Takeaways from the Redskins’ 53 man roster
The Washington Redskins had some tough decisions to make before the 4:00 P.M deadline on Saturday to cut rosters down to 53 players. Some that have been mainstays on the roster for the past several years will no longer wear the burgundy and gold and others will look to bide their time on the practice squad and wait for a roster spot to become open.m, either on the Redskins or for another team. The full 53 man roster can be seen below.
The team lost faith in Josh Doctson. Doctson was a first round pick in 2016 after a stellar college career. With the Redskins, however, he continually had nagging injuries and never consistently showed the big play ability that he possessed in college. The team likes what they see in young receivers Trey Quinn, Steven Sims Jr., Terry McLauren, Robert Davis, and Kelvin Harmon. The thinking is that they can get the same production from these first and second year players as they can from Doctson. The Redskins are paying Paul Richardson like a number one receiver and will need him to play like one.
Samaje Perine didn’t show enough in camp to justify a roster spot. Perine is a similar type of running back, with less skill, as Adrian Peterson and Derrius Guice. The Redskins needed a speedy back to catch screens and passes out of the backfield to backup Chris Thompson as Thompson has missed multiple games a year. The 5’9 Byron Marshall seems to fit that bill. Perine needed to show something that Marshall couldn’t and his 2.2 yards per carry in the preseason just didn’t do that. 2019 draft pick Bryce Love begins the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list and appears to be a potential Thompson replacement when he hits free agency after the season.
Special teams won Steven Sims a spot. The Redskins appear to have found a diamond in the rough in undrafted free agent Sims. The Kentucky product performed well all preseason and showed just how electric he can be in the return game against Baltimore in the last preseason game, averaging 40 yards per return. The inclusion of Sims on the roster likely cost second year wideout Cam Sims a spot. Cam Sims had a rough game against the Ravens with multiple drops. It remains to be seen how much of a factor Steven Sims will be in the passing game, but he could certainly be a difference maker on special teams.
Jordan Reed may be ready for game one. The fact that the Redskins cut Matt Flanagan and kept only three tight ends is a good sign for fans that Jordan Reed is close to a return.
