Position Group Breakdown 2021: Safeties
June 30, 2021
by Steve Thomas
This is the eighth installment of our annual, ongoing Redskins Washington position group breakdown series. This week, we’re going to finish up the team’s defensive backs with a look at the safety group. Here’s a list of what we’ve tackled so far:
Without further ado, let’s jump into it.
Departures
None
Arrivals
Darrick Forrest
Returning players
Washington’s safety group is in turmoil, which may seem like an odd thing to say about a group that didn’t lose a single player. The fact of the matter, though, is that the free safety position was a mess last year and has been for a long time. Plus, there’s a controversy – the good kind – as the other spot. Washington got a little lucky with Kam Curl – the fact that he was ready to start immediately as a seventh round rookie draft pick after Landon Collins went down with injury was an unexpected gift. It also may allow the team to move on from Collins at some point. The team has drafted players and brought in free agents over the years, but hasn’t had a true quality, long term single high free safety since the tragic death of Sean Taylor in 2007. A big part of the calculus with this group is what sort of coverages Washington intends to play more of, because the team has a number of safeties who are best served as in-the-box strong safeties in cover 3, whereas some can also play rear halves in cover 2. Ron Rivera and company have made an effort to fix the problem, and they do need to make some decisions, and only time will tell how smart they’ve been.
Usually, at this point, I separate this analysis into starter, backups, and practice squad players. However, I don’t think anyone has conclusively established themselves as a 2021 starter yet, so I’m going to go with “starting potential” and “backup potential” here.
Starting potential
Landon Collins (6’0” / 222): Collins was the Giants’ first pick of round two of the 2015 draft out of Alabama. At the 2015 NFL Combine, Collins ran the 40 yard dash in 4.53 seconds, jumped 35 inches in the vertical leap and 10’0” in the standing broad jump. He played in and started 59 games in four seasons for the Giants, with 428 tackles, including 321 solo and 107 assisted tackles, 8 interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, and 4 sacks. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2016, 2017, and 2018, and was a First Team All-Pro in 2016. From a statistical standpoint Collins was a legit performer during his time with the Giants. Collins’ 428 total tackles was 9th-most in the NFL between 2015 and 2018. In his two years in Washington, he has played in 22 games, but saw his 2020 season cut short due to a torn Achilles tendon in week 7 in late October. In total, he’s made 158 total tackles for Washington, including 102 solo and 12 for loss, 3 sacks, and 1 interception. Collins’ highest and best use is as an in-the-box strong safety, although he’s veteran saavy enough to also play in a cover 2. One thing he’s not suited to do is play as a single high safety in cover 3 and cover 1. The most obvious question is whether Collins is going to be ready for the season since he’s less than a year removed from a very serious injury. It’s possible that the team puts him on the PUP list to start the season to allow him more time to recover, with Curl continuing to start. He is entering year 3 of a massive 6 year $84M contract. His cap hit is just under $17M in 2021, but comes with a dead cap of $18.8M. This means that the team could cut him at a savings now that we are past June 1, albeit with large dead cap hits both this season and in 2022.
Kamren Curl (6’1” / 206): Curl was a seventh round pick by Washington last year from the University of Arkansas. He spent three seasons with the Razorbacks as a 3 year starter, playing in a total of 34 games, making 175 tackles, including 105 solo and 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 2 touchdowns. In 2019, he made 76 tackles, with 46 solo. He was suspended for the final game of his sophomore season for allegedly socializing with Mississippi St.’s dance team before Arkansas’ game against the Bulldogs. At the NFL Combine, he was timed at 4.6 seconds in the 40 yard dash, did 24 reps at the bench press, and jumped 34.5 inches in the vertical leap and 10’5” inches in the standing broad jump. Last year, Curl played in all 16 games, including 11 starts, and made 88 total tackles, including 63 solo and 4 for loss, 2 sacks, and 3 interceptions, including 1 that went for a touchdown. Curl was a revelation in relief of Collins last year and gave the fanbase hope that he can be Washington’s long-term answer at the cover 3 strong safety position.
Bobby McCain (5’11” / 192): McCain was a 2015 fifth round pick from the University of Memphis by the Miami Dolphins. He was timed at 4.51 seconds in the 40 yard dash at the 2015 NFL Combine. McCain has spent his entire 6 year career in Miami, at times playing free safety, strong safety, and corner. In total, he’s played 87 games, starting 55, with 254 tackles, including 200 solo and 9 for loss, 7 interceptions, and 4 touchdowns. In 2020, McCain played all 16 games, with 15 starts, 46 tackles, including 39 solo, and 1 interception. His only serious injury was a shoulder injury in 2019 that caused him to miss the final 7 games of the season. McCain was a slot corner until 2019, so he has decent coverage skills. Reports out of minicamp indicated that he was used as the starting free safety. Also, McCain was a team captain in Miami for the last two seasons, so he has leadership skills. It’s likely that the team brought him here to be a starter. He’s on a 1 year, $1.475M contract.
Deshazor Everett (6’0” / 198): Everett was a 2015 undrafted free agent from Texas A&M. He was originally signed by Tampa Bay but was cut in late July, 2015, and signed by Washington shortly thereafter. He was timed at 4.56 seconds in the 40 yard dash at the Texas A&M pro day. Slightly less than 54% of his NFL snaps, all with Washington, have come on special teams. In total, he’s played in 75 games, including 17 starts, and has 160 tackles, including 114 solo and 2 for loss, plus 2 interceptions. In 2020, Everett played 11 games, starting 6, and made 31 tackles, including 23 solo. He missed the last 5 games of the season due to a torn pectoral muscle. Everett spent much of the season at free safety, where he was at least an average performer. He could certainly start there again, but it’s more likely that the team views him as a special teams leader more than anything else.
Backup potential
Darrick Forrest (5’11” / 200): Washington selected University of Cincinnati safety Darrick Forrest with the 19th pick in round 5 of the NFL draft, number 163 overall. He spent a total of 4 years at Cincinnati, including 3 seasons as a full-time starter, playing in 49 games and starting 36. During that time, he made a total of 200 tackles, including 126 solo and 4.5 for loss, and 6 interceptions. In 2020, Forrest played and started 10 games, with 40 tackles, including 31 solo and 1 for loss, and made 2 interceptions. He had an outstanding pro day, running the 40 yard dash in an unofficial 4.38 seconds, with 21 bench press reps at 225 pounds, and jumping 39 inches in the vertical leap and 11’0” in the standing broad jump. Forrest was considered to be the leader of Cincinnati’s defense and is viewed as having quality leadership characteristics. Scouts see him as being a fundamentally sound safety in most areas, with enough versatility to play in a variety of schemes, although some believe he’s a best suited for a split-back zone system such as cover 2. Forrest isn’t known for being an aggressive player. Analysts noted that Forrest has a few missed tackles on his film. Forrest known to be good near the line of scrimmage, with man coverage being a weak point in his game. Forrest may not be a true starting single-high free safety, but can probably play almost any other role for Washington.
Jeremy Reaves (5’11” / 205): Reaves was originally signed by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018 as an undrafted free agent from South Alabama. He ran the 40 yard dash in 4.66 seconds at South Alabama’s pro day. The Eagles waived Reaves just prior to the start of that season, and he was signed to Washington’s practice squad two weeks later. He bounced between the active roster and the practice squad multiple times but played the second half of last season on the active roster. In total, Reaves has played 20 games, starting 6, and has made 40 tackles, including 25 solo and 1 for loss, plus 1 interception and 1 sack. In 2020, he played 9 games, with 3 starts, and made 25 tackles, including 15 solo, 1 interception and 1 sack. He ended up starting at free safety after Everett went down in the latter half of last season. His range may be limited because of his lack of speed, but he played well in his limited opportunity and could be on the coaches’ radar scope for a more significant role this season.
Troy Apke (6’1” / 200): Washington drafted Apke with the 9th pick in round 4 of the 2018 NFL draft. Apke was known as an athletic marvel in college – he ran the 40 yard dash is 4.34 seconds, jumped 10’11” in the broad jump, and had 16 reps at 225 pounds in the bench press at the NFL Combine. In his three seasons with Washington, he’s played in 33 games, with 9 starts, and has made 62 tackles, including 44 solo and 2 for loss, and 2 interception. In 2020, Apke played all 16 games, starting 7, and made 35 tackles, including 25 solo. He’s spent a significant amount of time on special teams, with 44% of his snaps coming in that area. Apke started the first five games at free safety last season but lost the job to Everett. It’s safe to say that Apke’s elite athleticism has not translated to the field, at least on defense, as his coverage skills are lacking. Apke may be on the bubble in training camp.
Cole Luke (5’11” / 200): Luke was a 2017 undrafted free agent from Notre Dame who was originally signed by the Carolina Panthers, where he stayed until he was waived in August, 2020. Washington signed him to their practice squad a few days later, where he stayed until he was activated in late November. Luke isn’t fast – he ran the 40 yard dash in 4.63 seconds at Notre Dame’s pro day in 2017. In total, he’s played in 13 games, with 4 tackles. Last year, he played in 5 games, with all 56 of his snaps coming on special teams. Luke is yet another Panthers holdover in whom head coach Ron Rivera sees potential. Realistically, he’s probably a practice squad player, but he will get his chance to prove he belongs during training camp.
Chris Miller (6’0” / 191): Miller was a 2020 undrafted free agent out of Baylor who was originally signed by the Seattle Seahawks. He was timed at 4.61 seconds in the 40 yard dash and jumped 35.5 inches in the vertical leap and 11’1” in the standing broad jump. Miller was waived in early September, but signed to Arizona’s practice squad in December. He was waived again this past May and claimed by Washington the next day. Miller hasn’t appeared in a regular season game. Clearly, he is a practice squad player at this point who, like Luke, will get a shot in training camp to show what he can do.
Projections
Last season, Washington kept 4 safeties on the active roster along with 5 corners, for a total of 9 defensive backs. If the team follows that same pattern, that means that they will keep between 3 and 5 safeties. The only true roster lock is Kamren Curl. Landon Collins would seem at first glance to be a roster lock, but I think there’s a less than zero possibility that Curl forces him off the roster this year. Forrest will probably make is as well by virtue of his status as a fifth round draft pick. As I said above, at this point McCain is in the lead for one of the starting jobs. With Curl, Forrest, and McCain on the roster, and a decision on Collins pending, that leaves between zero and two remaining spots at most, and Everett and Reaves would certainly be next up on the depth chart. As is the case with the corner group, the last couple of spots will probably come down to the players whom the coaching staff views as being the most versatile. This group will be one of the most interesting to watch in training camp next month.