile, his tackling ability is past the level of a rookie.

That’s not all he could do however, as his athletic ability is shown off in his game-ending interception against Eli Manning.

It’s pretty clear that Cravens needs to be on the field. However, his undefined role needs to be put to bed. In 2016, he spent most of his time in a linebacker role. At 6-1, 222 pounds he may be a bit undersized however. His athletic ability would be considered elite for linebackers, but that also takes away from his coverage skills.

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It appears that Cravens will be moving to safety in 2017 (via Chris Lingebach of CBS). This plays best for the Redskins, as safety was a much weaker position than linebacker in 2016. With DeAngelo Hall‘s future still in question, there really is no starting safety on the Washington roster at the moment. Cravens could come in and take one of the two spots immediately in 2017.

With the Redskins defense still in the “facelift” process, Cravens taking a safety position is the perfect route for the future.