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Washington Redskins 2017 X-Factors: S D.J. Swearinger

By Ian Cummings

January 1, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Arizona Cardinals inside linebacker Sio Moore (54) and free safety D.J. Swearinger (36) move in on Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Pharoh Cooper (10) during the first half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
January 1, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Arizona Cardinals inside linebacker Sio Moore (54) and free safety D.J. Swearinger (36) move in on Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Pharoh Cooper (10) during the first half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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January 1, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Arizona Cardinals inside linebacker Sio Moore (54) and free safety D.J. Swearinger (36) move in on Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Pharoh Cooper (10) during the first half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
January 1, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Arizona Cardinals inside linebacker Sio Moore (54) and free safety D.J. Swearinger (36) move in on Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Pharoh Cooper (10) during the first half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

The Redskins’ secondary comes into 2017 under a lot of pressure. Aside from Josh Norman, the group failed to provide a steady barrier last season. They’ll have to change that this year.

Defense wins championships. We’re reminded of that every year. There are obvious examples, like the 1985 Chicago Bears and the 2001 Baltimore Ravens. And then there are the more subtle ones, like the 28-3 lead blown by the Atlanta Falcons, due to a combination of poor defense and inept offense. Having an explosive offense is valuable. But if your defense can’t pull its weight, then it’s hard to find success.

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The Redskins need to build a better defense. They started that project last year with the signing of All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman. And they continued it this offseason with quite a few additions on all levels. They certainly need the help anywhere they can get it.

But there is a particularly glaring need in the secondary. The unit ranked 25th last year, even with Josh Norman locking down one side. That says a lot about his supporting cast. The lack of depth started to show early on, especially at the safety position. The Redskins brought D.J. Swearinger and Su’a Cravens into the safety room in an attempt to fix this issue.

Cravens played well as a rookie at linebacker, and his size should translate well to his new role. Swearinger has proven to be a solid player all around, but he faces the most pressure because of this. The 25-year old free safety had a career year in 2016 with the Arizona Cardinals, but his career production has been a bit inconsistent. The Redskins need a strong constant presence at the position of free safety if they wish to take the next step. Swearinger has the best chance of providing that. But he has high expectations, and it’s unknown whether he can reach the height of production expected of him.

Thus, Swearinger is the subject of our latest Redskins 2017 X-Factors segment. Will the free agent acquisition prove to be a steal for the woeful Redskins’ defense? Or will he be another disappointing cautionary tale? Let’s take a look.

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