Washington Football Team places Deshazor Everett on injured reserve

The Washington Football Team’s defense has benefitted from production by lesser-known players this season.

The treasure trove of talent on the defensive line gave the Washington Football Team a safe foundation on the defensive side of the ball, but the unit’s success has been ensured by the contributions of other players not so widely heralded.

On the line, Tim Settle has provided a spark as a sack specialist in a rotational role. In the linebacking core, cheap free agent signee Kevin Pierre-Louis has been a solid starter with bright flashes, and in the secondary, Ronald Darby, Jimmy Moreland, Kamren Curl, and Deshazor Everett have all experienced very welcome developments.

The defense has grown into a formidable unit over the past few weeks, but in the final stretch of the 2020 season, one of their newfound contributors will be unexpectedly absent. Per Ben Standig of The Athletic, Deshazor Everett was placed on injured reserve, after undergoing surgery for a chest injury. The Washington Football Team later confirmed the news.

Everett, commonly known as Washington’s core special teamer, was a starter on the defensive side of the ball for six of the last seven games, taking on an increased role after the benching of Troy Apke and the loss of Landon Collins. In that time, Everett showed off surprising competence in Ron Rivera’s defense, which catered well to Everett’s fast-paced, physical style.

As a member of the defense in 2020, the 28-year old Everett played well, amassing 31 total tackles, four pass deflections, and a forced fumble in 11 games. Everett was also admirable in coverage; he was only targeted 11 times, and allowed 98 yards and no touchdowns. Everett made an impact early in the Washington Football Team’s most recent win against the 49ers, but it was in this game that he suffered his chest injury.

Without Everett, the Washington Football Team will turn back to the “next man up” philosophy, as it had originally done with Everett and Curl. Former undrafted free agent and Unheralded Player Jeremy Reaves is now in line to get starting reps in place of Everett, and behind Reaves, Troy Apke and practice squad promotion Cole Luke will serve as depth. Reaves has flashed with limited opportunities, and it’s possible that he could thrive as another instinctual player on the back end.