Landon Collins thinks Redskins new secondary can exceed expectations

In 2020, the Redskins secondary will look vastly different from the one they fielded in 2019.

In 2019, the Washington Redskins had Josh Norman and Quinton Dunbar starting on the outside at cornerback, with Fabian Moreau manning the slot until Jimmy Moreland took his place late in the year. The Redskins also had the much-maligned Montae Nicholson starting at free safety.

Now, less than a year later, only one player is returning to his same spot in the Redskins secondary. Norman has moved on to Buffalo, while Dunbar was traded to Seattle after a contract dispute. Moreau will presumably undergo a full-time move to the outside, where he’ll be joined by new cornerbacks Ronald Darby and Kendall Fuller. Additionally, Nicholson has been released, and replaced with former Steelers free safety Sean Davis.

The only Washington defensive back set to reprise his 2019 role is Landon Collins, who should remain the team’s strong safety. Collins, a defensive captain, performed admirably for Washington in 2019, and while 2020 yields a great deal of uncertainty, he’s excited for the changes that have been made.

“I think the team has some great defensive backs that can be put around me… to make this thing work,” Collins said in a Redskins.com article by Zach Selby. “It’s a blessing to me.”

Collins is familiar with Fuller and Darby, and while he hasn’t had a great deal of experience with Davis, Davis is aware of how his skill set might compliment Collins. In the aforementioned article, Davis explained that he’ll “be the deep guy, and Landon’s going to be down low for the most part”.

Additionally, Collins is excited about the Redskins’ depth at cornerback — particularly Jimmy Moreland, who was a seventh-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Given Kendall Fuller’s versatility as a part-time safety, the Redskins may need someone who can take consistent reps in the slot, and Collins feels that big things are in store for Moreland in his second season.

You’ll never hear a player, let alone a defensive captain, talk down his squad during the offseason, but Collins’ excitement has some merit. While unproven, the Redskins’ new secondary does have potential. All of the aforementioned players are athletic, and Fuller, Darby, and Davis all have substantial starting experience, despite their collective youth.

The upside is certainly there with Washington’s 2020 secondary. The next step — capitalizing on that upside — is less of a given, but Collins is in a position to expedite that by streamlining communication. The switch to a 4-3 scheme for the front seven should also help the secondary play more naturally. The pieces still have to be put together, but at least for Collins, it certainly feels as though the Redskins’ defensive puzzle might soon be solved.