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When the Washington Redskins made a deal to acquire cornerback Josh Norman ahead of the 2016 NFL season, they believed they snagged themselves a shutdown defender and a cornerstone of their defense for years to come.
Since then, Norman’s on-field production has decreased rapidly, even being benched on numerous occasions this past season, and never once making an All-Pro or Pro Bowl team since joining the Redskins.
However, despite Norman’s poor play, the Redskins still managed to find themselves a lock-down corner in the most unusual of places. The ‘Skins hit paydirt, finding themselves a diamond in the rough, in cornerback Quinton Dunbar.
The former undrafted collegiate wide receiver has developed into one of the league’s top cornerbacks since entering the NFL in 2015. Yet, if he has his way, he’ll continue his stellar play somewhere else in 2020.
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Quinton Dunbar Wants Out of Washington
According to ESPN’s John Keim, Quinton Dunbar’s days in D.C. appear to be coming to an end, or at the very least, a standstill, as the corner has requested out of Washington. Here’s what Keim had to say on the matter.
“Redskins corner Quinton Dunbar has requested to be traded or released, according to a source. Dunbar spoke with a member of the Redskins’ administration tonight. He had been in talks with the previous regime about an extension but he had not had any contact with the Redskins since the hiring of coach Ron Rivera.”
Dunbar Was Arguably the Best CB in Football This Past Season
Prior to news of Dunbar requesting a trade, NBC Washington’s JP Finlay reported earlier in the day that Dunbar was planning on skipping voluntary workouts, otherwise known as OTAs, this offseason. The belief was that Dunbar did not want to risk injury in a contract year, a year in which Dunbar has no guaranteed money attached to his contract. The situation has obviously escalated rapidly since early Monday morning.
Speaking of his contract, Dunbar is entering the final season of a three-year extension that he signed following the 2017 season. Washington inked him to a $10.5M contract worth $3.5M per year on average. Dunbar has clearly outplayed his contract, proving to be a bargain as he’s solidified himself as the team’s number one cornerback.
Yet, he’s done more than solidify himself as the team’s top corner, Dunbar’s put himself on the map as one of the best corners across the league.
In 2019, only Richard Sherman earner a higher PFF grade than Dunbar’s 87.6 overall grade. To further expand on Dunbar’s excellent 2019 campaign, he allowed a passer rating below 57% on throws into his coverage, the sixth-lowest mark of any corner on the year. In fact, on his 347 snaps in this past season, Dunbar surrendered a meager two touchdowns, fully cementing himself amongst the elite at his position.
Dunbar seemed to be a perfect match for the newly hired, defensive-oriented head coach Ron Rivera in Washington. However, it appears that Rivera may need to instead attempt to tap into the Josh Norman magic that he rode to a Super Bowl appearance all those years back.
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