It looks like there’s going to be a competition for starting safety spots with the Redskins this summer and Brandon Meriweather says that he thinks his torn ACL will have recovered enough for him to be a full participant in it when camp gets underway.
Meriweather suffered through a lost season in 2011, hurting his knee in the preseason and then reinjuring it when he tried to make a return in Week Four. He finally made it back to the field in Week 11, but didn’t even make it through the first half before the torn ligament that ended his season. Meriweather, who took a pay cut to stay with the team earlier in the offseason, told Mike Jones of the Washington Post that he’ll work on the side during OTAs because he is focusing all of his efforts on being ready for training camp.
“I’m trying to look at the big picture, and the big picture is [training camp],” Meriweather said. “I try to keep my expectations to day-by-day. That’s all I’m concerned with. The steps I take day-by-day. … Of course, I want to be back out there. I’ve got a bad taste in my mouth because I wasn’t able to help my team.”
The Redskins drafted Phillip Thomas and Baccari Rambo last week to go with Reed Doughty and DeJon Gomes at safety with Tanard Jackson possibly getting reinstated from suspension down the road. Ideally, Meriweather would nail down the strong safety spot with the others vying for snaps next to him. It sounds like he’ll be healthy enough to give it his best shot, although his 2012 experience is a reminder not to count any unhatched chickens.