Does ex-Panthers safety Tre Boston make sense for Washington? originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
As the Washington Football Team search for a free safety, another veteran at the position is now on the market.
On Friday, the Carolina Panthers reportedly informed safety Tre Boston they will be releasing him in order to free salary cap space, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, making the 28-year-old safety a free agent for the fourth time in five seasons.
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With Boston on the market once again, does it make sense for Washington to make a run after him? Let's take a look.
Many figured Washington would have interest in Boston when he was a free agent last season, as Ron Riviera was the head coach in Carolina when the Panthers drafted him back in 2014. However, the safety inked a three-year extension with the Panthers last March in free agency, preventing the possibility of a reunion with his first NFL head coach.
One year later, Boston is a free agent again, and Washington still doesn't have an answer at the free safety position. Free safety was a revolving door for Washington in 2020, as Troy Apke, Jeremy Reaves and Deshazor Everett each started at different points.
Signing Boston would make sense, as his skill set would pair well with Washington's two other safeties, Landon Collins and Kamren Curl. Collins is at his best playing near the line of scrimmage in almost more of a hybrid linebacker role, while Curl showed plenty of promise filling in for Collins at the natural strong safety position following the veteran's Achilles tear in Week 7.
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What Washington truly needs is a centerfielder, someone who has natural ball skills and is rangy enough to serve as the last line of defense. Boston, who won't turn 29 in June, could be that.
In January, Rivera hired former Panthers general manager Marty Hurney to an executive role in Washington's revamped front office. While Hurney won't serve as the team's GM (that title belongs to Martin Mayhew), he'll still have an integral role in Washington's personnel decisions.
Hurney has ties to Boston, too, as he was in charge in Carolina when the safety was drafted. Hurney was also the one to give Boston a second chance in Carolina in 2019 after former general manager Dave Gettleman had released the safety a few years prior.
Contractually, Boston likely wouldn't cost a lot, either. The safety position is especially deep in free agency this spring, too. A deep free agent class, combined with a dip in the NFL's salary cap, will likely result in a lot of Tier 2 or Tier 3 free agents settling for less money than they desire. That could be the case for Boston.
There are plenty of reasons for Washington to make a run after Boston. Now, we'll just have to wait and see if they will.
