The Commanders are in the midst of their best season in at least seven years, but that hasn’t changed a yearly tradition for local football fans: Seeing former Washington players excel for other teams.
Week 15 of the NFL season had multiple data points for the fan base’s belief — true or not — that players who formerly donned the burgundy and gold often go on to find success in other uniforms. Several former Washington players, including two Giants who helped New York defeat the Commanders on Sunday, shined this past weekend, while others are having standout seasons.
Here are several former Washington players having good seasons:
Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins
He did it again. Cousins, whose “you like that” game with Washington in 2015 saw the Redskins come back from down 24 points to beat the Buccaneers, led another miraculous comeback in Week 15.
The 34-year-old willed the Vikings back from down 33-0 to beat the Colts 39-36 in overtime, and he was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week as a reward. Cousins was also selected Wednesday to the Pro Bowl for the fourth time in his career.
Cousins is having a different type of season than his typical ones where his passer rating is over 100 but his team’s record is around .500. Cousins, statistically, is having a slightly down season with his lowest completion percentage as a Viking and on pace for the most interceptions in his career. But he’s been clutch in big moments (a major criticism he’s faced throughout his career), and he’s a major reason why the Vikings are 11-3 (and 10-0 in one-score games) despite the team having one of the league’s worst defenses.
49ers left tackle Trent Williams
Williams being on this list is far from a surprise. He was one of the best left tackles in football for his entire career in Washington and is still at the top of his game with the San Francisco 49ers.
Williams was selected Wednesday to his 10th Pro Bowl after leading all NFC left tackles in fan voting. The 34-year-old is also hoping to be an All-Pro for the second straight season and the third time in his career.
D.C. fans won’t have to look far to see Williams’ greatness this weekend, as the Commanders travel to San Francisco in a pivotal matchup for Washington’s playoff hopes.
Giants kicker Graham Gano
Washington fans who saw Gano nail a 50-yard field goal in the frigid, windy atmosphere in Landover on Sunday were reminded that Gano used to miss those same types of field goals when he was with Washington more than a decade ago.
Gano, 35, played for the Redskins from 2009 to 2011, missing 10-plus field goals in his final two seasons before being cut. He made just 73.8% of his kicks with Washington, but he’s since gone on to become one of the most reliable kickers in the NFL. Since leaving Washington, he’s made 87.4% of his attempts with Carolina and New York — a percentage so good it would rank him fifth on the NFL’s all-time list.
This year, Gano is 24-for-27 and 7-for-8 from 50-plus yards. He was named a Pro Bowl alternate on Wednesday.
Giants safety Landon Collins
Another Giants player who stood out Sunday was former Washington safety Landon Collins, who the Commanders released after the 2021 season.
Collins, who started his career with the Giants before signing as a free agent with Washington, returned to New York in October by signing to the team’s practice squad. Collins, 28, has only played three games with the Giants, but his best game came Sunday with three tackles, including a tackle for loss.
Like his final season in Washington, Collins mostly played a hybrid safety role that looks more like he’s playing linebacker than defensive back. He made multiple impressive run stops against the Commanders, including a third down tackle to force a three-and-out in the third quarter. It remains to be seen how much Collins will factor in for the Giants moving forward, but he may have earned himself more playing time with his performance Sunday.
Bengals running back Samaje Perine
When Perine was a rookie with the Commanders in 2017, he was one of the least efficient runners in the NFL, averaging just 3.4 yards per attempt across 175 carries. He barely played the following year and was cut by the team in training camp in 2019.
So, naturally, he’s found a niche for himself with the Cincinnati Bengals as one of the best backup running backs in the NFL. Over the last three years while backing up Joe Mixon, Perine has averaged 4.5 yards per carry and served as the team’s reliable third-down back. But this season has been by far his best as a pro.
The 27-year-old has 373 yards and two touchdowns on 85 carries (4.4 per rush) and 34 receptions for 264 yards and four scores through the air. While Mixon was out with a concussion a few weeks ago, Perine had the best three-game stretch of his career — totaling three receiving touchdowns against the Steelers, 93 total yards and a score against the Titans and rushing for over 100 yards against the Chiefs.
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
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