Chinn ‘hits like a linebacker with speed of a safety’

Five questions with Hogs Haven about Las Vegas’ free agent signing

With the departure of Tre’von Moehrig, the Las Vegas Raiders pivoted to signing former Washington Commanders safety Jeremy Chin during free agency. To get some insight on Chinn, Silver and Black Pride reached out to our friends at Hogs Haven and Andrew York was kind enough to answer five questions about the safety for Raider Nation.

Q: With plenty of cap space to begin the offseason, why did the Commanders allow Chinn to walk in free agency?

A: I think it was a combination of money and the fact that it was a strong free agent class at safety, so the team probably felt it would be possible to get a cheaper replacement. The Commanders have prioritized building the defensive line in free agency, so they had to spend a bit less on the secondary.

Our biggest defensive weakness last year was our run defense, which was a problem with the entire NFL seeming to lean on the run more than in years past. Also, although I’d say Chinn was a good player, he had his weaknesses, as I’ll get into a bit more below.

In the end, the Commanders signed Will Harris to fill Chinn’s role for about half the price of Chinn’s new contract.

Q: What did Chinn bring to Washington’s defense?

A: He’s a big hitter, a great tackler, and has tremendous athleticism to run step-for-step with players in man coverage. He runs and hits like a linebacker, but he’s got the speed of a safety. He’s really good at covering TEs and limiting the forward progress of runs or receptions. Chinn also brought leadership, energy, and toughness to the locker room and seemed to be respected as a capable, physical vet.

Q: While Chinn is known for being a versatile defender, what would you say his best role is on a defense?

Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

A: He’s best used as a strong safety close to the line of scrimmage so that he can utilize his excellent tackling and sideline-to-sideline speed to limit forward progress on plays. He showed to be pretty good in man coverage on TEs and RBs. He’s also a decent blitzer, with 2 sacks and 3 QB hits last year.

Q: What would you say Chinn’s biggest flaw is?

A: I don’t think he has great anticipation or instincts in coverage, lacks awareness to recognize routes or predict plays, instead relying on his athleticism to recover quickly and go where the ball is going to make a tackle. He is rarely in position to make a play on the ball, but is often near the ball and fast enough to make the tackle. His stats last year reflect that, with only 1 interception and 5 pass defenses in the regular season, but 117 combined tackles and 7 tackles for loss.

Q: Finally, what do you think Chinn’s floor and ceiling are for the rest of his career?

A: He’s been in the league long enough that I think he’s a pretty known quantity, so his floor is high and his ceiling is not that much higher. I think his floor and ceiling are more determined by how good of a fit he is to a defense than by any growth or dropoff he’s likely to make as a player.

If he’s used primarily as a strong safety or linebacker/safety hybrid close to the line of scrimmage and used in man coverage, where he can use his athleticism to run step-for-step with a receiver and blanket them, he should be a great addition and especially able to limit how many yards are gained on plays with his great tackling ability.

If he’s used further away from the line of scrimmage or given primarily zone coverage responsibilities, I think he’ll have less success, though he should still be a competent player. Given how reliant he is on his athleticism and hitting though, I think he’ll start to decline quickly when age and injury eventually take their toll. That should still be years away, given that he’s only 27 years old.