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In an effort to solve the issues they have had at the safety position, the Washington Redskins will move Su’a Cravens there for the 2017 season.
When the Washington Redskins drafted Su’a Cravens out of USC, there were a lot of questions about what position he would play. A safety in college, many projected Cravens to stay at that position and move into a Deone Bucannon type role with the Redskins. That would see him play in the box in some instances while playing at the natural safety position in others.
As it turned out, the Redskins elected to use Cravens at the linebacker position, and the results were exceptional. Cravens turned out to be one of the best coverage linebackers in the league, and it looked like he was ready to become a dynamic playmaker at the position. Well, that changed when he confirmed the move on Twitter.
. @Redskins newest 2017 Safety 😈 Yal done woke a sleeping giant!!! #PATIENCEwas🗝 pic.twitter.com/d2zE5AtuCd
— Su’a Cravens (@Sua_Cravens) December 22, 2016
In the short run, this move makes a lot of sense given the success Cravens has had in coverage. However, this could affect the long term plan that the Redskins have at the safety position.
In all likelihood, Cravens would play the strong safety position for the team. If he could lock down that job, that would be excellent news for the Redskins, who have marched out a number of ineffective veterans, like Donte Whitner, at the position. Still, the team would be shorthanded at free safety and would have an even bigger hole at linebacker.
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Starting with the free safety position, the Redskins would have a couple of options. First, they could find a replacement in the draft. Justin Evans from Texas A&M would be an excellent fit with them and could be obtained in the second round. However, the team could benefit even more from moving Bashaud Breeland to the free safety position. This would allow Breeland to make plays without having as many chances to get burned in coverage.
Even if they strengthened the safety position, the linebackers would become an even bigger weakness. Will Compton and Mason Foster are serviceable starters, but neither is good enough to truly strengthen the performance of the defense. All upside in the unit comes from Cravens, as Martrell Spaight was brutal in his only career start last Monday.
With that said, the Redskins could target a linebacker in the early rounds of the draft. Jabrill Peppers or Zach Cunningham could be options, but the linebackers would still be one of the weakest units on the defense.
All in all, the move of Cravens has some upside for the defense. It could really help to complete their secondary and make the defense more competitive. Still, the linebacking corps may not be in good shape moving forward and that will be an area that needs to be upgraded desperately.
