Washington football team signs free agent CB Ryan Lewis

The Washington football team has enlisted some help at cornerback ahead of the 2020 regular season.

The Washington football team has an interesting situation unfolding at the cornerback position. Their position group has an intriguing mix of preexisting NFL experience and untapped potential. Fabian Moreau, Kendall Fuller, and Ronald Darby are all expected to factor into the starting equation, but at the same time, no one is guaranteed a premier role just yet.

The underlying uncertainty has caused some to speculate about potential opportunities for players like Jimmy Moreland and Aaron Colvin, but it still remains to be seen how the position will be rounded out, whether Ron Rivera keeps five or six cornerbacks. He’s made clear the need for added depth at the position, and he reinforced that notion today by bringing in free agent cornerback Ryan Lewis.

Ryan Lewis isn’t a household name, but he’s actually an intriguing add this late in the offseason. He’ll have to hit the ground running if he wants to have a shot at making roster, but he has a lot of the foundational traits necessary to compete.

Lewis went undrafted out of Pittsburgh in 2017, after amassing two interceptions and eight pass deflections in his senior season with the Panthers. Since entering the league, Lewis has bounced around. He spent his rookie season on the Patriots’ practice squad, and saw his first regular season action with the Bills in 2018.

Lewis managed to start three games and appear in seven contests in his 2018 campaign, logging three pass deflections and two forced fumbles, while allowing a passer rating of 95.1. The next season, Lewis spent time with three teams, getting the most action with the Dolphins. In Miami, he started three games and appeared in eight, amassing five deflections and getting his first career interception. He also trimmed his passer rating allowed to 88.2.

Lewis was placed on injured reserve by Miami late in the 2019 season, and was retained by them for most of the offseason, only being waived one day ago, on July 29. The Washington football team was quick to snatch him up off of waivers, and after seeing his early production and physical potential, it’s not hard to see why.

Lewis is only 26 years old, and he’s an impressive athlete. At his pro day in 2017, Lewis logged a 4.37 40-yard dash time, a 35-inch vertical, a 128-inch broad jump, and a 6.87-second three-cone time, all while measuring in at 6-foot-0, 185 pounds. It seems as though Lewis has struggled with consistency and staying healthy in the past, but at the very least, he’s a practice squad player, and at most, he could earn a roster spot, and potentially fight for increased opportunities, as he’s done at multiple stops now.

Lewis will have to work to earn his chance in Washington, especially joining the team late, but don’t sleep on him. He’s a borderline-elite athlete who has a history of defying the odds and becoming a contributor.