Darby Back in D.C.

Ronald Darby has officially returned home to play for the team that he grew up loving.

This week - it was another example of the Redskins trying to find a fit with high upside and major questions.

At a need position and with a very keen eye on budget. 

The cornerback spot was already a significant question before free agency. We've identified it as the No. 1 weak spot on the roster all offseason. 

Washington cut Josh Norman, which should have been done a year ago. They signed Kendall Fuller and then got sick and tired of dealing with Quinton Dunbar, trading him to Seattle. 

The Redskins entered the offseason needing at least one starter and more realistically two. As soon as Dunbar started squawking, I added a hook to that total. 2.5? 3? 

Getting Kendall Fuller was good. However Fuller for Dunbar was not an exactly even swap. 

Dunbar's better and cheaper. Fuller's more versatile and experienced. Plus he wanted to come home. Dunbar wanted out. 

That left the Redskins needing a minimum of one starting corner and really two. 

The Redskins could have and still possibly could draft the top cornerback in the draft, Jeff Okudah. 

Per William Hill Sports Book, the Redskins are +5000 odds to draft Okudah via SI.com.

With all of that in mind, they had to look for an established bargain. They found one in Ronald Darby, who "just thought I would’ve been a good fit," Darby explained on Friday via phone conference."

"I respect the head coach and I just think things could change around here. I feel like it was a great move.”

The Redskins have to hope the 5'11 Darby is closer to the Darby that shined in Buffalo for two years out of Florida State. The next three years in Philadelphia were shaky. Up and down might be a better description, but either way. 

In his final year in Philadelphia, Darby "saw action in 11 games with 11 starts and finished with 37 tackles (34 solo), two interceptions and 11 passes defensed," according to the Redskins official press release. 

He was a target for media and fan criticism in Philly despite helping them win a Super Bowl because he would often be in a good coverage position, but would fall short too often for their liking. He was beat for six touchdowns last year per ProFootballFocus.com (PFF). 

The Florida State and Oxon Hill, Maryland native returns home to try and find what is a bit missing, mostly due to injuries, right now. 

His top-flight game. 

"I feel great right now, but you know it is tough coming off the ACL and then going right back into the season. Last year was tough for me," Darby explained to reporters. "My main thing was I just wanted to finish that year without a major injury or nothing like that so I could have a full offseason to train and take care of my body, and that’s what I’ve been doing.”

The 26-year old attended Potomac H.S. in Oxon Hill, Md. and joins a secondary heavy on DMV flavor (Kendall Fuller, Sean Davis) but high on questions. 

"I’m grateful for the opportunity in Washington. I’m from the DMV area, so I grew up a Redskins fan," Darby said. "Just to come back home to play for the team I grew up loving is really something huge. I get to go against my old teammates (Eagles)  twice a year, so that’ll be fun.”

The good thing for the Redskins is this - if Darby doesn't work out - he cost them very little. The bad part is this: if he doesn't work out, they're more screwed than most of us think. 

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Chris Russell is the Publisher of RedskinsReport.com & Sports Illustrated's Washington Redskins channel. He can be heard on 106.7 The FAN in the Washington D.C. area and world-wide on Radio.com. Chris also hosts the "Locked on Redskins" Podcast and can be read via subscription to Warpath Magazine. You can e-mail Chris at russellmania09@Gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @Russellmania621.