Redskins sign CB Quinton Dunbar to a three year deal to begin 2018
The Washington Redskins had a couple of key cornerbacks set to hit the free agent market in 2018. They have officially retained one in Quinton Dunbar.
Coming into the offseason, the Redskins were going to be forced to make a decision about who to keep at the cornerback position. With Bashaud Breeland and Quinton Dunbar set to hit the market, the team needed to make sure they retained at least one in order to keep their secondary in good shape. They do have some great young talent in Kendall Fuller and Fabian Moreau, but keeping a second veteran around was important.
For that reason, the Redskins set their sights on keeping Dunbar, a restricted free agent, long term. On Monday, the first day of 2018, they were officially able to get that done. Dunbar inked a three-year deal, per NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay, and that will be the first official transaction of the Redskins offseason. Additionally, it will allow them to retain depth.
Dunbar has played fairly well this year serving as the team’s top backup at corner. He’s done well to fill in for Breeland and Josh Norman in the past couple of years when each was hurt, so getting him to sign on was a smart move. He has upside as a No. 2 cornerback, and the fact that he was a former receiver allows him to better predict the runs that his opponents will try to run.
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Right now, there’s not much available about the financials of the deal. In our free agent preview for the Redskins defensive backs, we pegged Dunbar’s value at $3-$4 million per season. Provided that he got something in that range, perhaps a three year, $10 million contract, this will be a solid signing. However, if they overpaid, that could come back to bite them. It seems like the former option is more likely, as the team wouldn’t want to overuse their cap space unless they have definitely decided to let Kirk Cousins walk.
Of course, it’s worth noting that the re-signing of Dunbar means that Breeland’s departure is a foregone conclusion. This was always expected to be the case, but still it’s looking more like a reality now. Breeland will likely get a bigger contract on the market than the Redskins wanted to offer. The Colts and the Seahawks should have interest in him, so he will land a job somewhere to be a No. 2 corner with upside.
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Overall, this seems like a solid move for the Redskins. Bringing back Dunbar gives the Redskins depth and likely won’t take up too much cap space. Also, taking the restricted free agent off the market ensures that another team won’t overpay to get his services. So, it’s looking like 2018 started off on the right foot for the Redskins.