Washington Redskins: Su’a Cravens is likely done in D.C.

Second-year safety Su’a Cravens told the Washington Redskins and teammates he was retiring over the weekend, only to be talked out of it.

Former Washington Redskins‘ head coach Mike Shanahan once said something that seems particularly relevant to the team right now. Per Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post:

"“If you’re thinking about retirement, you’re not really sure — at least when I look at my previous years, and you look back at guys — if you’re thinking about retiring, you’re probably already retired.”"

It’s quite coincidental Shanahan’s old quote rings so true as it pertains to his former team. On Sunday, Adam Schefter of ESPN broke the story that second-year safety Su’a Cravens told the team he was retiring.

Talk about a shocker.

Cravens, at 22, is one of the youngest players in the league and many considered him a breakout candidate for 2017. A second-round pick in 2016, Cravens began his professional career as an inside linebacker in Washington’s nickel defense. Cravens made some plays, including picking off Eli Manning to seal a win in Week 3, but injuries plagued him throughout his rookie year.

Cravens suffered a concussion in a Week 4 win versus Cleveland and then used social media to send off a barrage of strange messages. Usually, when a player is in concussion protocol the team and player are quiet. However, Cravens used Snapchat to say the concussion damaged his eyes and his vision would never be the same again.

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After returning to action, Cravens admitted his vision was fine.

Later in the season, Cravens suffered a bicep injury, which both the team and player were at odds over the severity of the injury. Originally thought to be a bicep tear, it was later revealed to be a bruise. Cravens would later be seen playing ping pong at the team facility before a crucial Week 17 game against the Giants. Teammates questioned why Cravens wasn’t pushing to get on the field, leading to then-general manager Scot McCloughan to call Cravens after he skipped treatment.

It’s one thing after another with Cravens. To play football at the highest level you must possess the requisite mental toughness. Cravens is missing something. Does he not love football? That, too, has been questioned before. He had instances at USC where some questioned his passion for the game.

This summer, CSN Mid-Atlantic caught an exchange between Cravens and inside linebacker Will Compton, a team captain, where the ‘backer was wanting to see more from Cravens. There didn’t appear to be much to this weeks ago. However, this weekend’s events make it all the more interesting.

The Redskins, specifically team president Bruce Allen, talked Cravens out of retiring, at least for now. They placed him on the non-football exempt list. Chances are, Cravens isn’t going to come to a permanent decision about his future in just four weeks. If he doesn’t love the game, he should step away. It’s a choice only he can make.

D.J. Swearinger specifically spoke of this issue on Sunday, saying the game can expose you. He’s right.

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Give Washington credit for how it’s handling this delicate situation. It’s not fair for fans to question Cravens’ manhood or toughness. There could be serious issues he’s battling through. Only he knows these things. But, like Shanahan once said, once you’re thinking of retiring, you’re already retired.

One way or another, Cravens’ time in Washington will soon come to an end.