Safety now on the Redskins Christmas List

Quarterback is no longer the top need for Washington heading into the offseason

The offseason already had a long laundry list of items for the Redskins to tend to.  One area they were not expecting to significantly address was the safety position.

With the sudden departure of D.J. Swearinger, this is now the front office’s number one priority.

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Here is how the safety position has shaken out with everyone still on the roster, in some way shape or form, heading into Week 17:

Montae Nicholson

Nicholson was expected to be paired with Swearinger for the foreseeable future.  Despite having all the indications of being there for the next decade, Montae finds himself suspended for a fight he participated in leading into Week 16 in Loudon County.  Nicholson’s status with the team after this season is still up in the air, however, he is under contract thru the 2020 season.

HaHa Clinton-Dix

Fans, media, and the organization alike were excited to see HaHa join the Redskins at the trade deadline.  However, his time here has been overshadowed by mediocre play.  HaHa is a free agent after this season and it is expected that the Redskins would let him walk and receive a compensatory pick in the 2020 draft.  With Swearinger now gone, and Nicholson’s status uncertain, do the Redskins overpay to keep Clinton-Dix around? I don’t see it. Then again, I did not see the front office depart with Swearinger without getting any compensation back.

Troy Apke

The rookie out of Penn State had fans captivated during training camp.  He was meshing well with the defensive backs and picking the playbook up quicker than expect.  Apke was active for two games in 2018 and logged one tackle, but his season was cut short due to an injury that landed him on injured reserve.  Troy is still expected to have growing pains next training camp and in the 2019 season.  I would expect him to be a special teams player and occasional contributor next year, but he is not your everyday answer.

Deshazor Everett

Everett has quietly made a home for himself on special teams.  Whether it be in the secondary, or on special teams, Deshazor has been a steady presence starting at least 15 games the past three years.  Unfortunately, after the film that we have had on him last year, and parts of this year, Everett is a solid back-up and sensational special teams component.  He is not someone that can play at a high level and scare receivers for an entire season.

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Stay with Full Press Coverage Redskins throughout the offseason and into training camp to learn more on who to expect to line up as the Redskins starting safeties in 2019.