Assessing Washington Football Team’s safety options after Landon Collins’ injury
By Jonathan Eig
Free agent options
There are a number of veteran safeties who are currently on the free agent market. Some are coming off injuries, and others have simply lost a step. But many of these players have been highly productive in the recent past, an ended up falling victim to salary cap constraints. I think it is likely WFT will be calling the agents of several of these players to gauge both health and interest.
Earl Thomas
The most high profile safety available right now is Earl Thomas. The seven-time Pro Bowler is only 31, and has been rumored to be near signing with several NFL teams, (most recently, the Cowboys.)
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But Thomas’ messy divorce from Baltimore this off-season has to be a red flag. He was released after getting into a fight with another player. To me, signing Thomas is a desperation move that is not necessary for this team at this point.
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
If not for his past uninspired play in Washington, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix might be an option, but that seems even less likely than Thomas.
Eric Reid
The other high-profile name who is currently available is Eric Reid. Reid is just 28 and has been a quality starting safety for his entire career. His most recent stop was in Carolina, for Ron Rivera.
Rivera has brought a lot of ex-Panthers to Washington, but Reid is in a different category. Though he was released by Carolina several months after Rivera was fired, Rivera did not make any kind of public move to bring Reid to Washington this offseason.
As you may know, Reid’s career has been marked by his outspoken political activism. He has been the most steadfast supporter of Colin Kaepernick in the league, and some consider his lack of a contract to be a form of blackballing.
When discussions about Reid occur, terms such as “culture” and “locker room distraction” invariably come up. I’ll say this one time and then leave it alone. If Eric Reid can still play, and there is every indication that he can, he should be on an NFL team. I would have no problem with WFT bringing him on.
Reshad Jones
Amongst the many other veterans names floating around out there (Clayton Geathers, Brandon Carr, Morgan Burnett, etc…) the one that most intrigues me is Reshad Jones. Jones would be a stopgap, but he played at a reasonable level as recently as 2018, before injury ended his 2019 season.
Jones was a very good player for Miami over the last decade who was a salary cap casualty in a new coach’s regime. At 32, Jones may not have enough left to be effective, but I would certainly like to see what he can do.