The Washington Redskins have put second-year safety Su’a Cravens on the reserve/left squad list, thus ending his season nearly two weeks after he initially told the team he wished to retire.

Redskins Safety Su’a Cravens News

Cravens, 22, was first placed on the reserve list on Sept. 4. The 2016 second-round pick out of Southern California was spotted on the sideline of the Texas-USC game in Los Angeles on Saturday night standing near Redskins senior vice president of personnel Doug Williams, who was in town for his team’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.

“We sincerely hope that Su’a uses this time away from the club to reflect upon whether or not he’d like to resume his career in the National Football League in 2018,” the Redskins said in a statement Monday.

Cravens did not disclose a specific reason for his desire to retire, and instead only said he made the decision for personal reasons. The safety still has three years remaining on his contract with the Redskins. If he returns, the team still controls his rights for that length of time.

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During a conference call Monday, coach Jay Gruden said before the news was announced that he had not spoken to Cravens since he was placed on the reserve list two weeks ago.

“I’ve seen him at USC, I’ve watched him at practice,” Gruden said earlier this month, when rumors began circulating that Cravens was no longer interested in playing football. “I’ve watched him play in games, and I know he loves football. So I don’t think that’s the issue. There are things weighing on his mind that he has to take care of. If he gets those things cleared up, then sure, we will take another look at him. He is one of our guys.”

According to ESPN’s John Keim, the Redskins could replace Cravens with either rookie safety Montae Nicholson — a fourth-round draft pick from Michigan State who is 6-foot-2 and weighs 216 pounds — or D.J. Swearinger, a fifth-year veteran who signed a three-year deal with Washington in March after spending one full season with the Arizona Cardinals.

Nicholson was injured in the Redskins’ 27-20 victory over the Rams on Sunday, although the injury (AC joint sprain) is not believed to be serious.

“He is a big, physical guy that can run, and we are excited about his prospects,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said Monday. “Nothing against [Deshazor] Everett; we are just trying to get him out there and get him some reps. We know how important that position is. The last couple years we have had a lot of injuries, so we are trying to get all our guys ready to play.”

“Montae has all the traits to be a great safety. We just have got to get him in there and get him some experience, and the more experience he gets, the better he will get.”


The Redskins (1-1) next host the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.

TAMPA, FL – AUGUST 31: Defensive back Su’a Cravens #36 of the Washington Redskins warms up before the start of an NFL game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on August 31, 2016 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)

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