The Arizona Cardinals used a waiver claim to add former Detroit Lions defensive back Charles Washington, who was among their final cuts over the weekend. He joins the Cardinals to be their fifth safety.
He will have a big role on special teams. That is what he did in Detroit.
He did not play a single snap on defense in 2018. He played 228 special teams snaps, good for more than 52 percent of all of the Lions’ special teams plays.
He relishes in that role.
“My role is limited,” Washington said, according to the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett. “I don’t have defense to fall back on, so I know I got to perform at a high rate, I got to stand out and whip ass. Just like that, I have to stand out and whip ass each week.”
He continued.
“Everyone wants to be a starter, everyone wants to be a superstar, and I tell everyone I’m not a celebrity, I’m not a superstar, I play special teams, but I love it,” Washington said. “I embrace my role as a special-teams player. I didn’t play one snap of defense, so I can’t go brag about what I’ve done on defense. I didn’t play a snap of defense, so I kind of had to make my role last year playing special teams and it’s beautiful. I love it. The intensity that comes with it, I love everything about special teams.”
It is an interesting move the Cardinals made. They had a safety who played a big role on special teams a year ago in Rudy Ford. They traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles for a defensive lineman they didn’t keep on the roster. Then they claimed Washington, who presumably will do what Ford did.
However it happened, Washington surely will bring some intensity to a special teams unit that was one of the best in the league last season.
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