The Washington Commanders might not be grabbing all the headlines with their latest decision, but it could turn out to be a crucial one for the team.
On Monday, Washington agreed to terms with veteran cornerback Rasul Douglas on a one-year deal, adding an experienced playmaker to a secondary that entered training camp with more questions than answers.
It seems like this is more than just a basic signature, though. There’s probably more to it than what we can see at first.
But if you take a closer look, you’ll find that it’s actually revealing something much more significant.
The Commanders Signing Rasul Douglas means the Cornerback Room Needed Help
Whether fans wanted to admit it or not, cornerback has quietly been one of Washington’s biggest concerns heading into training camp.
Health has been a question, with last year’s second-round pick, Trey Amos, coming off a season-ending injury and not participating in any of the offseason program.
Depth has been a question as well, with many unknowns on the roster. And of course, Consistency has been a question.
The Commanders have talented young pieces they believe can develop, but counting on an entire season of perfect health and immediate growth is rarely a winning formula in the NFL.
Adam Peters has consistently shown that he values competition over comfort. Rather than simply hoping the current group would take a step forward, he brought in a veteran with more than a decade of NFL experience and a proven track record of forcing turnovers.
Stability to an Uncertain Position Group and Potential Playing Time???
One thing Rasul Douglas has done throughout his career is produce.
Douglas is a tall player, at 6-foot-2, and he’s really good with the ball. He knows his routes and plays with a lot of confidence, which helps him catch the football consistently. This is also good because some of the other players, like Mike Sainristil and Amik Robertson, are a bit shorter, around 5’9″ or 5’10”, so Douglas will add some height to the secondary. He’s a veteran player who understands the game, and that’s a big plus.
He had a pretty good season in Miami last year, playing in 13 games and making 62 tackles. He also picked off two passes and broke up 13 others, and even got a sack.
Washington really struggled with their defense last season, and it was especially bad when it came to defending against passes. They had one of the weakest defenses in the entire league, which made it tough for them to win games.
Rasul Douglas will join a room that also have Ahkello Witherspoon , Antonio Hamilton, Carlin Vigers and more.
They need reliability.
They need someone who can fill in and make a difference if someone gets hurt.
They are looking for a player who can guide the younger defensive backs, while also fighting for a spot on the field.
That makes this signing valuable beyond the stat sheet. But most importantly, he will be a floor raiser with Daronte Jones’ new Defense. With the majority of the guys after Roberson, there are some questions, and Douglas can push to make the 53-man roster.
Comfortability Heading to Camp
We’re not going to pretend like the Washington team signing Josh Norman never happened, you know what I’m talking about.
The team is still trying to complete its lineup and create some competition, which should help them find the answers they need.
The competition for cornerback spots is really heating up, and it’s going to be fascinating to see how it all plays out over the course of the year.
There might be some concerns about Amos’ health, but when you look at the bigger picture, the two positions that are really up in the air in Ashburn, VA are the wide receivers and the cornerbacks. These are the spots where the team is going to have to make some tough decisions about who makes the cut.
The wide receivers and cornerbacks are the ones who are going to be battling it out for a limited number of roster spots, and it’s going to be a intense competition. As the team prepares for the upcoming season, all eyes are going to be on these two positions, and it will be interesting to see how everything shakes out.
Every defensive back now has to earn his role.
That’s exactly the environment Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Daronte Jones want to create.
