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Washington Commanders safety Darnell Savage.
Just in the last week, we saw Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen and Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Darius Slay go to their respective teams and ask for their walking papers.
They did so in order to find a better situation — a.k.a. play for an actual contender — which is pretty common this time of year.
The more surprising thing is the Washington Commanders are one of those “respective teams” — a harsh reality in a lost season that started with legitimate Super Bowl hopes.
“NFL veteran safety Darnell Savage has requested to be released and Commanders are expected to grant his request, per league sources,” KPRC 2 Houston’s Aaron Wilson wrote on his official X account on Thursday, December 4.
Savage, a 2019 first round pick (No. 21 overall) by the Green Bay Packers, was in his first season with the Commanders. He played in 2 games with the Jacksonville Jaguars before he was released and signed by the Commanders on September 22. He only played 8 games in Washington.
“The former first round pick will go through waivers, and if he isn’t claimed, he’ll be free to sign with a contender for a playoff push,” Preme Football wrote on its official X account.
From Big Ten Star to First Round Pick
Savage, 5-foot-11 and 198 pounds, was an All-Big Ten pick at Maryland and propelled himself into the first round after he ran a blazing, 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine.
In Green Bay, Savage was a full-time starter at safety from the moment he stepped on the field and had 8 interceptions in his first 3 seasons, including career highs of 75 tackles, 4 interceptions and 12 deflections in 2020.
Savage’s signature moment in a Packers uniform came in an NFC Divisional Round upset of the Dallas Cowboys following the 2023 season, when he had a 64-yard interception return for a touchdown.
The Jaguars signed Savage to a 3-year, $21.75 million free agent contract in 2024 and started 13 out of 15 games in 2 seasons before he was released.
Savage, who has approximately $31 million in career earnings, has 369 tackles and 10 interceptions in 95 career games.
Commanders Need to Re-tool Defense in Offseason
One thing we can almost guarantee will happen with the Commanders this offseason will be a head-to-toe remodel for the entire defensive unit — it’s not a stretch to say no one’s job is safe.
The most egregious of the bad decisions the Commanders made on that side of the ball was a 2024 trade for former Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who is making $17 million this season but looked beyond cooked before he tore his ACL against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 9.
There was also a highly questionable 3-year, $45 million free agent contract for underperforming Javon Kinlaw in March. Through 12 games and 12 starts, Kinlaw has 25 tackles, zero sacks, zero forced fumbles, zero pass deflections and just 3 QB hits.
Those are Invisible Man-level stats.
“Kinlaw is flat out a bum,” Commanders superfan Kareem wrote on X. “Been horrible all year. Had 1 good run stop vs Miami and it’s all anybody shows, pass rush non existent, can’t stop the run all year.”
Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame
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