The Washington Redskins are adding two veteran safeties to the active roster, as the team announced the signings of Donte Whitner and Josh Evans to the 53-man roster.
The Washington Redskins are added some experienced depth at the safety position, as head coach Jay Gruden announced on Wednesday the signing of 10-year Donte Whitner and fourth-year veteran Josh Evans.
The Washington Redskins on Wednesday signed 10-year veteran safety Donte Whitner. Take a look at his NFL career in photos.
In corresponding moves, the team placed safety David Bruton Jr. on Injured Reserve and released defensive end Kendall Reyes.
Whitner was the eighth-overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft and has played for the Buffalo Bills (2006-10), San Francisco 49ers (2011-13) and, most recently, the Cleveland Browns (2014-15).
For his career, the Ohio State product has amassed 856 tackles along with 11 forced fumbles, 11 interceptions and two touchdowns.
Whitner made his NFL debut on Sept. 10, 2006, recording eight tackles and an interception. The next week, the safety made his first career start, collecting seven tackles. He would finish the year with 104 tackles, earning All-Rookie Team honors from Pro Football Weekly.
In 2008, Whitner recorded his first NFL sack on St. Louis Rams quarterback Trent Green.
During the 2010 season, Whitner produced a career-high 140 tackles for the Bills, recording double-digit tackle totals in six games including a career-high 18 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Whitner signed with the 49ers in 2011 as a free agent, immediately making an impact on San Francisco's defense. He would start 15 games, collecting 62 tackles, 10 passes defensed and two interceptions.
The next season, Whitner started every single game for the 49ers in the run to an appearance in Super Bowl XLVII. While the 49ers would fall to the Baltimore Ravens in the championship game, Whitner registered eight tackles.
It would be the first of three straight Pro Bowl seasons for Whitner, the last of which came as a member of the Browns in 2014.
Whitner played with Cleveland in 2015 before being released in April. He also worked out for the New York Giants before signing with the Redskins.
The Washington Redskins on Wednesday signed four-year veteran safety Josh Evans. Take a look at his NFL career in photos.
Evans, meanwhile, joins the Redskins after spending his first three NFL seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team that selected him in the sixth-round of the 2013 NFL Draft out of Florida.
For his career, Evans has collected 201 tackles along with five passes defensed and a fumble forced. The 25-year-old has appeared in 47 games during his career with 37 starts.
With Whitner and Evans, the Redskins now have five safeties on the active roster, as they join Will Blackmon, Deshazor Everett and Duke Ihenacho.
Blackmon replaced DeAngelo Hall (torn ACL) in the starting lineup during the Redskins' Week 4 victory over the Browns, while Bruton Jr. started the first four games this season before being removed from Sunday's game after suffering a concussion.
With Reyes' release, the Redskins move forward with six defensive linemen on the active roster with Chris Baker, Ricky Jean Francois, Ziggy Hood, Cullen Jenkins, Matt Ioannidis and Anthony Lanier.
