Washington Redskins: Time for secondary to shut up and produce

Washington cornerback Josh Norman and safety D.J. Swearinger talk a good game, but the results aren’t there.

One play summed up the Washington Redskins‘ loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday perfectly.

It was a first-half touchdown pass by Philip Rivers to Tyrell Williams. In coverage was Washington cornerback Josh Norman. Well, Williams breezed past Norman for an easy touchdown en route to a blowout win for the Chargers.

Don’t believe it was that simple, take a look for yourself:

After the game, Norman did what he does best: talk. Most of the time, Norman evokes passion every time he speaks. He cares. And he plays hard. He’s certainly been a worthy investment for the Redskins over the last two years. But for a player being paid like Norman, this team needs more. Norman has yet to pick off one pass this season. He hasn’t exactly been special in coverage over the past six weeks, either. Yet, he continues to talk.

On Sunday afternoon, Norman didn’t say anything too egregious. He did say he didn’t care about money or fame. It’s tough to keep a straight face upon hearing that one. What Norman needs to do is make plays. This team needs him to make plays. He certainly talks the talk.

Then, there is safety D.J. Swearinger. Voted a team captain in the offseason, Swearinger has been terrific this season. He isn’t going to remind anyone of Sean Taylor or Earl Thomas, but he’s beyond solid. He has a strong grasp of the defense and knows his responsibilities as well as those of his teammates. Much like Norman, though, Swearinger sometimes says a bit too much.

For the third time this season, Swearinger spoke to the media after a loss and blamed the team’s lack of preparation for the loss. Swearinger said during the week he’s seen teammates just not taking it seriously enough. Or, the team wasn’t prepared for something that happened. Essentially, for the third time, he’s publicly called out his coaches.

In the aforementioned touchdown by Williams, Norman was expecting safety help. Head coach Jay Gruden confirmed as much in his Monday presser. Guess who the safety was in the area? Yes, the same safety who was calling out coaches and teammates.

Kudos to Swearinger for calling out his teammates for seeing things he doesn’t like. He doesn’t hide beyond anonymous sources. That’s appreciated. However, as a captain, if you see something during the week that concerns you, stop practice and call the team and coaches out. It goes over much better with everyone involved. When you do it after a loss, especially a loss in which you didn’t play well, it isn’t a good look.

Finally, there’s Bashaud Breeland. The fourth-year corner and impending free agent appears to be all but gone. Breeland was benched on Sunday after struggling in the first half. At times, Breeland looks like a Pro Bowler, other times, he looks like a fringe player. Breeland’s biggest issue isn’t physical. He just can’t seem to recover once he’s beaten. And instead of working on his craft quietly, Breeland likes to go on social media and argue with fans.

He vented after Sunday’s game, too.

It’s likely the coaches and players are tired of his antics. Breeland is a good player. He is good against the run and mostly solid in coverage. However, when he goes into a funk, it sometimes takes him weeks to recover. He is, after all, the corner who gave Dez Bryant life again in Week 13.

The best player in Washington’s secondary this season is second-year corner Kendall Fuller. Not only does Fuller lead the team in interceptions, he is also Washington’s highest-graded player, per Pro Football Focus Edge with a grade of 88.4. Have you ever heard Fuller speak?

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Perhaps some of Fuller’s teammates could learn from him.

For the Redskins to finish strong, they need more from their secondary. It’s a talented bunch capable of changing games, unfortunately, that hasn’t happened lately. It’s time for Washington’s defensive backs to back up its big talk with results on the field.