Top corners for Redskins to sign while shopping Quinton Dunbar

Once upon a time, Ronald Darby was one of the better young cornerbacks in the NFL and it looked like he would have a shot at developing into a Pro Bowl level talent. However, the past few years haven’t been kind to Darby.

Since joining the Philadelphia Eagles, Darby has had trouble staying healthy. He has missed 20 of the last 48 regular season Eagles games with a variety of injuries. And last season for Philly, his performance was a mixed bag.

Darby was woeful in coverage at times last season. He allowed a passer rating of 117.9 and 17 yards per catch against him last year. He simply didn’t appear to have the same speed and athletic ability that made the 5-foot-11 corner a dangerous cover man in previous seasons. He still has the ball skills, as evidenced by his 11 pass defenses and two picks last year. But his recovery speed isn’t what it used to be.

Still, there’s reason to believe that if Darby can get healthy that he should have a chance to bounce back. Though he’s been in the league for five years, he’s only 26 and still has time to improve moving forward. Perhaps on a one-year deal or a multi-year deal with few guarantees, Darby could have a chance to re-emerge as a solid starter. It all depends on if he’s able to get healthy.

Darby could be an interesting target for the Redskins. He’d be a good buy-low option who could fight for a starting job. And they’d be stealing a potential talent from a divisional rival, so that’s always a good thing.

Darby isn’t a sure thing, but there’s enough upside to consider him on a “prove it” deal.