Redskins: Su’a Cravens likely to be the next young defensive back to leave

The Washington Redskins traded Kendall Fuller as part of the Alex Smith trade on Tuesday night. One of their next losses in the secondary will probably be Su’a Cravens.

Just a year ago, there was a lot of optimism surrounding Su’a Cravens. Coming off a solid rookie season for the team after being a second round pick, Cravens was shifting to the safety position where he would turn into an even better pro. From there, he would help fix a major weakness on the Redskins defense and be a part of the team’s revamped secondary. That never materialized.

Just before the season, Cravens left the team abruptly and said that he was retiring. A month later, he changed his tune, but the Redskins were frustrated with his decision to leave the team. They elected to place him on a reserve list and that kept him out this season. This lack of trust between Cravens and the Redskins has fostered a fragmented relationship between the two sides, and it’s becoming more apparent that Cravens won’t be kept around in 2018.

Recently, NBC Sports Washington’s Rich Tandler spoke on Twitter about the Cravens situation. He had some harsh words about the possibility of a return for the young defensive back.

Now, one of the reasons that Cravens’ name is coming up now is because of the Alex Smith trade. When people heard that the team had given up a third round pick and an unknown player, many assumed that it could be Cravens. After all, he was disgruntled in Washington, and the Redskins were upset with him for leaving the team. Naturally, it made sense that the Chiefs, who could use some extra safety depth, would target Cravens.

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Alas, that wasn’t the case and it ended up being Kendall Fuller who was shipped away instead. Fuller is another very young defensive back, he’s just 22, and since Cravens’ departure is still likely, it means that the team will lose a couple of key members of their secondary.

Of course, there’s always a silver lining to these scenarios. If and when Cravens eventually leaves the Redskins, they will still have a great starting safety duo in D.J. Swearinger and Montae Nicholson. The latter was extremely impressive as a rookie and flashed immense upside. Provided that he can stay healthy, he will be an excellent pro starter. Still, the team needs some depth at the position, so perhaps whatever pick they acquire, if they are able to trade Cravens, could be used at the safety position.

It’s a bit harder to find a silver lining at corner, but perhaps 2017 third rounder Fabian Moreau could step into a bigger role after the departure of Fuller. Moreau flashed athleticism as a gunner on special teams and was thought to be a potential first round pick before a Pro Day injury. If he can learn to play the slot, the Redskins will be in fine shape.

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At the end of the day, it’s just worth noting that the Redskins secondary isn’t going to be as full of young talent as it once was. Fuller was the future at cornerback, and could have functioned as a top slot man or an above average No. 2 corner. Meanwhile, Cravens had the potential to become a playmaker, but instead, it looks likely that he won’t be around anymore. It will be interesting to see how the Redskins fill the voids that will be left in their secondary as a result.