Arizona Cardinals: Is Daryl Washington Worth the Headache?
By David Mamola
Arizona Cardinals’ linebacker Daryl Washington was once a rising star in the NFL. Now he is nothing more than a headache and he has no one to blame but himself.
It’s time for trivia.
Quick, who has the sixth-highest cap-hit on the Arizona Cardinals?
Having trouble? I’ll give you a hint: he has Pro-Bowl talent, but because of his own doing, he hasn’t played in two years.
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That’s right, it’s linebacker Daryl Washington, who was once on the path of becoming a star in the NFL before violating the league’s substance abuse policy—twice—and having his career derailed by multiple suspensions.
Washington was indefinitely suspended by the NFL in May of 2014, and has missed the Cardinals’ past two seasons. He reportedly has failed numerous drug tests since then, and though he’s been eligible for reinstatement for several months, the league has said that there is nothing new to report on his status.
The Cardinals don’t even know when (or if) he could come back, and head coach Bruce Arians (via the fine folks at Rotoworld) has jokingly told fans to, “please call Daryl” for clarification and updates.
There’s no denying that when Washington is on the field, he can be a difference maker. From 2011-12, he averaged 120 tackles and seven sacks, and in his last season (2013), he had 75 tackles, three sacks, and 10 passes defended in just 12 games. His ability to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks from his inside linebacker position was uncanny, and the Cardinals clearly could have used some of that pressure during their playoff run last season.
For the past two seasons, Arizona has tried to make-up for Washington’s loss by mixing-and-matching various players. Last season, the Cardinals even resorted to moving safety Deone Bucannon to linebacker, and surprisingly, he played pretty well.
Washington signed a four-year, $32 million ($5 million guaranteed) contract in 2014, just months before his first suspension. In 2016, as mentioned, Washington’s cap-hit will be $7.5 million, sixth-highest on the team. If the Cardinals decide to release him, they will save $2 million against the cap ($5.5 million will be considered “dead money” and still count against the cap).
While a $2 million savings may not seem like a lot, it would still help the Cardinals resign some of their own free agents and help sign some of their draft picks, as well.
However, the Cardinals’ biggest reason to release Washington may be just to rid themselves of the headache he has become. At this point, Washington is nothing more than a distraction, and there’s no way the Cardinals can rely on him for 2016. He hasn’t played in two years, and there’s no way of telling just how effective he could be if he returned to the field.
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The whole situation is a shame because Washington has a boat-load of talent and his demise is no one’s fault but his own.
With that being said, the Cardinals’ best bet is probably just to turn the page and move on without him. Here’s hoping, though, that Washington can turn his life around and start a successful journey back to the NFL.