Orlando Scandrick is another versatile veteran on cornerback market

If the Kansas City Chiefs wanted to add an inexpensive veteran to the cornerback competition, Orlando Scandrick could be a bounce back candidate.

The Washington Redskins have decided to go young in their secondary and undo an earlier free agent signing with the release of veteran cornerback Orlando Scandrick just months after signing the former Dallas Cowboys defensive back in free agency.

This means that, once again, Scandrick is a free agent looking for meaningful work. To be sure, any team—the Kansas City Chiefs for our purposes—that signs him needs to keep their expectations rather low (we’ll get to this in a minute) but for the experience, versatility and hopes of bouncing back, Scandrick could be a nice option for a team against the cap.

Let’s start there with the latter before we dive into Scandrick. The Chiefs are there against the cap with only $8.5 million available for them to use, per the NFL Players Association, giving them a decent amount if they were done with roster construction to then enter the regular season with enough margin to make a move in case of emergency. But if Brett Veach is wanting to make any major additions, that total is quickly gone and leaves the Chiefs with zero spare room.

That’s why a veteran like Scandrick could be interesting to the Chiefs. It’s impossible for anyone away from Arrowhead to know just how confident the team is feeling in their youth movement at cornerback. It’s one thing to see guys like Tremon Smith and Arrion Springs and D’Montre Wade among others flash in camp. It’s another thing to actually rely on them into the regular season. Showing strong potential could still be a ticket for a practice squad as these players develop with the team and in the playbook.

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If the Chiefs happen to feel a bit unnerved about the lack of experience in the secondary, Scandrick offers plenty of experience. He’s been around the block in the NFC East for years—nine, to be exact, and all with the Cowboys. In that time, he’s served as a versatile option who comes in largely on sub packages, although he’s certainly started plenty of games on the outside. With 125 games and 69 total starts, Scandrick would be dependable from Week 1.

But it’s also important to note what he would be dependable to be. Could the Chiefs depend on Scandrick to actually be good? Looking at last season, the answer is no. His play dropped off considerably after two excellent seasons, so it’s possible he’s hit the wall that all players eventually hit. That could also be seen in the way that Washington signed and then released him.

That said, the Cowboys and Redskins have both been getting younger in the secondary over the last couple years and have plenty of talent. Scandrick was pushed out of the Washington secondary by the late addition of Adonis Alexander in the supplemental draft along with promising safety Troy Apke and corner Greg Stroman in the draft.

If Scandrick can remotely return to form from just a year ago, he would be a great buy because he looked excellent for the Cowboys in both 2015-16. Scandrick can also cover well inside yet start outside, and his experience would make him a quick study despite switching teams.

Scandrick wouldn’t be a cure-all for anyone’s concerns about the secondary, whether at cornerback or safety. At the same time, he could give the Chiefs some experience and versatility for a cheap price as they prepare to enter the season with a completely revamped pass defense unit. A smaller potential signing, to be sure, but it’s what the Chiefs can afford—like it or not.

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