Jeremy Reaves deserves a shot for the Washington Football Team

Defensive back Jeremy Reaves has earned a legitimate shot with the Washington Football Team

The Washington Football Team had such an insane COVID-19 outbreak heading into Week 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles that it felt like most of their roster was made up of practice squad players. One of those players was defensive back Jeremy Reaves. He spent some time in Washington the last two seasons, so fans probably weren’t too upset to see him again.

Reaves is a 25-year-old from South Alabama College. And he actually got some decent playing time in 2020. In that time, he made some plays and put together a pretty solid highlight reel.

Despite that, Reaves was delegated to the practice squad at the start of the year. Some people were surprised by this, feeling he had earned a spot on the roster. It’s hard to argue with that. However, it’s also fair to see the logic in the move.

Washington had added some veteran (and rookie) pieces to the secondary. And they could move Reaves to the practice squad while feeling pretty secure that no one would snatch him up.

Reaves made his debut in Week 14, against the Dallas Cowboys. The safety played in just one defensive snap that game though (and did pick up a tackle).

It wasn’t until Week 15 that he was thrust into a much bigger role. In that game, Reaves racked up 12 tackles (9 solo). Both of those were game-highs for both teams. He also made some plays outside of just picking up some tackles.

There was one play where fans got a little upset with Reaves, as he made a good read and had great positioning – but sort of got mossed on a long reception. It was a play that many thought would be an interception but ended up being a big gain for Philadelphia instead.

He’s a young player though, and 90% of it was a great play – he just needs to finish it.

Reaves has continuously proven himself. He’s been thrust into a prominent role multiple times and has always delivered. This isn’t saying that he’s the next superstar and they are wasting him on the practice squad. They are wasting him on the practice squad though.

The Washington Football Team has a couple of weaknesses. And their secondary is certainly something that can be improved on. Having Jeremy Reaves as a depth piece seems like it would help. Does he need to play 93% of the defensive snaps like he did in Week 15? No. But if you can get him on the field for 20% or so, it feels like he could make a difference and make some plays.

At this point, the Washington Football Team is basically already looking towards next season. Give Jeremy Reaves a chance the rest of the way, he’s earned it.