Breaking down the Redskins safety depth chart for 2019
By Ian Cummings
Redskins 2019 starters
Landon Collins and Montae Nicholson
The Redskins starting safety duo in 2019 is one with great potential, but one must exercise care when projecting the tandem’s success in 2019. There is still uncertainty that mars this position group at the top.
Landon Collins, of course, fosters the least uncertainty. He’s not one of the best safeties in the NFL, but he’s in the next tier down. Collins doesn’t quite have the all-around ability that safeties like Jamal Adams, Harrison Smith, and Kevin Byard, but he’s a sure tackler with good route recognition skills, athleticism, and instincts in the box.
As Pro Football Focus’ Mike Renner pointed out, Collins is basically an off-ball linebacker. He’s very good at what he does, and what he does isn’t always dropping back in coverage. In 2018, only 109 of his 804 total defensive snaps saw him drop back deep. Meanwhile, a whopping 549 snaps saw him line up in the box.
That’s where Collins should make his money, for the Redskins. That’s not to say he can’t cover. But he excels closer to the line of scrimmage. Meanwhile, while Collins wreaks havoc on the box, the Redskins need a rangy safety behind him. In theory, Montae Nicholson fits that profile perfectly. But there’s still some work for him to do.
Don’t give up on Nicholson just yet. At 6-foot-2, 215, with 4.4 speed and a 35-inch vertical, Nicholson has the length, long speed, and explosion to flourish as a starter. And he has all the necessary traits to be Collins’ compliment on the back end. The question with Nicholson, until he quells it, will be consistency, and reliability. 2018 was a black mark on Nicholson’s record, but still, after his benching and his assault incident, for which the charges were eventually dropped, the team is giving him another chance to start. Why?
Because Nicholson is still very young, at just 23 years old. He’s still learning and growing, and he still has astronomical upside as a coverage safety. New defensive backs coach Ray Horton must preach accountability with Nicholson. But the Michigan State product appears to be grateful for this next opportunity, and if he can develop and show more instinctual flashes that were present in his rookie season, he can be a great value player for the Redskins.
This tandem has undoubtable upside for Washington. But success is not a guarantee. The Redskins have to use Collins the right way, and Nicholson needs to continue to grow and expand his arsenal. If these things happen, then the Redskins secondary could surprise a few people.