Kyshoen Jarrett Gets a Shot at Redemption
August 7, 2018
by Steve Thomas
I wanted to wait for a relatively slow day to comment on the status of Kyshoen Jarrett, the former 6th round pick from 2015. Jarrett’s story is a sad one, one that shows the brutality of the game, the harshness of unfilled potential, and ultimate redemption. The path Jarrett has traveled has been an usual one which I both sympathize with and respect.
If you recall, Jarrett was drafted in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL draft out of one of the Redskins’ most-tapped collegiate sources, Virginia Tech, as a 5’11”, 192 pound defensive back. Despite his meager draft status, Jarrett made the roster as a strong safety and found his way onto the field immediately, making his first NFL tackles in week 2 against the Rams. Jarrett quickly became a fan favorite, not because of an outsized personality, but due to his play on the field. Jarrett ended up playing in all 16 games, starting 6, in 2015, making 38 tackles and 19 assisted tackles. That season, he demonstrated potential to become a future long-term starter and potentially end the Redskins’ continuing mediocrity at the strong safety position. Things looked surprising good for Jarrett as the season progressed.
And then week 17 happened. The Redskins played the Cowboys in Dallas on January 3, 2016, in the final game of the season, a contest which Washington won 34 – 23. In that game, Jarrett had a head-on, helmet-to-helmet collision with Dallas running back Darren McFadden, sustaining severe nerve damage in his neck and right shoulder. At the time, nobody knew the extent of what Jarrett was about to face.
Over the course of the offseason, it slowly became apparent that the injury wasn’t healing, despite significant treatment from a number of different specialists. At a loss for options, the Redskins finally waived Jarrett with an injury designation on July 25, 2016. The dream appeared to be over.
What you may not know is that is that since that time, Jarrett has never given up and in fact has continued to be a regular presence at Redskins Park, working out at the facility and sometimes attending practice. Jarrett was well thought of by the coaches, and the team appeared to be watching him to see if he could ever regain his strength and cure his nerve damage and potentially return to the team. Brief news snippets have occasionally appeared regarding his status since he was waived. Sadly, as of now, Jarrett’s injuries still have apparently not healed to the point at which his playing career can continue.
For most players, this would be the end of the line. Not for Jarrett. We learned last week that the Redskins have given Jarrett a coaching internship, a move that is surprising but unexpected. Head coach Jay Gruden commented on Jarrett this past week for the first time in quite a while, stating,
“Yeah, I think Kyshoen, you know we drafted Kyshoen, we saw what kind of player he was and what kind of mind he had for the game. He’d be a great coach. We want to keep him in this organization someway somehow. Now it’s a matter of film. We’re going to let him basically – it’s like an intern-ish type role. But he’s gonna work with the defensive backs and partly special teams to get his foot wet as far as when it comes to coaching. We want to make sure this is something he wants to do and is committed to do, and if he is, he’ll be an unbelievable football coach. So, we’re getting his feet wet with obviously with (defensive coordinator) Coach Greg [Manusky] and (assistant defensive back) Coach [James] Rowe and he’ll work with (assistant special teams) Coach [Bret] Munsey, (special teams coordinator) [Ben] Kotwica a little bit also.”
It really says something about Jarrett’s strength of character and who he is as a person that the team has made this kind of an effort to keep a sixth round draft pick who played one year in the Redskins fold. Injuries happen practically every day in the NFL, and one just never knows what seemingly innocuous event might represent the end. Young players are released all around the league due to injuries and they almost always fade into obscurity, but Jarrett is different. What the team has offered him is a chance to pursue a career in the NFL – perhaps not the way he wanted, but nonetheless it represents a shot at getting back a measure of what was taken from him.
So now, Kyshoen Jarrett gets his shot at NFL redemption. I am ecstatic that this opportunity has presented itself to him, and based on what we know of his strength of character and football intelligence, I have every confidence that he’ll take full advantage of it. I’ll be watching from my perch in the cheap seats here on The Hog Sty to see how it goes, and rooting for him to succeed. Hopefully we’ll see him prowling the sidelines for the Redskins for years to come.