Few positions on the Redskins roster rival the quarterback position, in terms of turnover in recent years. But the safety group comes dangerously close.
The names that have churned through the Washington Redskins depth chart at safety since Sean Taylor’s untimely passing number in the dozens. From Reed Doughty to Dashon Goldson. From David Bruton to Donte Whitner. From D.J. Swearinger to Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.
This past offseason, the Redskins invested a sizable sum of money in the safety position, in an attempt to shore up the position for good. They signed former New York Giants box safety Landon Collins to a six-year, $84 million deal, perceivably locking him down from his age 25 season to his age 31 season.
Collins’ contract, however, has a potential out at the three-year mark. On the surface, this is simple financial security, something worked into all NFL contracts, more or less. But in a way, it feels like preparation. For the turnover at safety that will inevitably continue, as its done so for years.
In 2018, Collins will look to change the perception, and give the Redskins a long-term starter, and he isn’t alone. The Redskins have more upside in their safety room than they’ve had in a long time. But they need to make it count. Here’s how the team’s depth chart at safety looks, as training camp nears.
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.
Redskins 2019 backups
Troy Apke and Deshazor Everett
Deshazor Everett has been a steady constant in an unsteady safety room for the Redskins, and that steadiness will award him his third season as the team’s full-time backup and special teams ace.
Everett has been speculated, in the past, as a future starter, but he hasn’t showed the requisite upside on a basis frequent enough to be considered. He’s exactly what a backup should be: a player who can step in on a moment’s notice with experience and modest athletic ability. Now at 27 years old, Everett has been a mainstay in the safety room, and he provides this group with the most team experience.
Troy Apke doesn’t have nearly as much experience as Everett, but he possesses physical upside that will give him artificial job security, as long as he doesn’t significantly regress in training camp. Apke, standing at 6-foot-1, 200, ran a 4.34 in the 40-yard dash last offseason, and he also logged very impressive numbers in other movement drills as well, including a 4.03 20-yard shuttle, a 6.56 3-cone time, and a 41-inch vertical.
Of course, for Apke, the numbers constitute where the story starts and ends. In college, he didn’t produce nearly as much as his athletic numbers would indicate, and he displayed a concerning lack of instincts and angle awareness as a safety. Apke is the definition of a workout warrior, who upped his draft stock tremendously with his combine numbers. For now, he’s still unfiltered, untapped potential. But until he develops mentally, his explosive athletic traits won’t contribute much, other than in special teams.
But for the sake of his development, the No. 4 spot is Apke’s to lose. Let’s not mince words here; he has exciting athletic potential, and the experiment shouldn’t be cut short after just one uneventful season. But some players have the instincts to play safety, and others don’t. Apke might not be a quick enough on-field processor to reach his upside. But even so, players of his mold find steady roles in the NFL, whether as spot-starting backups or as perennial special teams contributors.
Redskins 2019 reserves
Jeremy Reaves and Jojo McIntosh
More likely than not, the Redskins will stick with four safeties, in order to ensure positional flexibility elsewhere. But should they decide to pick a fifth, they have a couple of intriguing options in the reserves, at the moment: Jeremy Reaves and Jojo McIntosh.
Jeremy Reaves has the most experience of the two, but that isn’t saying much: McIntosh is an undrafted free agent rookie, while Reaves played that same role last offseason. Reaves is one of our Unheralded Players for the offseason, and here’s what I had to say about his potential in an earlier piece:
"A slightly above-average athlete, Reaves can compete with NFL athletes, but he won’t be able to win on athleticism alone. Reaves has to rely on his tenacity and his nose for the football, which is evidenced by his 38 plays on the ball and his 16 turnover-producing plays in college. Reaves is physical as a tackler, and he could at least be a decent special teams contributor with the potential to provide solid depth. Another asset Reaves could bring is versatility, as the second-year player has experience all over the secondary, from boundary cornerback to slot cornerback to safety. If the Redskins want a player they can move around, Reaves has the potential to fit that job description."
McIntosh is a lesser known quantity, but he provides less athletically. The Draft Network’s Benjamin Solak praised McIntosh’s size, physicality, and route recognition skills, but displayed serious concern over McIntosh’s tackling ability and athletic upside. For McIntosh, the quickest route to contribution would be a special teams role, and without sure tackling ability or even modest athleticism, latching on in that way might prove challenging for him. He appears to be a practice squad inclusion at best, although one of our writers is higher on the former Husky.
A note on Tre Boston
I’m gonna make this brief, folks. If Tre Boston hasn’t been signed now, there’s a good chance he won’t be.
Of course, there’s always a chance. Training camp could bring a new injury at safety, clearing up a spot. But the team showed no motivation to pursue Boston earlier in the offseason. In fact, they showed no motivation to add a safety at all. They appear to be investing their time in Montae Nicholson as the starting free safety, and it’s a choice that has some merit.
Boston has very good ball skills, and he’s one of the more underrated safeties in the league. But the Redskins have a safety with more athletic upside, who’s four years younger, in Nicholson. They have to commit to Nicholson’s development at some point, and signing Boston doesn’t serve that purpose.
There are moves that always look good in theory, and from a pure quality standpoint, Boston would be an upgrade over what Nicholson provided in 2018. But turning away from home-grown potential isn’t the way to build from within in the NFL. The Redskins have an opportunity to gain from a cheap reclamation project in Nicholson. They just got a new defensive backs coach with more experience, who brings a greater emphasis on leadership. They’ve been open about the chance they’re giving Nicholson. Now isn’t the time to pull the rug out from under the 23-year old.
Even without Boston, the Redskins safety group can be a very good one in 2019. It’ll take a lot of work, a lot of discipline, and a little bit of good luck. But it can happen.