The Washington Football Team saw a big loss on Sunday, as Pro Bowl safety Landon Collins suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Head coach Ron Rivera reportedly considered signing a familiar face to potentially replace him, as Washington continues to attempt to establish itself as a contender in the lowly NFC East. On Tuesday, ESPN's John Keim reported that Washington was considering all options in replacing Collins, including former Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid.
Later on Tuesday, it was revealed that Reid was indeed offered a new job by Rivera, but it was a spot on the practice squad and not on the active roster. Reid told Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press that he declined the offer from Washington.
"I just don't think playing on the practice squad is reflective or indicative of my career," Reid told AP in a phone interview.
Back in 2018, Rivera gave Reid a shot after he spent the first few weeks of the season unemployed after parting ways with the San Francisco 49ers. It proved to be a good decision, as the one-time Pro Bowler started in all 29 games he played for the Panthers and recorded 201 combined tackles, 11 passes defensed and one interception. After Rivera was fired, Carolina made the decision to release Reid.
Reid spent the first five seasons of his career with the 49ers, logging seven interceptions from 2013-2014 before injuries limited his production ahead of 2018 free agency. He is well known for supporting his former teammate Colin Kaepernick in his fight against racial injustice, and was one of the first players to kneel for the national anthem years ago. Some speculate it's a reason it took him several weeks into the 2018 regular season to find a new job, but Rivera clearly did not care about any potential backlash.
It would bode well for Washington to look for outside help when it comes to replacing Collins, as the veteran safety was an important part of this defense. The former New York Giant recorded 41 combined tackles, two sacks and an interception in the first seven games of 2020. He also recorded a sack fumble against Andy Dalton on Sunday, which resulted in a safety.
