Washington has traded cornerback Dashaun Phillips to Pittsburgh for center Lucas Crowley, James Palmer of NFL Network tweets. The Redskins would have cut Phillips had they not found a taker for him, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post (on Twitter), as the 26-year-old was on the outside of the team’s cornerback battle.
Phillips spent the first two years of his career in Washington, where he totaled 11 appearances and eight tackles. He picked up the first two starts of his career last season and ended up amassing 207 snaps (147 on defense, 60 on special teams) in five games. Phillips will now vie for a role in a Pittsburgh corner corps that features Artie Burns, William Gay, Coty Sensabaugh and Ross Cockrell as its most established members.
Crowley, an undrafted rookie, is already on his third team since May. The former North Carolina Tar Heel originally signed with the Cardinals, who cut him July 22, and then latched on with the Steelers just two weeks ago. While he hardly seems like a lock to make the Redskins, it could help Crowley’s cause that starting center Spencer Long underwent minor knee surgery this week. Washington’s top option behind Long is another rookie, sixth-round pick Chase Roullier.