The Washington Commanders needed safety help and naturally, people started to wonder if Shilo Sanders would get the call. However, the team decided to sign a former player of the Jacksonville Jaguars instead of him.
The Commanders, as reported by Ari Meirov, are signing Darnell Savage, who was released by the Jaguars last week. Savage is in his seventh season after spending five seasons in the Packers and playing the 2024 season with Jacksonville, as well as the start of this season.
Shilo Sanders, then, is still looking for a team to give him a chance after he was waived by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers prior to the start of the regular season. Sanders has been waiting for another chance to play in the NFL.
Savage is good safety, Shilo is an experiment
Savage has 38 pass deflections and 10 interceptions in his career with two forced fumbles. His best season was back in 2020 where he had four picks and 12 passes defended. If he signs for the Commanders and can regain some of that fire, he will be a valuable assett.
Savage is a proven commodity. On the other hand, Shilo is an undrafted rookie that has never played in the NFL and that already sent some alarming issues given the fact that he was ejected from a preseason game for throwing a punch.
The Commanders needed depth at safety
The Commanders have Will Harris and Quan Martin as the starting safeties. Then, Tyler Owens and Jeremy Reaves serve as backups. If all goes well, Savage could turn into an actual starter on this roster.
Dan Quinn is a defensive head coach and the Commanders are not a great defense yet. They have improved their pass rush, but also have been burned on their secondary. Hence, Savage could become a very important piece of this defense.