Redskins should kick the tires on recently waived Obi Melifonwu

The Raiders waived former second-round pick Obi Melifonwu on Thursday afternoon. Melifonwu has athletic upside, so the Redskins should at least kick the tires on him.

Obi Melifonwu was considered to be one of the best safety prospects in the lead up to the 2017 NFL Draft. After starring at the NFL Combine, there were some who believed that Melifonwu could end up being a first-round pick and at the very least, he would be selected in the early second frame. However, Melifonwu fell to the latter half of Round 2 and he landed with the Raiders as a result. He was considered to be a great value and a potential steal. Since that time, he has done little to prove that point.

As a rookie, Melifonwu couldn’t get on the field. He was constantly injured and that cost him his rookie season. In the offseason, the Raiders brought in Marcus Gilchrist to compete at safety and that pushed Melifonwu further down the depth chart. Then, on Thursday, the team cut their losses and released Melifonwu, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

It’s possible that Melifonwu could draw some interest on the open market. After all, he was considered to be a solid prospect by some teams, so perhaps they’ll be willing to give him a second chance. The Redskins should be among the squads that at least kick the tires on Melifonwu now that he’s available, whether or not they ultimately decide to bring him in.

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The Redskins currently have murky depth at safety. While D.J. Swearinger and Montae Nicholson should be solid starters, the team will carry a raw project in Troy Apke as a backup. They will also have veteran special teams player Deshazor Everett available, but he is merely a decent backup at best. The team has potential in that group, but they could look to add some insurance in case some prospects flame out.

Melifonwu would be a good addition for the final two preseason games and could try and show that he has something left to offer — provided that he’s healthy of course, as he has been dealing with a “lower body injury” in recent days. If he shines, he could earn a spot as a dynamic athlete on special teams, or perhaps he could get a shot to stick around on the practice squad. At the very least, he would provide some depth with upside, and he would also come at a comparatively low price to his draft day price tag.

Of course, there are concerns with bringing in Melifonwu. The first is that he hasn’t proven himself to be a quality player at the NFL level. So, why would the Redskins add more raw, inexperience to their already young safety group? Of course, the bigger concern is that the Raiders felt that Melifonwu never quite loved football enough, much like another Redskins safety who recently was traded away by the team. If there is any truth to that rumor, Melifonwu wouldn’t be worth any type of investment.

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I still like the idea of bringing in Melifonwu to see what he has. There’s little to no risk in adding him…if he wants to play football. If he doesn’t he shouldn’t be signed. Kicking the tires on him won’t hurt either way, so perhaps the Redskins will take a look at him on the free agent market.

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