Shortly after a report from NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay stated Washington Redskins cornerback Quinton Dunbar planned to skip OTAs due to wanting a new contract, ESPN’s John Keim reports Dunbar has now requested a trade or his release from the team.
Keim cited that Dunbar had previous talks with the old regime led by recently fired Bruce Allen about a new contract. However, he has not had contact with the Redskins new regime headed by head coach Ron Rivera.
Dunbar has blossomed into a stellar cornerback since being converted from wide receiver by Jay Gruden’s coaching staff.
In 2019, he thrived as the Redskins’ top corner in light of the fall off in play by Josh Norman. He led the team with four interceptions and eight passes defensed in 11 games. He was graded as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL by PFF, and named the website’s “biggest surprise” at cornerback in the season.
The issue with Dunbar has been his inability to stay healthy. Last season he missed five games, ultimately being placed on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury. That was on the heels of him being limited to seven games in 2018 due to lingering shin injury.
Dunbar is set to play in the final year of a four-year deal. He is slated to make $3.25 million in 2020. That ranks as 40th among NFL cornerbacks, according to Spotrac.
