Kam Curl appreciates teammate's endorsement after Seattle win originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
After facing questions Monday night on how he personally felt in his return from injury, what's been different with Taylor Heinicke and what it was like to contribute to Washington's third victory in a row, Logan Thomas made one final statement before exiting the podium at FedEx Field.
In doing so, he propped up one of his young, defensive teammates.
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"I got one thing to say: Might need to start respecting Kam Curl a little bit more," Thomas told reporters inside the stadium's media room. "He's a top-five safety in the league. Watch the film. If he's not, tell me he's not."
As it turns out, Thomas had warned Curl ahead of his presser that he'd be dropping some sort of proclamation about the defensive back. Following practice on Wednesday, Curl gave his side of the story.
"He told me before he went in, 'I'm going to say something about you, I'm going to let 'em know,'" Curl recalled. "So I appreciate it, for real."
It was an awesome gesture from Thomas, especially considering he plays on the opposite side of the ball from Curl and because he so clearly went out of his way to highlight the second-year pro.
It's also an opinion that others should warm up to.
While Curl doesn't have the salary or name recognition of his peers like Denver's Justin Simmons or Pittsburgh's Minkah Fitzpatrick, he's emerged as a legitimate difference maker for Washington since being drafted in the seventh round in 2020.
Curl's strengths include his intelligence (coordinator Jack Del Rio loves discussing how Curl's knowledge of the defensive scheme was obvious during early Zoom meetings two offseasons ago) and his versatility (he can cover a quick running back, a strong tight end and help out on blitzes).
Now, Curl is probably a campaign or two away from really being regarded the way Thomas wants him to be, but there's no denying that he's on the right track.
Besides, Curl already views himself in that light.
"I've got the confidence that I'm one of the best in the league," he said. "I've just got to keep showing it. I've got to keep, every week, being more consistent and all that."
During the Monday matchup with the Seahawks, Curl unfortunately dropped what looked to be a simple interception after Russell Wilson and his intended receiver miscommunicated. When asked Wednesday what happened during that sequence, a pained Curl had a rapid response.
"(Expletive) happens," Curl said.
While that particular blunder wasn't his best moment, most of the time, (expletive) does happen when Curl is on the field, and Washington is typically better for it.
And as long as he keeps that up, Thomas will soon have lots of company on the Kam Curl bandwagon.
