Five Redskins players who received votes of confidence in the draft

No. 4 – Redskins CB Quinton Dunbar

There was a varying amount of uncertainty surrounding the Redskins cornerback situation this offseason, and even after the NFL Draft, there still is. Josh Norman turns 32 later this year. Fabian Moreau is on the right track, but still developing. And Quinton Dunbar, the former undrafted receiver who became a full-time starter in 2018, is still suffering from the effects of nerve damage.

It was this same nerve issue that derailed Dunbar’s promising 2018 campaign. In just seven games, Dunbar had two interceptions and nine pass deflections, on pace for four interceptions and 18 deflections, statistics that would have consummated a very productive season. Dunbar, however, was hobbled by a nerve issue on his ankle, and he was sidelined indefinitely in after Week 11.

In Week 11, against the Dallas Cowboys, the toll of the nerve injury on Dunbar’s mobility was on full display. Perhaps against Dunbar’s best interests, the team started him against Amari Cooper and company, and Dunbar’s limp was clear on the field. Other players were a step of ahead of him on every play, and after the game, Dunbar went to rehab.

Dunbar’s injury was reminiscent of Kyshoen Jarrett’s; the Virginia Tech product had been mounting a solid rookie campaign in 2015 when he was hit the wrong way, and suffered a nerve injury that ended his career, causing him to lose movement in his arm. Dunbar’s wasn’t nearly as severe, but at the start of this offseason, there were questions over whether he’d be able to regain all of his mobility.

Recently, Dunbar spoke on the team site about the progress he’s made, and the Redskins gave Dunbar a vote of confidence by not taking a cornerback until Round 7. Dunbar has the size, speed, and attention to detail to be a very good starter, still just 26 years old, and the Redskins aren’t letting a lingering injury scare them away from that possibility.