Washington Redskins: Adonis Alexander brings competition to secondary

With Adonis Alexander now on the roster, the Washington Redskins have a glut of young and talented cornerbacks. It’s a good problem, too.

In the NFL, you can never have too many pass-rushers or cornerbacks. That’s the strategy the Washington Redskins are employing, too, after they decided to choose cornerback Adonis Alexander in last week’s supplemental draft. Remember, the Redskins lost two of their top three corners from a year ago, so instead of signing a big-ticket free agent at the position, Washington chose to add a couple of young players and also signed veteran Orlando Scandrick to a cheap one-year deal.

Most teams generally keep about five cornerbacks on the opening-day roster. That can change, of course, with injuries. Last season, Washington kept six corners in Josh Norman, Bashaud Breeland, Kendall Fuller, Quinton Dunbar, Fabian Moreau and Joshua Holsey. Breeland and Fuller are gone, with Scandrick, Alexander and Greg Stroman added to the mix. Potentially, the Redskins have Holsey, Alexander and Stroman battling for one — or maybe — two spots.

The Redskins expect Norman and Dunbar to start on the outside with Scandrick in the slot. Coaches are high on Moreau and be could eventually replace Norman one year from now. Holsey, a seventh-round pick a year ago, impressed coaches throughout the season last year. He is tough, feisty and competitive and does his best work in the slot. He made the roster last season because coaches didn’t want to expose him on the practice squad.

Stroman, Alexander’s former teammate at Virginia Tech, can play the slot, too. He also brings speed and punt-return ability, too. Stroman is arguably the best candidate to return punts on the roster as the team would like to move starting receiver Jamison Crowder out of that role after he struggled there in 2017.

Washington didn’t pick Alexander in the supplemental draft just under two weeks before training camp to stick him on the practice squad. He’s making the team. At 6-3 and just over 200 pounds, Alexander has terrific measurables and can also play safety. He’s expected to begin his career at corner, though.

Next: NFL 2018: Biggest offseason mistake for each team

It’s never a bad problem to have when you have several talented bodies at one position. It means a good player is getting cut. That will likely be the case with Washington next month. However, after a dearth of talent on the roster for years, it’s a good problem to have.