Washington Redskins Training Camp Profile: S Montae Nicholson

The Redskins now have the highest-paid safety in the NFL, but shoring up the back of a defense isn’t a one-man job. It requires two.

The safety position. Aptly-named, it’s considered the last line of defense in the NFL. A good safety can render an offense inept single-handedly. An ineffective safety can serve as a revolving door and a real estate agent, all in one.

The Washington Redskins have seen both poles of the spectrum; the good from Sean Taylor, who patrolled the far reaches with fury and fearlessness before his untimely death, and the bad from so many others who’ve tried and failed to fill the void left by the loss of Taylor.

Now, the Redskins have the highest-paid safety in the league in Landon Collins. But the last time they had the highest-paid safety in the league, Adam Archuleta flamed out in half a season. So while money does talk, it doesn’t say anything convincing. Not yet.

For the Collins signing to be a success, Collins needs to rise back to his peak form. But Collins can’t do everything himself. How his counterpart at safety performs is just as important as his individual play. That counterpart is Montae Nicholson; a young safety with a great opportunity to seize, and a great responsibility to meet.