In the final installment of the Redskins training camp interview series, my sight is set on the tenacious hard hitting 5th-year safety out of South Carolina in DJ Swearinger. Swearinger comes to the Redskins after spending a little over a year in Arizona with the Cardinals. He was drafted out of South Carolina in the 2nd round of the 2013 draft when the Houston Texans picked him. After two okay seasons with the Texans, Swearinger would go on to sign with the Buccaneers, but would only last 7 games with them and then moved on to the Arizona Cardinals, where he began to show promise of a good player.

How does it feel to be playing alongside your former high school teammate in Josh Norman?

“It means a lot, man, it means a lot. We hold Greenwood high. You know, small country town. We’ve got a lot of talent in Greenwood and to have two guys on the same team from Greenwood is amazing, man. I can’t wait to get back out there with Josh and do what we used to do.”

On if he could have imagined playing with Norman in the NFL:

“It’s kind of crazy because I got drafted with a high school teammate in Houston, Sam Montgomery. So, I don’t know how that can happen – I got drafted with a high school teammate and end up coming to play with another high school teammate, which is very rare. But, it happened and it’s a blessing that it happened this way.”

What motivates you to play as hard as you do dating back to your Gamecock days?

“I have to bring that because I’m a natural born leader. My mom always told me to lead, not to follow. That’s what I’m doing here. We’ve got an excellent opportunity every day, man, when we go out there on that field. It’s a blessing to be out there, so why not give your all, give it high energy and give the energy that feeds off others? That’s what I try to do, and I’ll keep continuing to do that.”

I want to thank Adam Winkler, of WTKR in Norfolk, for passing along my questions for Redskins Training camp. @Adamwinksports