The Redskins are hoping Landon Collins is the answer to a riddle they have been trying to solve for 12 years.
Safety-needy since the tragic death of Sean Taylor in 2007 and safety-starved since two years after that, Washington has been using duct tape, straws and tooth picks to piecemeal the elusive position for years. The Redskins have done everything they could to address the weakness. They have traded for former pro bowlers, paid established veterans handsomely and even drafted highly-regarded prospects.
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Nothing has worked.
There were infrequent eminent stretches — LaRon Landry once playing at an All-Pro level for half a season and DJ Swearinger leading the league in takeaways at the midway point of another season. There were flashes from longtime cornerbacks asked to change positions — DeAngelo Hall and Will Blackmon — and there was early-career brilliance from neophytes who would soon burn out.
Collins, a former first-team All Pro who has been named to three Pro Bowls in his four NFL seasons, is unquestionably the most accomplished safety the Redskins have acquired since Taylor’s passing. He immediately became Washington’s top defensive starter and the leader at a position where the team had no credible options before his arrival.
Over the 11-plus seasons since Taylor was killed, the Redskins have started 29 different defenders at safety. The musical chairs routine at the position may not be over, but paying Collins should keep Washington from worrying about the strong safety position for at least three years.
I took a crack at ranking the 29 safeties who have garnered a start in DC since the 2007 season, in order of the impact they had on the team’s defense. It goes without saying that assembling the second half of this compilation was like trying to form a best-of track list for a bunch of one-hit wonders.
Here is what I came up with. Let me know what you think!
1. Laron Landry
Fans forget this, but before Landry lifted his way out of the National Football League, he was considered one of the NFC’s most talented box safeties. Before getting hurt in 2010, Landry’s 10-games had him in the running for defensive player of the year. He had made 85 tackles and broken up eight passes. His combination of speed and strength, a big reason the Redskins drafted him with the No. 6 overall pick, was rare. He ended up starting all 64 of the games he played with the Redskins, intercepting four passes and forcing four fumbles.
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2. DJ Swearinger
Swearinger started 31 games before being unceremoniously released on Christmas Eve this past December for repeated and public questioning of his defensive coordinator. As questionable as Swearinger’s media antics may have been, nothing about his on-field performance was problematic. He made good on the three-year, $13.5 million deal he signed with Washington before the 2017 season, picking off eight passes and forcing four fumbles in less than two full seasons.
3. Reed Doughty
Before you go throw something at me, realize that Doughty started 54 games and played in over 100 contests in his an eight years in D.C. Often an unfair dartboard for fan anguish, Doughty was a sixth round pick who always ended up playing more than he was supposed to. He made over 500 tackles, 12 for loss, and picked off three passes in a run that should be considered a massive success.
4. Brandon Meriweather
Meriweather was only with the Redskins for three seasons and in none of them was he completely healthy, but the one-time Pro Bowler had a couple of high-impact games. Meriweather had more talent and upside than most of the safeties Washington took a flyer on over the years, helping him compile nine pass breakups, four sacks and three interceptions. His first game with the team — a masterpiece that had the nation’s capital buzzing — ended abruptly via injury.
5. Dashon Goldson
This is where we start to get to the part of the list where turning in just one moderately successful season catapults you into the conversation. Enter Goldson, who was voted a captain in his lone year in the NFC East. He benefited from poor enough play in front of him to lead the Redskins with 110-tackles in 2015. He also delivered a pick-six that sent the home faithful into a frenzy.
6. Madieu Williams
Williams’ last ride in 2012, the final of his nine NFL years, resulted in 16 starts and 99 stops for a division-winning Redskins roster in 2012. The Maryland-native broke up six passes, registered one sack and intercepted a pass he returned 24 yards for a touchdown against the Vikings.
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7. Chris Horton
Derailed by injury, Horton’s career got off to an exhilarating start after being drafted in the seventh round out of UCLA. He spent three seasons in D.C. and then never played another down in the league; starting 10 games as a freshman, five as a sophomore and then none in his third season. Horton’s three picks in the first four games of his career, including one against the Cowboys, earns him a high ranking on this list.
8. Ryan Clark
Clark does not get credit for his pre-2007 production, but don’t forget that he was brought back to end his career in D.C. in 2014. (It would be easy to). Clark started 15 games and played in all 16 that year, making 102 tackles on the back-end of a porous defense. He picked off a pass and defended three others in a mostly pedestrian stretch.
9. Kyshoen Jarrett
Typing this makes me sad. Jarrett’s career was cut short by a nerve condition that resulted from an injury he sustained in a meaningless Week 17 game during his first (and only) NFL season. Jarrett’s 16 games were extremely impactful for a late-round pick and while it is tough to decipher which plays he made at safety as opposed to in the slot as a cornerback, he was on his way to a lengthy career.
10. DeAngelo Hall
Hall started fewer than 10 games at safety but after an exceptional career at cornerback it looked like he may have been able to help at his new position. His ball-hawking presence and cerebral approach was a fit in deep center field and he was a willing tackler when asked to play in the box. The problem was that by the time he started playing safety his body started betraying him.
11. OJ Atogwe
Atogwe was a massive disappointment after signing a $26 million contract. He lasted just 13 games, made only eight starts, and like many of the safeties on this list Atogwe did not play again after leaving the Redskins. The former Rams defensive back intercepted three passes and broke up six attempts in his limited stint in burgundy and gold.
12. Sua Cravens
The only reason I put Cravens this high on the list? He almost single-handedly won the Redskins a division game when he made a diving interception of a final-drive Eli Manning pass to help Washington top the Giants in September 2016. I’m not sure that there is another memorable Cravens play from his 11-game sample. A second-round pick who “retired” after just one season, Cravens is back in the NFL with the Denver Broncos.
Montae Nicholson celebrates on the field after the Redskins’ game against the Dallas Cowboys. (Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)13. Montae Nicholson
Nicholson cracks the top 13 because of the speed he’s provided during a juncture when Washington’s defense has been one of the slowest in football. His sensational Sunday Night Football interception of an ill-advised Derek Carr pass stands out as one of his more impressive snaps. After a 2018 that saw him lose his starting job and get suspended in the wake of an arrest, it is safe to say he’s falling victim to the Redskins’ safety trap.
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14. Deshazor Everett
This is almost the part of the list where any player who helped the Redskins more than he hurt them has a chance to make a cameo. Everett has picked off a pair of passes in his three seasons, both in December and both against the Eagles at the end of seasons that didn’t result in playoff appearances. The Texas A&M product primarily makes his money on special teams.
15. Donte Whitner
Add him to the collection of late-career veterans who spent his final NFL days chasing down ball-carriers at FedEx Field. Whitner wrapped up his 11-year, four-team run with 11 games with the Redskins. He joined the team in-season, signing partially based on his relationship with then-GM Scot McCloughan. He didn’t make many flash plays but he was a tackling machine for a defense that needed one.
16. Kareem Moore
Moore was over-talked about for a few seasons. Remember that? He was drafted out of Nicholls State and developed methodically over three years, while Redskins coaches routinely told any reporters who would listen that he was always on the verge of breaking out. The problem was that he never did. He started 14 games and made 115 tackles, picking off two passes. He once fumbled while returning one of those interceptions, allowing the Saints to score a touchdown on the blooper-worthy play.
17. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
Clinton-Dix was one of the higher-profile safeties the Redskins kicked the tires on but his production did not live up to his potential. Acquired for a fourth round pick, he played nine games with Washington this past season, rarely making game-changing plays. He did break up three passes, including one on a critical third down in an important game in the second half of the season.
18. Will Blackmon
Blackmon had one tremendous performance against the New York Giants, helping to generate a pair of takeaways. He spent most of his 30 games playing cornerback but showed enough promise in his limited time at safety that he probably deserved a look in 2017. After being released at the end of that year’s preseason he did not find another home.
19. Trenton Robinson
There is not a lot to say about Robinson’s eight career starts, but he did intercept a pair of passes during his time with the Redskins. He played his college ball at Michigan State and was brought to Washington as a waiver claim who ended up overperforming expectations. Robinson was a decent player on special teams as well.
20. Duke Ihenacho
Ihenacho is another guy who fans loved to talk about. You would have thought he was on his way to a pro bowl the way the team’s faithful penciled him in for success. His three-year, 19-game, 11-start stay was highlighted by a 66-tackle 2016 when he broke up a couple passes. He did use to do this cool thing where he used tape on his cleats to make them look like tennis shoes. That was neat.
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21. Pierson Proleau
In three years with the Redskins Proleau started 10 games, but only four of them came in the 2007 season that beings the anemic 12-season stretch we are focusing on here. He was one of the veteran safeties on Washington’s defense that was left to pick up the pieces during the trying campaign in which Taylor’s life ended too soon.
22. DJ Gomes
Drafted in the fifth round out of Nebraska, Gomes started more games as a rookie (five) than as a sophomore (three). That’s not a great sign. Neither was his one interception in 30 games with the Redskins. He did, however, get another chance after struggling in D.C. That is more than a lot of the guys on this list can say.
23. David Bruton
Bruton signed with Washington for three years and $9 million after a lengthy stint in Denver as a backup. He got exposed when asked to play a larger role with the Redskins. He played in four games before suffering a concussion. His best play as a Redskin was probably a sack he contributed against the Cowboys.
24. Bacarri Rambo
We have reached the part of the list where it becomes very hard to recall a highlight. Rambo had a cool name and he was a good college player at Georgia so fans were excited about him. Then he played 13 games and made three starts and the conversation changed. His best days came in Buffalo, after he left the Redskins.
25. Phillip Thomas
Thomas, who once led the nation in interceptions at Fresno State, was expected to provide ball skills. He never got his hands on a pass in eight games and four starts. I don’t remember him doing anything wrong. The problem is I don’t remember anything about his scarce playing time. He did have very long hair and he looked great in a uniform.
26. Jeron Johnson
A McCloughan favorite because of his success as a specialist and backup in Seattle, Johnson was given a cheap two-year deal and a chance to play a bigger role with the Redskins. After 14 games and a couple of starts his status as a reserve was cemented. He only played four games after leaving the place where safeties come to falter.
27. Macho Harris
His name was Macho. That was fun. He had played with the Eagles previously, so perhaps he provided a little intel about a rival? That is my best attempt at the impact Harris had on the Redskins. He played three games and made one start with the team.
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28. Jose Gumbs
Gumbs had never played in the NFL before garnering eight appearances with the 2013 Redskins. He also never played for another team after that forgettable couple of months. He did intercept Matt Ryan. File that away for the next time you are trying to stump your buddy at the bar.
29. Michael Green
I’m going to level with you here. I have no recollection of Michael Green. Zero. If ProFootballReference.com is playing a big joke on me and pretending like he started two games for the Redskins in 2008 than I tip my cap to that website. They bested me today. But since he did actually have a decent run in Chicago I think he existed. I just don’t remember him, so I listed him 29th.
(Top photo of LaRon Landry by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
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