Washington Football Team: A wish list of free agent safeties

Cheaper Options

So who are the low-priced options?  In house, I think we have seen enough of Apke to rule him out. Both Everett and Reaves are limited players who provide serviceable depth for the Washington Football Team at best.

Ever since the 49ers’ Ronnie Lott made the switch from cornerback to free safety and sprinted straight into the Hall of Fame, teams are always considering whether one of their cornerbacks can make a similar transition. Washington toyed with making such a move with both Darrell Green and DeAngelo Hall when the corners began to lose a step.

Kendall Fuller could do it, and could probably do it well, but he is far too valuable at corner to make that move. Veteran reserve corners like Fabian Moreau and Greg Stroman look the part to me, but there has been nothing to suggest either could really thrive – or stay healthy enough – to count on them.

I always thought Aaron Colvin looked like a deep safety once injury took away a half-step of his speed, and the team has thought enough of Colvin to keep him around for a couple of years. But after Collins and Everett went down, Washington turned to former Carolina Panther Cole Luke for help in the secondary ahead of Colvin.

Luke may get a shot at taking over in 2021. It is almost impossible for outsiders to judge a player who gets so little time, but the team obviously likes him. He is a converted corner which suggests he might be an effective cover safety, and the few glimpses we got of him in 2020 showed a decent tackler.

On the free agent front, two young veterans who have seen their fortunes fall due to injury might be worth a look. Both Indianapolis’ Malik Hooker and Atlanta’s Keanu Neal could be worthy reclamation projects. Hooker is better suited to playing the deep safety so he may warrant stronger consideration.

Then there are the real flyers, and this is where I would go. First and foremost, I’d check out Cincinnati’s Brandon Wilson. I don’t really know if Wilson can be an effective deep safety. I do know he’s fast enough, but he was only on the field for 63 defensive snaps in 2020. Nevertheless, Wilson is a deadly kick returner. At the very least, you can bring him on as a special teamer and see what he can contribute to the defense.

DeAndre Houston-Carson has been languishing on Chicago’s bench for several years now. He has been a solid special teams contributor, and this season, when he got his chance, he flashed some very strong play as a defender.

Players like Wilson and Houston-Carson, as well as the recovering Hooker, are clearly not locks to solidify the deep safety spot. But at this point, given the team’s current needs, I think it makes sense to look for some low-priced steals rather than spend big on the position. I suspect Washington will also draft a safety this year. Going into the 2021 season with four or five young athletic guys competing to join Collins and Curl seems like the best option.