The Future of the Redskins Secondary: Cornerback

While safety has been the most glaring issue with the Redskins secondary, the cornerback unit hasn't been much better in recent years. The Skins have cycled through tons of cornerbacks including Sean Springs, Fred Smoot, Kevin Barnes, Byron Westbrook, Justin Tyron, Carlos Rogers, and Phillip Buchanon. Not surprisingly none of them ended up as longterm successes. A few of them had their moments, specifically Springs, Smoot and Rogers, but everyone remembers Rogers for his inability to catch an interception and Springs was sent packing in 2008. There has been an attempt to rejuvenate the postion first with DeAngelo Hall and then Josh Wilson but Hall has struggled of late and Wilson hasn't been much better. Going into this season the Skins will continue to rely on Wilson and Hall with the hope that rookie David Amerson will become a starter and eventually star.

Hall has had some success with the Redskins most notably in 2010, but last year he was possibly the worst cover corner in the NFL. He often fell for double moves too often and really failed to be someone reliable. Wilson wasn't much better and while he is young and showed promise when he was in Baltimore it's unclear how successful his future will be.

This all brings us to David Amerson who has so far been extremely impressive. He showed a lot of promise in college during his 2011 season but in 2012 seemed to be a very similar player to Hall. However, at this point he looks to have progressed well and realizes his mistakes from last year. He has the physical tools to be an extremely successful corner and is probably the best hope for the position on the Redskins roster.

I would be remiss if I forgot to mention Chase Minnifield. Minnifield is an interesting prospect because he looked to have a ton of talent in college but because of injury went undrafted. Again, because of injury he missed the entirety of last season but has had an opportunity to show what he can do this year and looks to have earned a roster spot. He will need continued development and his knee will still be a concern but he has skills and measurables to become a starter in the future.

What's next?

Amerson will need to continue his development and show he deserves to be considered for the starting job. It wouldn't be surprising if he becomes a starter sooner rather than later. Hall doesn't seem likely to remain on the team for too much longer unless he somehow improves his game drastically. Wilson will also need to show some serious improvement if he wants to stay on the team. Minnifield will be someone to watch but tempered expectations would be best. It is unlikely that the Redskins will spend another early round draft pick on a corner at this point but they should be looking in the free agent market next year.