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Redskins should target Malik McDowell if released by Seattle Seahawks

By Jacob Camenker

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 05: Malik McDowell #4 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts during the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 5, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 05: Malik McDowell #4 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts during the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 5, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Malik McDowell was a second round pick by the Seattle Seahawks in 2017. If he gets released, the Washington Redskins should have interest in him.

The career of Malik McDowell has been a sad story to date. After being a second round pick out of Michigan State, and the first overall pick by the Seahawks in the 2017 NFL Draft, McDowell hasn’t had a chance to play. Before his rookie season began, McDowell got into a bad ATV accident and that kept him sidelined for the entire campaign.

Since the accident, McDowell has been working hard to recover, but the Seahawks haven’t been able to clear him medically. It’s unknown what the extent the injuries are, but they are apparently bad enough that the team doesn’t have confidence that he will play. Or, more importantly, that it is safe for him to play.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Seahawks are likely to release McDowell in the near future. Rapoport confirmed this on Twitter.

In the event that McDowell is, in fact, released by the Seahawks, the Redskins would be a sensible landing spot for the Michigan State product.

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During the lead-up to the 2017 NFL Draft, the Redskins were interested in McDowell. The team brought him in for a visit, and he would definitely have been in the running for their second round pick had they not landed Jonathan Allen with the No. 17 pick. That said, McDowell could have still had a spot on the Redskins team. They just couldn’t invest two early picks into the defensive line.

If McDowell is available on the free agent market, the Redskins should at least bring him in for a visit. Sure, he hasn’t played at the NFL level, but if he can recover from the accident, then he will have a chance to be a solid rotational lineman. He has a nice, 6-foot-6, 299 frame and if he can add some bulk, he could be a candidate to play nose tackle. At the very least, he could be a practice squad talent.

All of this depends on whether or not McDowell is healthy and available. The Redskins will have to decide if he can meet the medical requirements to make their squad, and of course, the Seahawks have to release him first to make this possible.

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Right now, McDowell is just a name that bears watching. His fit in Washington could end up being a sensible one. At the same time, this situation has airs of Sergio Kindle, the former Ravens second round pick who never made it in the NFL after suffering an injury falling down the stairs. Here’s hoping that McDowell gets another chance, and here’s hoping that if he’s cut, he lands in Washington.

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