Five Washington football players who need preseason to make the roster
By Ian Cummings
No. 2 – CB Danny Johnson
There are four spots presumably locked up in Washington football’s cornerback room. Fabian Moreau, Kendall Fuller, and Ronald Darby are expected to be starters, while Jimmy Moreland also has a role solidified as a rotational contributor and potential slot player.
After them, however, the fifth cornerback slot appears to be up for grabs. Among the contenders are Greg Stroman, Simeon Thomas, Danny Johnson, and Aaron Colvin. Stroman spent the 2019 season on injured reserve, while Thomas has a looming one-game suspension to carry out in 2020, before he hits the field.
The circumstances seem to favor Danny Johnson and Aaron Colvin for the final cornerback spot. Johnson only played in two games in 2019 before being placed on injured reserve, but he logged a deflection and managed to play a considerable amount of defensive snaps in the games he played. Colvin played more snaps down the stretch, but performed somewhat poorly, allowing 186 yards and two touchdowns on 15 targets.
Despite Colvin’s shaky performance in 2019, he may have a leg up on Johnson if there’s no preseason. Colvin has far more experience, and Ron Rivera may opt to go with the more experienced choice, in order to solidify the team’s depth at the position. Rivera went out of his way to sign Colvin midway through this offseason, perhaps speaking to his lack of confidence surrounding the position’s depth.
With a preseason opportunity, Danny Johnson would have been able to reprise the ball skills he proved himself to have in college, but now, he may be in dangerous territory.