It may come as a surprise that 
Only
So is it any surprise that the Redskins would turn to Doughty to start at strong safety if
It shouldn’t be.
“This is what coaches brought me here to do,” Doughty said on Thursday. "I'm always ready to go."
Doughty, who re-signed with the Redskins in early August, has earned the trust of coaches with his savvy, solid play through the years.
“Reed is sharp, he’s on top of things and he brings a lot to the table,” head coach Mike Shanahan said. “I have a lot of confidence in him.”
Last year, Doughty played in 15 games, with eight starts. He saw action at both strong and free safety filling in for injured starters. He logged 84 tackles, fifth-most on the defense, and one sack.
Doughty said he feels more comfortable in his second season in the Redskins’ defense.
He knows how to read an offense and make adjustments at the line of scrimmage, and then “go through the process” of making a play.
He went into detail on how he deciphered a play in the Aug. 25 preseason game vs. Baltimore and blitzed through the line to tackle the running back for a 7-yard loss.
“Playing in this defense feels second nature now," Doughty said. "I’m paying attention to what the offense is doing, what the reads are doing. I'm not focused on my technique and where I’m supposed to end up. I’m definitely more comfortable.”
Doughty said he developed good communication with free safety
“It’ll be a good mix,” Doughty said.
As for his seniority on the team, Doughty admitted it was “hard to believe.”
He stopped short of calling himself a survivor, preferring to say instead: “I’m blessed for sure.”
