The legacy of big safeties in the NFL stretches from Steve Atwater to Kam Chancellor to Kyle Hamilton — the latest state-of-the-art safety who, in an earlier era, would have played linebacker. The Washington Commanders had a similar player last year in Jeremy Chinn, but they allowed him to leave via free agency.
His expected replacement, Will Harris, has been a steady performer for a number of years. However, he doesn’t have the athletic gifts of a player like Hamilton.
Neither did Chinn. Whereas Hamilton has cornerback skills in a linebacker’s physique, Washington's ex-defensive back was much closer to an old-school linebacker.