2013 Redskins Bubble Player: Jordan Pugh

Jordan Pugh, the fourth-year safety out of Texas A & M, was only added to the Redskins after the season began in 2012 when they found themselves seriously lacking at the safety position. The original plan had been to start free agents Brandon Meriweather and Tanard Jackson, but Meriweather could not stay healthy and Jackson was suspended indefinitely from the league before the season started. Then in Week 1 against the Saints, seventh round draft pick Jordan Bernstine, who had performed well in the preseason and earned a spot, tore an ACL and was also shelved for the year.

The Redskins then signed Pugh, who had been let go by Carolina in the team's final cuts, and he ended up being a solid contributor. Pugh played in 13 games with Washington and finished the season with nineteen tackles. He even managed a sack in the big Week 14 win over the Ravens. However, the Redskins finished 30^th overall in pass defense in the league in 2012 and they used three draft picks in the offseason trying to upgrade their secondary, two specifically on safeties.

When the Redskins released their first depth chart on August 5, Pugh was listed as the third string free safety behind surprising 2013 sixth round pick Bacarri Rambo and third-year pro DeJon Gomes. However, Meriweather, the hopeful starting strong safety, has missed quite a bit of time this training camp while he still recovers from ACL surgery, and there seems to be concern about whether or not he will be ready to play on a regular basis again anytime soon. While he has been sidelined, Reed Doughty and Pugh have split time filling in for him, with rookie fourth round pick Phillip Thomas and first year pro Jose Gumbs getting some reps there as well.

There is no doubt that a Meriweather setback would make Pugh's path to the 53-man roster much easier. He has a reputation for being a hustle player who is tough on special teams and has shown some ability at playing both the strong and free safety spots. Listed at 5'11" and 210 lbs with 4.48 speed, so far coaches have liked to utilize him more on passing downs. He is not necessarily special in any one category though and has had an up-and-down training camp according to most reports. With so much competition right now at the position and so much uncertainty in regards to injuries, this is another race that will have to play out in the preseason.