The Washington Commanders had a need to upgrade the safety room with DMV native Nick Cross providing exactly that ahead of 2026
Off the field, it may be easy to explain why Nick Cross, a Bowie, Md. native who dazzled at DeMatha then University of Maryland, opted to return closer to home and ink with the Washington Commanders this offseason. On the field, the answer may also be easier to explain with the local product now arriving in DC with a viable path to become the starting strong safety. While defensive coordinator Daronte Jones works on his installs through the rest of the offseason, Cross sees a natural fit in the Commanders' scheme.
"Just cut on the tape. Everywhere in Indy, I played everything. Here I play everything. I can do literally anything on the field and I take pride and joy in that, knowing that I can play literally anywhere in that back seven and make an impact," Cross said after day one of week three of OTAs.
Cross will now look to build on what proved to be a quietly successful stint with the Colts where his 72 solo tackles and 2.5 sacks ranked the third-most among NFL safeties in 2025. Cross, who has also missed just one game over his four seasons, also led all NFL safeties with 33 run stops resulting in an unsuccessful offensive play during the 2025 season.
Cross admitted he "prides myself" on his success against the run, adding, "the run game is just imposing your will on the man across from you." Now he'll be tasked with doing that in Washington.
Head coach Dan Quinn pointed to Cross, Quan Martin and Will Harris as the trio the coaches are leaning on while pointing to the physicality the former Colts starter adds to the backline, especially inside the box.
"He's got more speed maybe than even I thought, playing in the deep part of the fields," Quinn added.
The other element of familiarity for Cross is one of his former teammates who reunited with him after news broke that Cross and tight end Chig Okonkwo would sign with Washington in the early days of free agency. The two arrived at the University of Maryland two seasons apart, yet both became impact pieces as the friendly rivalry in practice grew through the tight end vs. safety one-on-ones. That carried on to DC with the social media team highlighting a pass breakup by Cross against Okonkwo in practice, even if head coach Dan Quinn cautioned the defense to give the offense a chance to make plays.
"I couldn't let [Okonkwo] catch the ball," Cross joked.
Commanders Roundtable also offers a fan community. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Commanders. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our free community and follow for all of our coverage, analysis and more!
