Washington Redskins safety grades for the 2018 campaign
By Ian Cummings
D.J. Swearinger
A season that started out on a stellar note turned sour quickly for D.J. Swearinger, a former Redskins star who now finds himself with the Arizona Cardinals.
Swearinger, signed by the Redskins in 2017, quickly became a fan favorite with his fiery personality and tenacious play style. Earning four interceptions and five pass deflections in his first season with the team, he was thought of as one of the team’s best returning players in 2018, and through the first half of the season, he not only lived up to those claims, but built on them.
One could make the argument that, through ten games in 2018, Swearinger was one of the best safeties in football. After the Houston game, Swearinger had logged four interceptions, four pass deflections, and three forced fumbles, cementing a reputation as a turnover generator. Few players in the division impacted the ball on defense like Swearinger. And few could back up their talk so well.
Swearinger’s talk, however, would ultimately be his undoing. After a few bad games overall by the defense, Swearinger called out defensive coordinator Greg Manusky, lamenting at play calls that didn’t fit the Redskins scheme. Just days after that incident, Swearinger was surprisingly released by the Redskins, and subsequently claimed off waivers by the Arizona Cardinals.
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Swearinger will start the 2019 season in a different shade of red. It’s up to interpretation whether or not the Redskins made the right call to release Swearinger. It’s apparent that discipline of some degree was needed. But the circumstances don’t change this fact: The Redskins let go of one of their best players, and one of the better safeties in football, for no compensation. And now, they’ll be starting over again in 2019.