If anyone knows what Las Vegas Raiders' safety Jeremy Chinn can and can’t do on a football field, it is Washington Commanders’ head coach Dan Quinn.
Quinn watched Chinn break into the league with the Carolina Panthers back in 2020 when the Southern Illinois product finished as runner-up for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. He probably should have won the award, but Washington's edge rusher Chase Young had a much larger profile at the time.
The coach no doubt remembered that when he signed Chinn as a free agent before the 2024 season. The Commanders let Kamren Curl leave and needed someone new to pair with Quan Martin. After two sensational seasons in Carolina, the defensive back fell out of favor when Ejiro Evero switched to a 3-4 base scheme, and he was reduced to playing special teams.
He came cheap. The deal worked out well for everyone. Chinn was a steady presence on an improving defense. Still, general manager Adam Peters didn’t want to invest significant dollars in a long-term deal.
With his reputation restored, Chinn received a good offer from Pete Carroll, who was looking to rebuild the Raiders’ defense.
Commanders will look to exploit Jeremy Chinn's major weakness in Week 3
Chinn’s fall from grace in Carolina remains somewhat of a mystery. His progress was hurt by injuries that slowed him in 2022, as he was on the cusp of stardom. But the fact that Evero made him a complete afterthought in favor of others, including an undrafted free agent in Alex Cook, was baffling.
What became clear is that teams looking for a traditional strong safety, with the coverage ability to stay with athletic tight ends all over the field, would not choose Chinn. He fits the mold of the modern hybrid — part safety and part linebacker. He is at his best playing close to the line of scrimmage.
His coverage skills are not exactly weak, but he is limited.
As Commanders’ fans saw last season, when Chinn is tasked with covering tight ends or running backs on short horizontal routes near the line, he is effective. He closes quickly and hits hard. You don’t want to be running rocket screens to smaller receivers when he is in the area. He will crush them.
However, if you can isolate him downfield, that is where Chinn can be exploited. He has plenty of straight-line speed, but his agility in open space is not nearly as good. Taking advantage of that will be the job for Kliff Kingsbury and the rest of the offensive staff.
Through two games, Chinn has played 129 snaps for Las Vegas. That is all of them. He does not come off the field. But he does move around quite a bit. About half those snaps will find him playing in the box as a classic outside linebacker, or even on the line as a stand-up edge rusher.
The other half of the snaps will find him in more traditional cover roles. He will line up as a deep safety or as a slot cornerback. That is where the Commanders will look to attack him.
Of course, Raiders’ defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is equally aware of what his safety can and can’t do. If the Commanders wait until obvious passing downs to go after Chinn, he will probably be getting some support.
It is difficult to predict how Kingsbury will handle the loss of blocking tight end John Bates, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he deploys Deebo Samuel Sr. in the backfield early on and uses three receiver sets on first down. He will certainly mix up the looks, but using that alignment can help isolate Chinn.
The chess match between Kingsbury and Graham should be entertaining, but at a certain point, it will simply come down to individual matchups. There will be plays on which Chinn will be covering Zach Ertz. Who will win the matchup?
Or will Maxx Crosby blow up the play before whoever is playing quarterback for the Commanders has a chance to target his tight end?
Chinn undoubtedly wants to prove the Commanders wrong for allowing him to walk. Washington knows he’s a formidable presence, but they would prefer to prove that letting him go was the right call.