Redskins should have interest in NFL safety market in 2019

The 2018 safety market stalled because it was so thin and lacked flexibility. The 2019 class won’t have that problem.

The Washington Redskins, under rare circumstances, didn’t need any additions at safety in the offseason of 2018. D.J. Swearinger and Montae Nicholson constituted one of the league’s up-and-coming safety duos. Or so they thought.

Reality struck in the 2019 season, and it was not kind. While Nicholson’s slight regression wasn’t worth benching such a young, promising player, he was eventually replaced in the starting lineup by Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. Shortly after, Nicholson was arrested on assault charges. His future in Washington is in question, but he remains on the roster for now.

Swearinger, meanwhile, posted a Pro Bowl caliber campaign for the Redskins, but his season ended in disappointment as well. The veteran, never to mince words, said too much about his defensive coordinator after a loss to the Titans, and he was subsequently cut. He then went to Arizona off of the waiver wire, and the Redskins got nothing in return.

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Now, just one offseason removed from having two solutions at safety, the Redskins instead have two questions at safety. A redemption story is not out of the question for Nicholson, and Washington could re-sign Ha Ha Clinton-Dix for a cheaper price after his underwhelming season. But more likely than not, the Redskins will need to add a starter or two, either through free agency or the NFL Draft.

The possibility of adding a high draft pick at safety has been explored, and will continue to be explored in more depth. But this year’s safety class, as intriguing as some options are, isn’t as strong as last year’s. While prospects like Deionte Thompson, Nasir Adderly, and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson each bring unique upside, deferring to free agency, and saving the first-round pick, could be an option just as effective, as polarizing as Washington’s track record is there.

The 2019 free agent class at safety is surprisingly deep. Top-tier starters like Landon Collins, Adrian Amos, and Tyrann Mathieu sit at the top, while the class is given depth by veterans like Earl Thomas, Glover Quin, and Adrian Phillips.

Set to have $21 million in cap space, the Redskins could add one of these players, and while the demand will be higher this year, as the options are worth more, they’ll still benefit from a 2018 class that failed to set monetary precedents at the position. Landon Collins’ value on Spotrac is listed at $9.3 million. Adrian Amos is rumored to want at least $8 million. Meanwhile, Preston Smith could demand as much as $11 million.

Smith is a quality edge rusher, and while the Redskins could re-sign him and draft a safety early, as our latest NFL mock details, it could end up being more cost-effective to sign a safety instead, and draft Smith’s replacement at No. 15, in an edge class that boasts top-end talents like Brian Burns, Jachai Polite, and Montez Sweat in middle-first round range. By signing a safety instead, you save at least $2 million, and you get a player with potentially more upside at edge in the draft. There’s always multiple ways to conduct one’s business in the offseason, but this seems to be a win-win, from a distance.

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Still, the possibility of drafting a safety early can’t be ignored. Deionte Thompson is an Alabama product, something the Redskins have coveted in recent years, and he has immense athletic upside. Nasir Adderly, meanwhile, boasts incredible range and ball skills, and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson could be the versatile chess piece Washington’s defense needs on the back end. But just as pieces can be added in the draft, free agency offers solutions as well. And this year, free agency just might be the better route to take.

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