Safety Nick Cross breaks down his decision to sign with the Washington Commanders, returning to the DMV and reuniting with a college teammate.
In the end, Nick Cross couldn't manage to escape the DMV.
The Bowie, Md. native who attended DeMatha Catholic before heading to the University of Maryland is back in the area, this time suiting up for the Washington Commanders after inking a two year contract last week.
Except this time around, it gives Cross a chance to play for the team he grew up "happy and sad by," after idolizing franchise legends like Sean Taylor and Clinton Portis.
"It's just the ability to play at home, play for a team that I grew up rooting for," Cross said.
His signing also led to old tweets resurfacing about his fandom prior to his college career, highlighting
"I feel like they know that I was in the mud with them," Cross said.
Cross also got added feedback from a former player who trained with the safety during his time at DeMatha with Josh Wilson speaking "very highly of Dan Quinn" while noting he's a "players coach."
But he also arrives as an upgraded piece in a secondary in desperate need of reinforcements. The cornerback room got a slight upgrade after signing for Lions cornerback Amik Robertson as the likely new nickel corner in 2026, but whether it's the final move in the room is the biggest question mark. But while cornerback needed help this offseason, so did safety.
Quan Martin and Will Harris both struggled mightily in 2025 while the Commanders finished the season with one of the worst pass defenses.
Cross, 24, adds much needed youth to the defense along with playmaking ability in the box after the former third round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft proved himself as one of the best tackling safeties in the NFL. The University of Maryland product materialized into a full-time starter over the last two seasons where he combined for 266 total tackles, including at one point leading the entire NFL and for the bulk of the season leading all safeties in tackles in 2025. The former blue-chip recruit built on his pedigree as a hard-hitting safety with range in coverage, traits he now looks to provide along the backline in 2026.
"We're in the business of winning and that's all I care about is winning football games. So whatever we got to do, whatever I've got to do make sure that happens what's going to happen," Cross noted.
His signing also marked a different reunion given the news materialized just minutes from tight end Chig Okonkwo signing a three year deal with Washington, a move he wasn't aware was in the works with the Maryland stars now teammates again.
"I was getting my deal done, and I'm getting my phone blowing up and I see 'Chig Okonkwo to Washington'. I almost started laughing," Cross said. "Because, for the past, ever since we met, it's like we haven't been able to separate from each other. Whether it's playing against him in the in the AFC South where I always tell them that, hey, like we won the majority of those of those battles."