Assessing Washington Football Team’s safety options after Landon Collins’ injury
By Jonathan Eig
Other teams
The new practice squad rules related to COVID-19 make poaching players from other teams a little more complicated. But there are very promising young players floating around on practice squads throughout the league.
Rodney Clemons is a tough safety prospect currently on the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad. His profile looks like a raw version of Landon Collins. Chiefs Wire’s Charles Goldman had this to say about Clemons:
"Clemons ran the second-slowest 40-yard dash time of any defensive back at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine. To his credit, he looks much faster on tape. He’s not going to be playing deep safety in the NFL either way. He’ll be tasked with playing much closer to the line of scrimmage, playing against the run, carrying tight ends up the seam, blitzing and the like. If he does play deep it’ll be in quarters or Cover 2 looks as opposed to single high. He also has some upside in that hybrid nickel and dime linebacker spot typically occupied by Daniel Sorensen."
The Rams’ J.R. Reed (Georgia) also fits this profile. According to FanSided’s Bret Stuter:
"Who is J.R. Reed? Simply stated, he was one of the most dependable safeties in one of the staunchest defenses in NCAA football. He was a tackler, a thumper, and a player who knew instinctively where to be on the field of play to make the play. He comes ready to play on each and every down."
Finally, local product Antoine Brooks (DuVal HS, University of Maryland) is currently on the Steelers practice squad. Zach Metkler of Steel City Underground said:
"Brooks is a developmental box/strong safety prospect with upside as a role player and key special teams contributor who you can win with. Brooks would be best utilized in Press-Man coverage against tight ends and shallow Zone coverage where he can attack underneath routes in front of him in tighter spaces. He is at his best when he is allowed to be an enforcer in the box and as an overhang defender near the line of scrimmage."
These three younger players do not provide the immediate value that the others would. But if WFT is satisfied with either in-house options or a stopgap free agent, investing in one of these long-term options might be a good complementary move.