D.J. Swearinger: Redskins agree to multi-year deal with safety
By John Buhler
Clearly wanting a long-term deal in free agency, defensive back D.J. Swearinger has signed a three-year contract with the Redskins.
After being a former second-round pick by the Texans in the 2013 NFL Draft out of South Carolina, it seems that journeyman defensive back D.J. Swearinger has had enough of all the moving.
He’s been with three teams (Houston, Tampa Bay, Arizona) in four seasons. According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Swearinger has found a new home with Washington. He has signed a three-year deal worth $4.5 million annually.
#Redskins signed S DJ Swearinger to a 3-year deal worth $4.5M per year. $6M in year 1
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2017
Bouncing around from team to team has gotten old for the veteran defensive back. All of that happened before he entered his mid-20s. For a guy that hasn’t been anywhere for more than two years, Swearinger is getting a nice deal in unrestricted free agency on the open market from the Redskins.
While we currently don’t really know who is running the Redskins front office, they’ve made a lot of noise in the last few days. Most of it has to do with the Kirk Cousins trade rumors, but like every other team in free agency not named the Green Bay Packers, Washington must actively participate.
Maybe Swearinger can carve out a nice, starting role with the Redskins for the rest of the decade? Outside of cornerback Josh Norman operating out on an island, Washington could really use some help in the back-end of their leaky defense.
must read: 30 Best NFL Defenders of All-Time
As long as they have Cousins at quarterback, Washington should be at least playoff viable. The Redskins will be a different team without Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson at wide receiver of offense. Maybe this team becomes a more balanced one defensively with acquisitions like Swearinger coming to the club in free agency?