Will Harris' return from injury was always going to come with collateral damage. As it turned out, Darnell Savage Jr. was the Washington Commanders' odd man out in their safety room.
Savage was a healthy scratch against the Denver Broncos on Sunday Night Football. This didn't sit well with the defensive back, and he asked for his release. The Commanders granted his wish, putting him on the waiver wire to see if someone else would take the plunge.
The Buffalo Bills duly obliged with a successful waiver claim, and Savage will now get an opportunity to help the AFC East club book their place in the postseason.
Darnell Savage Jr. lands on the Bills after hasty Commanders exit
Although the Bills remain in one of the wild-card spots, they have underachieved this season. There is just no telling how bad things would be for the franchise if not for reigning NFL MVP quarterback Josh Allen. He's masking many of their issues, especially on defense, and this team desperately needs better consistency across the secondary.
That brings intrigue around Savage. He performed relatively well for the Commanders as a rotational piece. The former Maryland standout had arguably his best game of the campaign against the Miami Dolphins, playing 46.4 percent of defensive snaps. But when Harris was healthy enough to participate, there was an inevitability about his fate.
The Commanders have Harris, Quan Martin, and Jeremy Reaves logging prominent reps in the lineup. Tyler Owens and Percy Butler are core special-teams performers, which left Savage on the outside looking in. However, the Bills feel like he has something to offer, but he needs to make a smooth adjustment to stand a chance of making a lasting contribution down the stretch.
Savage served a purpose for the Commanders. Harris left a gaping void when he got hurt in Week 3 against the Las Vegas Raiders, and the stars aligned to bring him on board after he departed from the Jacksonville Jaguars. But when Washington got back to full strength, the player saw the situation for what it was and took drastic action.
Everything worked out well for Savage, who's gone from a team out of contention to one that could get itself back among the challengers with a strong end to the campaign. Whether he becomes anything more than an insurance policy remains to be seen, so it'll be interesting to see how quickly he picks things up before possibly featuring down the stretch.
Time will tell on that one.