Arizona Cardinals

Washington Redskins Sign Cornerback Tharold Simon To Futures Contract

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:46 p.m. ET

Fansided, Jacob Camenker/FanSided via Riggo's Rag

The Washington Redskins continued to add to their roster with futures deals. They signed for Seahawks and Cardinal Tharold Simon to their roster for next season.

With so much news swirling around about the Washington Redskins defensive coordinator opening, and under-the-radar move occurred on Monday. The Redskins added another cornerback to their roster on a reserve/future contract. The man was Tharold Simon, a former member of the Seattle Seahawks who most recently played for the Arizona Cardinals. ESPN’s Field Yates broke the news via his Twitter account.

Simon was once considered to be a potential packed member of the Legion of Boom. However, he never panned out for the Seahawks as he was constantly torched in coverage. Still, he has the potential to develop into a solid contributor, and Washington could offer him a chance to do that.

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Simon was a fifth round pick out of LSU in the 2013 NFL Draft. At the time, many expected the 6-foot-2 cornerback to be an excellent fit in Seattle’s system. After all, the team had success with bigger cornerbacks in the past. Why would Simon be any different? Well, Simon did not possess as much physicality as the other big corners but also was not very athletic. Because of this, he struggled to develop in the NFL. His career was also derailed by injuries, as he did not play a game until his second season in 2014.

Simon is most notable for playing in Super Bowl XLIX against the New England Patriots. He took over for an injured Jeremy Lane during the contest, and he had some major issues. He just was not quick enough in coverage and that helped to cost the Seahawks the game in the end. Granted, he did not make the dreaded goal-line gaff, but he allowed the Patriots to move the ball down the field easily.

For the Redskins, Simon offers upside as a defensive back, and they can experiment with the best position for him. the team is weak at all the positions in the secondary, aside from their top cornerback Josh Norman, so Simon may be able to carve out a role for himself. This is a good move by the Redskins, and a smart move by Simon to potentially revitalize his career. It is possible he may not even make the roster, but at this point, Simon is one of the highest upside futures players on the team’s roster.