Washington Redskins: Su’a Cravens wants back in, but it won’t be in DC

Safety Su’a Cravens announced his retirement during training camp in 2017. Now, he wants to return, but it won’t happen with the Washington Redskins.

On the eve of his second NFL season, Washington Redskins‘ safety Su’a Cravens announced he was retiring from football. Cravens gave no reason for his sudden departure and Washington placed him on the exempt/left squad list.

That meant he was done for the 2017 season, whether he truly wanted to be or not.

On Monday, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that Cravens had applied for reinstatement and was expected to be back on the field in 2018. The biggest question; where will Cravens play next fall?

By virtue of him missing the entire season, Cravens is under contract with the Redskins for three more seasons. He is still on a cheap rookie contract and was, at one time, a promising young player. Sounds perfect for a team in need of young, cheap talent, right?

Not so fast.

Cravens’ teammates in Washington may have said the right things publicly, but there was a lot of resentment in the way he chose to leave. One week before the Redskins played their first game, Cravens sent a group text to his fellow defensive backs informing him of his plans, told the group “peace out” and removed himself from the group chat. The next day, he met with team president Bruce Allen and told him he was retiring.

Over the next few weeks, Cravens would post strange messages on social media and removed all traces of his NFL career from his social media profiles. What really damaged his standing with the team was when Washington was in Los Angeles playing the Rams in Week 2, Cravens didn’t even attend the game, despite being on the sideline the night before to watch his alma mater, USC, play. Cravens is a resident of Los Angeles. This didn’t sit well with numerous members of the organization.

On Monday night, Cravens once again took to social media to say everything was wonderful with his teammates and there was never any issues. Sure, several teammates checked in on Cravens while he was out, but others weren’t so happy. Safety D.J. Swearinger and cornerback Josh Norman, two defensive leaders, spoke on Cravens just before the season and their displeasure in his actions was quite obvious.

Can time heal all wounds? Perhaps, but players will always have in the back of their minds will Cravens walk away again when things get tough? Remember, this was not an isolated incident. He walked away from the team at USC once and there was an incident his rookie year where he went missing for a day. So, this is the third time he’s had commitment issues with football. This is a sport where you have to be all-in. It’s about trust.

And there’s also the matter of whether the coaching staff would welcome him back, too. Head coach Jay Gruden never said much publicly on the topic except to express support for Cravens. But that’s what he had to do.

Cravens allegedly dealt with some serious family issues and also concussion-related symptoms while he was out. Those are serious issues and far more important than football. However, Cravens’ actions, especially on social media, were questionable. It’s quite possible this team would prefer to move on from him. And, they should.

Montae Nicholson, a fourth-round pick from Michigan State last year, was a pleasant surprise for the Redskins. Unfortunately, he also dealt with some injury issues. When healthy, he looked like the future at free safety. He allowed D.J. Swearinger to play his more natural role of strong safety and the entire defense benefitted. Cravens, like Swearinger, is also better closer to the line of scrimmage.

It’s possible all is forgiven and Washington welcomes Cravens back with open arms. Don’t count on it. This wasn’t a one-time thing and the last thing Gruden wants is this type of drama surrounding the team. His teammates could probably do without it, too.

Former Washington tight end Chris Cooley, who works for the team-owned radio network and is truly plugged in on what’s going on in the organization, spoke on the topic Tuesday and made his feelings known. He doesn’t ever see Cravens donning a Washington uniform again. He’s right. Remember, Cooley is close to executives, coaches and some players.

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Allen should be gauging the trade market for Cravens now. He still has value, unfortunately, it won’t be the second-round pick he cost the team two years ago. Interested teams will use Cravens’ past against Washington. That’s expected, however, the Redskins must get what they can for Cravens and turn the page.