The Redskins reportedly will receive a fifth-round pick this year and conditional sixth-round pick in 2020 for Cravens. The teams will also swap spots in the fourth and fifth rounds of this year’s draft, with Washington moving up slightly in each round. After considering retirement and sitting out the entire 2017 season, Cravens was reinstated in February by the NFL to active status from the team’s reserve/left squad list.
With his reinstatement granted, Cravens became eligible to play again, but there was still the question of whether or not his team would want him back on the active roster after he stepped away from the Redskins shortly before the start of the 2017 season. The Broncos were said to be trying to work out a deal for Cravens at the NFL Combine in February.
Cravens’ agent, Fadde Mikhail, announced in a December statement that Cravens had been cleared to resume all football activities after being treated for post-concussion syndrome and intended to return for 2018.
Cravens, 22, battled a series of injuries through his first year and a half in the NFL, including a concussion, a biceps injury and a knee issue that required surgery to trim his meniscus. He suffered a concussion in Week 4 of 2016, his rookie season, and suggested a week later on social media that he needed to wear glasses full-time as a result of the injury. A CSN Mid-Atlantic report shortly afterward said there was “no truth” to Cravens’ claim.
He reportedly considered retirement leading up to the 2017 season, ultimately deciding to step away from the team for a year and reevaluate.
A second-round pick out of USC in 2016, Cravens tallied 23 tackles, a sack, an interception and five passes defensed in 11 games (three starts) while playing linebacker as a rookie. He transitioned to strong safety the following offseason before stepping away from the team and missing all of 2017.