The Washington Commanders were dealt another hammer blow on the injury front when veteran safety Will Harris suffered a broken fibula against the Las Vegas Raiders. Fortunately for fans, general manager Adam Peters is always thinking two steps ahead.
He's also willing to act quickly when personnel moves are required. Losing Harris is a blow, but Peters had a contingency plan ready to go. Considering the scarcity of capable options on the free-agent market at this time of year, he could have done a lot worse.
Following a hastily arranged visit with Darnell Savage Jr., as reported by Jeremy Fowler from ESPN, the senior insider confirmed just a few short hours later that the Commanders were planning to sign the safety. This was later made official by the team.
Commanders moved swiftly to offset the loss of Will Harris
It's a one-year deal. More importantly, it's a chance to contribute to a contending squad after things fizzled out with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Savage quickly fell out of favor when the new regime took charge in Jacksonville. He's been a decent player throughout his career, but not quite to the level expected of a first-round pick. With Washington's pass game coordinator, Jason Simmons, also having a previous connection to the player, it's well worth a closer look from Peters' perspective.
The Commanders have Jeremy Reaves, Tyler Owens, and Percy Butler to log reps in Harris's absence. They've been around the scheme and have performed well when called upon this season. Savage is a solid insurance policy, and he's got the athletic instincts to potentially carve out a rotational role for himself with a smooth adjustment.
Harris was expected to fill the void left by Jeremy Chinn, and now the Commanders need to pivot. Savage will be looking to make the most of this opportunity, especially since his career was in flux just a few short days ago.
It'll be interesting to see how the safety dynamic shakes out without Harris. He's had an up-and-down start to life in Washington, but he was in the midst of his finest performance of the three so far before this cruel blow. Dan Quinn and his staff will have a vision for how things will look. Whether those plans include Savage is dependent on how quickly he can pick things up.
This isn't a bad fallback option if others don't meet their end of the bargain. And not for the first time, Peters deserves credit for recognizing a problem and finding a solution urgently.