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Redskins Depth Chart: Analyzing the team’s safety group

By Jacob Camenker

LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 24: Wide receiver Michael Crabtree #15 of the Oakland Raider tires to match a catch over strong safety Montae Nicholson #35 of the Washington Redskins in the third quarter at FedExField on September 4, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 24: Wide receiver Michael Crabtree #15 of the Oakland Raider tires to match a catch over strong safety Montae Nicholson #35 of the Washington Redskins in the third quarter at FedExField on September 4, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – DECEMBER 20: Marcus Thigpen #11 of the Buffalo Bills returns a kick off against cornerback Deshazor Everett #22 of the Washington Redskins in the second quarter at FedExField on December 20, 2015 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – DECEMBER 20: Marcus Thigpen #11 of the Buffalo Bills returns a kick off against cornerback Deshazor Everett #22 of the Washington Redskins in the second quarter at FedExField on December 20, 2015 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images) /

Missing the cut

If Blanding can win a spot on the 53-man roster, that is going to spell some serious trouble for Deshazor Everett. The former Texas A&M product is coming off what was statistically his best NFL season, but the tape tells a different story of his impact.

Everett was asked to serve as a spot starter for a good chunk of the season, and he struggled to establish himself as a quality option. He had some issues with coverage and while he was generally a solid tackler, he just didn’t do enough to establish confidence in his abilities. His ceiling appears to be as a No. 3 safety, and that could cause him to be a surprise cut, especially with the roster crunch likely to happen at this position and the immense upside of the younger players on the roster.

Speaking of young players with upside, Fish Smithson could challenge for a roster spot as well. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and spent most of the season on Washington’s practice squad. If he can prove to be a good option in coverage, that could do enough to catapult him over both Everett and Blanding for that backup spot. However, I happen to like Blanding’s skill set a bit more, so I think Smithson may have trouble making the team off the bat. Still, he could go to the practice squad and make an appearance at some point during the season.

Finally, Kenny Ladler seems highly unlikely to make the team. Ladler is coming off two great seasons in the CFL and certainly qualifies as an unheralded player. However, it’s going to be tough for him to beat out the other young safeties on the roster. He still has a chance, but he has an uphill battle.

Next: 3 position coaches who bring Redskins hope

The Redskins have some interesting candidates at the backup positions for sure. This will be one of the most difficult groups to predict the final roster results for, as the talent is mostly potential based at this time.

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