Washington Football Team: Kamren Curl has superstar potential

Washington Football Team rookie Kamren Curl has been showing superstar potential.

The Washington Football Team has not had the best luck at the safety position in the past; Kamren Curl might be changing their fortunes, though.

Washington drafted Sean Taylor back in 2004. In almost no time, he became one of the best defensive backs in the entire NFL. Of course, in 2007, Taylor was tragically murdered. Since then, Washington’s safety play has been questionable at best.

LaRon Landry had some great years. However, the loss of Taylor forced Landry to have to sort of play out of position and do more in coverage. This led to his production dropping off much quicker than it likely should have.

After Landry, there were a number of different safety. Chris Horton had a good year, DeJon Gomes was interesting as well. Reed Doughty was a really solid piece. Phillip Thomas and Bacarri Rambo had potential but never worked out in Washington. Meanwhile, O.J. Atogwe was not his usual self when he arrived at the end of his career. Duke Ihenacho was okay, Brandon Meriweather and Ryan Clark were decent, and D.J. Swearinger was solid.

The only true standout was Kyshoen Jarrett. Drafted in the sixth round in 2015, he had an outstanding rookie season and looked to be a major part of Washington’s future. However, in the regular-season finale of his rookie year Jarrett suffered nerve damage during a head-to-head collision. This forced him to retire after just 16 NFL games.

Washington then signed Landon Collins in the 2019 offseason. His first year with the team was good, but nothing spectacular. In 2020, he suffered an injury early in the year and has missed most of the season though. This forced a spot open for Curl and the rookie has not let that opportunity slip through his fingers.

Curl spent time both at cornerback and safety while in college at Arkansas. Due to that, some people may not have been too sure about his role heading into the season. Would he be able to fit in at any position? Or would he be too much of a “tweener” and end up fizzling out no matter where he was placed?

Maybe that’s part of the reason Curl was not selected until pick No. 216.

Kamren Curl may be a late-round pick but he’s proven he’s a quality NFL player.

No matter the reason, clearly, Curl was clearly up to the task to play safety at the NFL level. He has appeared in all 13 games (eight starts) so far this year. In that time, he has 69 tackles (four for loss), two sacks, two pass deflections, one interception and one touchdown.

Curl is constantly making plays too. It’s not just the odd play here and there; he isn’t just getting an interception in garbage time or piling on for a gang tackle. Curl tends to be a true playmaker. More importantly, he tends to make the smart play. It’s not always about the flashy play but about doing what’s right. And the safety seems to know where to be and what the right move is on a play.

In Washington’s Week 14 win over the San Francisco 49ers, up 16-7 with time winding down in the third quarter, the 49ers were driving. This was a crucial moment in the game. Washington could not afford to give San Francisco momentum. Curl jumped a route and intercepted a Nick Mullens pass. He took it 76 yards for a touchdown to end the third quarter ahead 23-7 in clutch fashion.

But wait, there’s more. Curl also had both of his pass deflections on the season in that game, as well as seven tackles. Meanwhile, he had eight tackles in each of the two prior games. Then he had nine tackles and a QB hit in the game before that, nine tackles (one for loss) and a sack before that, and 11 tackles (one for loss) and a sack before that.

Curl is blossoming. He is becoming not just a good player or a legitimate starter but a star player, a true playmaker — something Washington has not had in a long time at the safety position.

The Washington Football Team has had some bad luck at safety in recent years. Kamren Curl is showing all the signs of breaking out into a true star though. His potential is limitless. He is constantly making big plays and being in the right position. He may have broken the curse.