Bobby McCain is the old man in the young room of the Washington Commanders' defense. Who knew that 28 was the new 65 in the NFL, right?
McCain, who will turn 29 in August, is the third-oldest member of Washington's defense entering the new season, trailing only cornerback William Jackson III (29) and defensive lineman Efe Obada (30). Age is simply a number, but the experience is warranted for a team looking to rebound off a lackluster performance in 2021.
After seven years, McCain likes be a leader in the locker room. He doesn't mind being the old fella among still developing safeties on the back end. In fact, McCain has played more seasons alone than the Commanders' three other safeties combined.
“We got a lot of young guys in the room, so just trying to just be myself and be there for them,” McCain told reporters Wednesday following OTAs. “I told them, I said, ‘I’m here to help you guys, as always.'”
Speaking from experience is one way McCain looks to help transform Washington's defense in 2022. Versatility is another after play a variety of different positions in 2021. That was one of the main reason Washington's Ron Rivera was interested in him following his departure from the Miami Dolphins.
In coordinator Jack Del Rio's defensive scheme, the Commanders will run three safety sets often, using their nickel defender as a "Buffalo" rather than normal slot defensive back. McCain took reps at free safety last fall and also split reps between the Buffalo and slot corner position.
McCain said that this season, third-year safety Kam Curl would likely see reps as the team's Buffalo defender following the release of Pro Bowler Landon Collins in the offseason. Should McCain be down low, expect him to see reps as the team's nickel defender instead.
"last year, with me, ‘Lando’ and Kam, (we) can do all things," McCain said. "This year, we got guys that can do all things, so it definitely helps. It definitely makes it a lot easier on the D-coordinator for calling plays ’cause you got guys that can do anything.”
The Commanders still have 2021 fifth-round pick Darrick Forrest on the roster and used a fourth-round pick on Louisiana's Percy Butler in April's draft. McCain is expecting a bigger jump from Curl this offseason after his rep count expanded last season from 73 percent to 85 in Year 2.
"People tend to forget he’s young,” McCain said. “So him just playing how he’s been playing and doing what he’s been doing so early in his career, it’s really good for him. Now he’s able to sit back and things are slow, and you can tell he’s become more of a leader and he’s become more vocal, and that’s really big for us and really big for him.”
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