Redskins: D.J. Swearinger excited to face his former Arizona Cardinals teammates

One of the bigger storylines on Sunday afternoon will be D.J. Swearinger taking on his former team, the Arizona Cardinals. The Washington Redskins captain seems to be excited about the opportunity.

In his first season with the Washington Redskins, D.J. Swearinger has been an important voice in the team’s locker room. After signing a three year deal to join the Redskins during the offseason, Swearinger immediately came in and won a starting job and the position of defensive captain. Often throughout the season, his voice has been heard about issues plaguing the team and on the sideline, he has clearly tried to keep his unit motivated.

Over the course of the past couple weeks, things haven’t been going as good for Swearinger. In addition to some coverage issues he has had on the field, he was vocal about the team’s effort and lack of preparation in the past few weeks. Swearinger is hoping that there will be new urgency among the players and coaches alike this week, and it’s for a good reason. He’s playing his former team.

This week, Swearinger is going to be facing the Arizona Cardinals for the first time since leaving the desert. Swearinger had been a starter there for just a single season, but he had a big impact on the secondary during his time there. He posted 64 tackles, three picks, and two sacks in 2016 with the team. Those numbers are remarkably similar to the 60 tackles, three picks, and one sack he has thus far in 2017.

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Swearinger spoke about the upcoming contest in a video that was posted on the Redskins official Twitter account. Here’s the full length video featuring his comments.

In the video, Swearinger spoke about having “no hard feelings” towards the Cardinals for letting him walk, but he also talked about how he wants to win because he’s a “competitor.” Additionally, Swearinger talked about preparing for Bruce Arians’ offense, which will feature a lot of vertical routes as he is in to big, downfield plays.

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The importance of this game for Swearinger cannot be underestimated. Right now, the Redskins don’t really have anything to play for except pride. Sitting at 5-8, their season will be over after the next three games conclude. But on Sunday, Swearinger is going to get a chance to show his friends and former teammates alike that he is a force to be reckoned with. That could end up benefiting the team.

If Swearinger brings his energy and motivational skills to FedEx Field on Sunday, the Redskins defense could look re-energized against and offense that features Blaine Gabbert, Kerwynn Williams, and a terrible offensive line. Swearinger may be able to work with Greg Manusky to rally the forces and put forth a defensive effort like we saw in the early weeks of the 2017 season.

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Swearinger is going to be motivated to succeed because of his matchup with his former team, and the out in his contract that could make him a free agent this offseason if the Redskins decide to exercise it. It should be fun to watch him in action on Sunday.