Washington Redskins: Young talent could finally solve safety problem

The Washington Redskins have struggled at safety for years and finally, may have some answers on the roster.

A decade ago, no team in the NFL was set at safety quite like the Washington Redskins. In 2004, the Redskins selected Sean Taylor from the University of Miami and he would go on to be a two-time Pro Bowler until his life was tragically and senselessly cut short in November 2007.

Earlier in 2007, Washington spent another top-10 pick at safety, this time choosing Laron Landry of LSU. Landry would go on to have a few productive seasons in the league before deciding he’d rather be Lou Ferrigno than Ronnie Lott. The Redskins let Landry walk after the 2011 season decided to start over at safety.

Since Taylor and Landry roamed Washington’s secondary, the Redskins have tried anything and everything at safety. Players like Reed Doughty, O.J. Atogwe, Kareem Moore, Madieu Williams, Bacarri Rambo, Brandon Meriweather, Dashon Goldson, Phillip Thomas and others have tried and failed to succeed at safety for the Redskins.

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The Redskins have refused to invest money or quality draft picks at the position. Instead, the Redskins chose older players like Ryan Clark or Goldson at the end of their careers to come in and attempt to solve the position. Or, the team would try and convert former cornerbacks like DeAngelo Hall and Will Blackmon. Nothing has worked.

Enter D.J. Swearinger, Su’a Cravens, Deshazor Everett and Montae Nicholson.

Swearinger, a free-agent addition from Arizona, signed a three-year deal in the offseason to bring stability and leadership to D.C. Cravens, a second-round pick in 2016, played dime linebacker last season before moving full-time to safety in the offseason. Unfortunately, Cravens is out for the remainder of the preseason after getting his knee cleaned up last week.

While Swearinger and Cravens are the starters, Washington has capable young players behind them, too.

Everett, in his third year out of Texas A&M, is a former undrafted cornerback. He made the Redskins’ roster last season and immediately became a special-teams’ standout. Later in the season, Everett received some time on defense and flashed. He’s also had a strong training camp and is a player former GM Scot McCloughan is high on. Coaches trust him and if Cravens misses time during the regular season, Everett will start.

Nicholson, a fourth-round pick out of Michigan State in 2017, is a player many thought the Redskins reached on. Nicholson possessed the size and speed that is ideal for the position but didn’t always play up to his measurables. After offseason shoulder surgery, Nicholson was recently cleared and received his first action in last week’s preseason game versus Green Bay. And Nicholson acquitted himself nicely.

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Against Green Bay, Nicholson looked good in his limited action. Unlike many rookies safeties, Nicholson showed excellent awareness in helping his fellow defensive backs. He also looked comfortable playing the deep middle although his position will likely be at strong safety. If nothing else, Nicholson can prove to be an effective special-teamer his rookie year.

Swearinger has become a team leader since arriving in the offseason. He’s vocal in practice and has a strong understanding of the defense. His teammates respect him and he can play either free or strong safety. For the Redskins, he will play free safety and proved last year in Arizona he can handle the position.

The Redskins need Cravens to pan out. At times last season, before he went down with an injury, Cravens showed some big-play ability. His interception of Eli Manning sealed a win over the Giants early in the season. Cravens is a big, physical safety that is strong versus the run. Opposing teams will likely challenge him in 2017 and Cravens must prove he’s ready.

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Whether all of these young players become standouts or not, the Redskins finally have hope and promise at a position they’ve struggled to solve. That’s progress. The team invested free-agent dollars and a premium pick on the position and for the first time in years, there’s reason to believe Washington will be much better in the secondary because of improved play at the safety position.