Tharold Simon released as Washington Redskins add two new faces

Tharold Simon was thought to have some potential with the Washington Redskins. His short stint as a member of the team ended on Monday after the Redskins signed two new players.

Coming into the 2017 offseason, there was some optimism that Tharold Simon could have success with the Washington Redskins. The former member of the Seattle Seahawks’ “Legion of Boom” had never quite lived up to his fifth round billing, but his length and athleticism were supposed to allow him to be a solid backup. When the Redskins brought him in, some thought he might be able to take over the role Greg Toler vacated this offseason as the team’s fifth corner.

However, any hope of Simon catching on with the Redskins was dashed on Monday. He was cut by the team as the Redskins made way for a couple of new faces, per their official Twitter account.

While Simon has to be disappointed that he did not make the final roster, he was facing an uphill battle anyway. The Redskins had drafted two cornerbacks, Fabian Moreau and Joshua Holsey, in the 2017 NFL Draft. Moreau seems like a roster lock and potential No. 2 cornerback, provided that he is healthy before the season begins. Meanwhile, Holsey was just a seventh round pick, but he has the skill set to potentially compete for the slot corner role in the team’s defense. Because of the presence of these two, the Redskins had no choice but to release a player who they thought would not make the team.

Of course, the Redskins did add another corner, Tevin Homer, after he was a tryout player in the recent week. Homer, a former Florida Atlantic Owl, did not do much in college, but his performance did enough to intrigue the Redskins coaching staff. He has the potential to be a practice squad player, and that simply offers more upside than Simon at this point in time.

In terms of the other moves, Wes Saxton was never going to make the final roster, so parting with the tight end made sense. Meanwhile, Khairi Fortt had already been on four NFL teams in two years before signing with the Redskins. He just does not offer enough to be considered an option at linebacker.

Finally, the addition of Manasseh Garner is merely a depth move. The team liked how he performed as a tryout guy, so they brought him aboard. Garner will take over Saxton’s spot as the sixth tight end, and will almost certainly miss the cut as he tries to make the final roster. He is still a practice squad candidate.

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Overall, none of these moves are too surprising. Cutting Simon happened a bit earlier than expected, but the fact was that he was always a long shot to make the team. Perhaps the absence of Simon will allow some of the younger players to get more reps and accelerate their development.