The Redskins have waited a long time for everything to come together at the cornerback position. Will 2019 finally be the year?
One can look back to the ill-fated 2000 season, and perhaps even further. When the Washington Redskins put together a cornerback trio of three future Hall of Famers, and still failed to meet the lofty expectations.
It’s admittedly a tough position to figure out, especially in the modern NFL. It’s one of the most important positions on the entire team, and yet, the rules of today’s NFL inherently favor the wide receiver in many situations.
This year, the Redskins have an intriguing mix of experience, physical ability, and youth in their cornerback room. But is it a group that can finally amount to the investment it’s been given? Let’s take a look at the team’s 2019 cornerback depth chart.
Redskins 2019 starters
Quinton Dunbar, Josh Norman, Fabian Moreau
The Redskins fielded this same group of starters last season, and it’s likely that they stick with these three to kick off the 2019 campaign. There are some players below the top trio who could command more snaps, but Quinton Dunbar, Josh Norman, and Fabian Moreau are the ones in the starting lineup.
Of those players, Dunbar may be the best of the bunch. In 2018, his first season as a full-time starter, he was only able to play in seven games (including one where he was battling a nerve injury and was clearly hobbled). However, Dunbar produced at a high clip, logging two interceptions and nine pass deflections, on pace for four interceptions and 18 deflections, respectively. With an enticing combination of speed, length, and mental acuity, Dunbar, who turns 27 this month, could be in line for a breakout year.
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Behind Dunbar, Josh Norman provides some supplemental experience. He’s been the Redskins starting cornerback since 2016, when he first signed his five-year, $75 million deal. He hasn’t mounted an All-Pro or Pro Bowl berth since his monumental 2015 season with Carolina, but he has been a quality starter for Washington. He’s slowly regressed over time, but even in 2018, at age 31, he was able to make plays on the ball, amassing three interceptions, five pass deflections, and three forced fumbles.
In coverage, Norman has proven inconsistent at times, and as he grows older, that likely won’t get any better. But even in his aging state, he has some utility as an experienced veteran who can generate turnovers. He doesn’t quite live up to his contract, but for the Redskins, he still might be too valuable to cut, if they don’t want Jimmy Moreland in the starting lineup just yet. Norman’s not a liability, and his savvy still wins out when speed cannot.
Of course, the biggest reason Moreland won’t sniff the starting lineup is Fabian Moreau, the team’s current slot cornerback. Moreau is a very solid height-weight-speed prospect who’s steadily improved over the course of his two-year career. In 2019, he’s still ascending, and he’s a breakout candidate alongside Dunbar. He showed great strides last season, displaying tenacity in the slot, and in 2019, he has the chance to add to that, with his athletic potential.
Redskins 2019 top backups
Greg Stroman, Jimmy Moreland
The Redskins top two backups are both just 23 years old, and one is a late-round rookie who’s exceeded expectations thus far. Greg Stroman and Jimmy Moreland aren’t starting-caliber players, but they both have the potential to provide the Redskins with valuable security at cornerback.
Stroman, surprisingly, ended up being the Redskins highest-graded cornerback on Pro Football Focus in 2018. Of course, Pro Football Focus’ raw grades should always be taken with a grain of salt, but the fact that the metrics favor Stroman is promising, this early in his career. His best game came against Tampa Bay, when he logged an 87.0 grade and caught his first and only interception of the season.
There was room for improvement for Stroman, as he allowed a passer rating over 120.0. But Stroman’s best traits shined last season. He showed the ability to mirror receivers, and even against bigger players, he was sticky in coverage, frequently giving himself the best chance to make a play on the ball.
Where Stroman failed to make plays on the ball, the Redskins hope Jimmy Moreland can capitalize. The seventh-round rookie caught 18 interceptions and deflected 63 passes in his four-year college career with the James Madison Dukes, and he got off to a quick start this offseason, picking off over half a dozen passes in minicamp and OTAs. In one practice session, Moreland caught three interceptions in rapid succession, earning the attention of team mates, coaches, and onlookers alike. If he can continue to harness his ability to disrupt the pass at the catch point, then he can carve out a role early in his career.
Redskins 2019 reserves
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Danny Johnson
It’s been speculated by some that Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie might factor into the starting equation at some point. I don’t see that upside for the veteran. While he’s had a very productive career, over the last two seasons, he’s only started seven games, and he retired midway through his 2018 campaign with the Oakland Raiders, before coming out of retirement to join Washington.
Cromartie still has some speed, but age has clearly played a role in his regression, and as he moves into his age 33 season, he shouldn’t be expected to come anywhere close to his peak form. Cromartie, more likely than not, will provide depth and versatility on the back end, but even then, he’s not a roster lock. His contract contains very little guarantees, so if the Redskins wanted to cut him, they could do so with no adverse effects.
Of course, Cromartie has the sixth spot locked down with a fair amount of security, because the closest cornerback behind him is Danny Johnson, a 2018 undrafted free agent who was, at best, inconsistent in his time as a defensive contributor. He made the roster because of his returner utility, and also because of his modest ball skills, but he was exposed on the big stage, and if the decision comes down to Cromartie and Johnson for the team’s sixth cornerback spot, Cromartie is more likely to win out.
Johnson can, of course, defy the odds and develop over the 2019 offseason, or one of the team’s roster hopefuls could emerge, and force the Redskins to keep them around.
Redskins roster hopefuls
Deion Harris, Adonis Alexander, Ashton Lampkin
These three cornerbacks round out the position group, each possessing a low chance of making the 2019 roster. All three have traits that could propel them into the roster conversation, but for now, they have some ground to make up.
For both Deion Harris and Adonis Alexander, the trait that sets them apart is their height and length. Both cornerbacks are 6-foot-3, with good length to disrupt the ball inside their catch radius. Harris is a better athlete; an injury history prevented him from maximizing his stock in college, but when fully healthy at Redskins rookie minicamp, he showed enough for the team to cut Joshua Holsey and take him on. For now, he’s the roster hopeful with the best chance to surprise.
Adonis Alexander also has some redeeming qualities, and as a Virginia Tech product, he’s a fan favorite in the local area. A sixth-round selection in last year’s supplemental draft, Alexander has a lanky 6-foot-3 frame, but also lackluster long speed for a defensive back. As a pure project, he has some versatile upside, but that upside is contingent on his mental development, because his athletic traits aren’t outstanding. Without Torrian Gray, a coach he was familiar with, his development could be stunted. But if he clicks with Ray Horton, perhaps he could take hold of this opportunity.
Ashton Lampkin serves as the last, and the least, of the group, but to be the least in an NFL secondary is nothing to be disappointed about. Lampkin has a chance to come out of nowhere. At 5-foot-11, he has average size for a cornerback, and in college, he amassed five interceptions and 12 pass deflections over a five-year span. He’s faced an uphill battle since 2017, when he entered the league as a UDFA and tore his ACL with the Chiefs in training camp. He had a stint with the Browns practice squad in 2018, but he was released in May, and subsequently picked up by the Redskins. He faces another uphill battle in Washington, as the tenth of ten. But he’s gotten this far. He could get farther.