4 unsung DBs with Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr. ties the Commanders must target

Commanders could sign Jaylinn Hawkins

Just like Tyler Hall, Jaylinn Hawkins came to the Atlanta Falcons in Dan Quinn’s final season. However, he arrived as a fourth-round draft pick out of California.

After a decent start, he was eventually benched in favor of free agent Jessie Bates III in his third season and then released. The defensive back was quickly snapped up by the Los Angeles Chargers, who were dealing with a series of injuries to their safeties. Hawkins - after recovering from an injury complication of his own - played reasonably well for the Bolts in the second half of 2023.

Hawkins is a strong safety, but he is a bit undersized. That has led teams to try him out as a deep safety from time to time. He has experienced similar problems to those faced by Percy Butler during his second season with the Washington Commanders when asked to play deep.

Both players should be operating in the box as often as possible. If the Commanders were to lose Kamren Curl via free agency, they may be tempted to go after a bigger name to replace him. But it might be smarter to sign a player like Hawkins, then let him and Butler battle it out to see which one can become the team’s starting strong safety.

The other could provide solid depth.