Redskins Spotlight: DB Quinton Dunbar’s growth, impact in 2018
By Kyle Hundley
An unexpected face has emerged as a leader on the back end of the Redskins defense. But, it’s not who you thought it would be before the season started. Quinton Dunbar’s becoming a rising star.
When the Redskins made the trade for Alex Smith back in January, some questions were answered while more arose. One of the big questions was by including Kendall Fuller in the trade was, who would play alongside Josh Norman with Basaud Breeland being allowed to walk in free agency?
Another question was, why include Kendall Fuller in the trade in the first place when some felt the trade could be made with just draft picks? Some fans were more upset about losing Fuller than they were in losing quarterback Kirk Cousins. But, Kendall Fuller was included because to get something in the NFL, you must give something up as well. However, some also felt the Redskins got fleeced in the trade. This trade left Quinton Dunbar and Fabian Moreau as the two corners on the roster behind Norman.
In an effort to shore up the secondary before the season the Redskins signed Orlando Scandrick to a contract but then released him before the season started because head coach Jay Gruden liked what he saw in camp from both Dunbar and Moreau. Some questioned this roster move at the time because Scandrick was supposed to be a veteran presence back there alongside Norman.
However, through the first quarter of the season, Dunbar has shown everyone why coach Gruden was so high on him and why releasing Scandrick was the right move to do to free up playing time for him as he has quickly developed into one of the better corners in the league.