As the NFL and NFL Players Association work furiously up to the 11:59 p.m. deadline before a lockout, the Washington Redskins have made a free-agent move to shore up one of their weaknesses. The team has signed safety Oshiomogho "O.J." Atogwe to a five-year contract, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The news has been confirmed by the team.
Terms of the deal are not clear at this point, but Atogwe would immediately step in and likely start at free safety over incumbent Kareem Moore.
Atogwe, who will turn 30 next season, was eligible to be signed before the new CBA came into play because the St. Louis Rams chose to release him earlier in February. He had just signed a five-year, $31.6 million extension last summer, but evidently the Rams chose to move on without him. He came in for a workout earlier in the month and was impressed, but chose to delay his decision to weigh his options. He is familiar with defensive coordinator Jim Haslett for his time in St. Louis.
Atogwe's best season came with Haslett in 2007, when he had eight interceptions.