ASHBURN, Va. -- Donte Whitner hasn’t played since the end of last season. He wasn’t in a training camp and he just joined the Washington Redskins. However, there’s one thing the veteran safety feels good about: His ability to hit.
Whitner’s status for Sunday’s game against Baltimore remains uncertain as the Redskins try to catch him up on their defense. But whenever Whitner does play, he’s confident that he can still play physical.
"I’ve been doing I all my life, from Little League to high school to college to the NFL for 10 years," Whitner said. "I don’t think you lose that explosiveness or learn how to want contact. It’s almost like riding a bike. That’s why they call me Hitner. That’s what I like to do. You don’t lose that. I think I’ll be ready for some contact Sunday."
The Redskins needed Whitner once David Bruton Jr. suffered a concussion Sunday and was placed on injured reserve Wednesday morning. For Sunday, it’s likely the starters will be Will Blackmon and Duke Ihenacho.
Defensive coordinator Joe Barry said they’re giving Whitner a "crash course" in the Redskins' defense. It helps that Whitner played under secondary coach Perry Fewell from 2006-09 when the latter was Buffalo's defensive coordinator.
"He’s a pretty savvy guy, very detailed guy," Barry said of Whitner. "You can tell why he’s been the type of player that he is in this league for the amount of years that he’s been. But we’ll see. We’re taking it day-by-day and seeing where he’s at."
Whitner just wants a chance to show what he can still do. He was released by Cleveland in April and, though he had offers and tryouts with other teams, there are questions about how much he still has left.
But Whitner said he hasn’t talked with the Redskins about his future role.
"They don’t have to say anything about my role," Whitner said. "If you put it on tape and you’re the best guy, you’re going to play. No matter what locker room I step in, I feel I’ll be the best guy, and I’ll work as hard as I can to show I’m the best guy so they don’t have to tell me anything about a role. I just have to get myself ready and be knowledgeable within the scheme and this defense."
