Redskins Roster: Team trades Dashaun Phillips to Steelers for center Lucas Crowley
The Washington Redskins made a very minor trade on Wednesday night. They dealt Dashaun Phillips to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for Lucas Crowley.
Ladies and gentleman, the Washington Redskins have officially made a trade! Okay, so it may not be the most exciting deal of all-time, but player for player trades are rare in the NFL. Late on Wednesday night, the team announced that they had traded Dashaun Phillips to the Pittsburgh Steelers. In exchange, the team acquired some depth at center in Lucas Crowley.
On the surface, this trade makes a whole lot of sense for a couple of reasons.
The first is that the Redskins were never going to keep Phillips during the regular season. During the 2016 preseason, Phillips won the starting nickel back job, but the team ended up replacing him after he suffered an injury early in the season. Phillips spent the rest of the season bouncing back and forth between the practice squad and the active roster, but he never really suited up in a big role after the first month of the season.
More from Commanders News
- Highlighting the best Commanders 2023 NFL Draft betting props
- 3 late Commanders rumors drawing buzz ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft
- 4 bold predictions for the Commanders 2023 NFL Draft
- Commanders News: Chase Young trade, draft day, CB riser and Sam Howell
- Bet365 VA Bonus Code – Claim $200 Guaranteed With Sign-Up Bonus
Phillips may have a chance at finding a home on the Steelers. The team has a handful of veterans competing for roster spots, and Phillips may have a chance to make it due to his special teams ability. The team could also use some depth at nickel back given that Senquez Golson has had injury issues during his short NFL career.
For the Redskins, this move was made for one obvious reason. The team lost Spencer Long for a couple of weeks due to a knee injury, so they are looking for depth at the center position in the short term. While I had recently argued that they should sign Nick Mangold to fill the void, the team appears to be comfortable rolling with the rookie Chase Roullier at center for the coming weeks. Adding Crowley will give them a third stringer, behind Roullier and Patrick, to take reps late in the contest.
While Crowley is extremely unlikely to make it onto the team’s final roster, he is no slouch. The former North Carolina Tar Heel was a two time nominee for the Rimington Award, given to the nation’s top collegiate center. He made 41 starts during his four years at the school, and should be able to function as a depth player for the next couple of games. However, because of his small size, 270 pounds, he will not be able to make it onto an NFL roster any time in the near future.
Next: Redskins 53-man roster predictions
Overall, this trade is one that makes sense for both sides. The Steelers add a potential depth cornerback who could make their roster. The Redskins add short term depth while giving up a player who wouldn’t have made their final 53-man unit anyway. It’s a typical NFL preseason trade. One that will have very little impact on the trajectory of the seasons of these two teams.