Predicting the Redskins practice squad following the cut to 53

Jacob Camenker

TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 31: Offensive guard Kyle Kalis #67 of the Washington Redskins protects quarterback Nate Sudfeld #2 from defensive tackle Channing Ward #71 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first quarter of an NFL preseason football game on August 31, 2017 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)

ATLANTA, GA – AUGUST 11: Nate Sudfeld #2 of the Washington Redskins in action against the Atlanta Falcons at Georgia Dome on August 11, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The Washington Redskins have officially made the cuts needed to get their active roster down to 53 men. Soon, they will be able to sign 10 new players to the practice squad.

One of worst days for players in the NFL has now come and gone. On Saturday, teams across the NFL cut an unprecedented number of players. With the cut to 75 eliminated, NFL teams had to go from 90 to 53 players in just over 24 hours. That’s 1,184 players losing their spots in just over one day.

For the Washington Redskins, this cut day was a particularly tough one. The team has a lot of depth this season, and plenty of their young talent flashed during the 2017 preseason. They had to make difficult decisions knowing that they wouldn’t be able to keep all their players.

However, there is still some hope for the team to land some talented players. With 10 open spots on the practice squad, the Redskins will be able to bring back some of their most talented young players to join the unit. The practice squad isn’t the most glamorous place to land, but it is significantly better than waiting for a job.

The question now becomes, who will the Redskins try to bring back? They have some obvious candidates, but there are also a handful of guys who could go either way. We’ll take our best guess at who they’ll keep shortly.

The one rule for these guesses is that the practice squad will only be filled with players who played on the Redskins this offseason. The team could always opt to sign other players that were cut by NFL teams, but for now, our guesses will only consist of guys who the Redskins cut. Without further ado, here they are.

Quarterback

Nate Sudfeld

Seeing Nate Sudfeld cut was very surprising. The second year quarterback had performed very well in the team’s final preseason game, and his growth seemed to be enough to earn him a spot on the roster. Instead, the Redskins parted ways with him.

Sudfeld had displayed a strong arm and nice ball placement in his second preseason. After spending the first year of his career on the active roster, the Redskins decided that they could survive without him. It’s a risky move, solely because the Redskins will now lack long term upside at quarterback in the event that Kirk Cousins leaves and Sudfeld is claimed via waivers.

In the immediate aftermath of Sudfeld’s release, I said the following of the potential upside to the move.

Wide Receiver

Robert Davis

In a bit of a surprising move, the Redskins elected to cut their sixth round rookie Robert Davis. The Georgia State product was considered to be a potential speed threat for the team and had demonstrated solid skills as a receiver. Davis also was a threat as a gunner on special teams, but that wasn’t enough to get him onto the roster.

The Redskins are electing to keep five receivers on the active roster, but that means that they will need to carry a couple on their practice squad. Josh Doctson has proven to be injury prone, and they will need depth in case he gets hurt. Davis will undoubtedly be on the practice squad if he makes it through the waiver process.

Maurice Harris

Another receiver who had a strong showing in the preseason finale was Maurice Harris. The second year man out of California did well as a receiver, making a good downfield catch on a throw from Nate Sudfeld, and also had success as a return man. His special teams value always made him a threat to make the final roster, but he ultimately didn’t survive the cut.

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The performance of Brian Quick and the decision to keep five receivers made Harris expendable for now. The team didn’t want to carry six receivers, and Harris made the most sense to cut. He doesn’t have Davis’ speed. He has practice squad eligibility, which Quick does not.

Harris seems to be the one most likely releases to make the practice squad. If he clears waivers, the team will be happy to keep him in the fold. He could have a path similar to the one he took last year, when he started the year on the practice squad and was promoted to the active roster before the midpoint of the season.

Harris provides the Redskins with organizational depth. They will be very happy to keep him, but he just didn’t have a spot on the final 53-man roster.

LANDOVER, MD – SEPTEMBER 03: A detailed view of a Washington Redskins helmet before the Washington Redskins play the Jacksonville Jaguars at FedExField on September 3, 2015 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Tight End

Manasseh Garner

The Redskins were able to trade away tight end Derek Carrier before the cut to 53 and they subsequently opted to keep four tight ends. One of the players at the position that they elected not to keep was Manasseh Garner. The former Pittsburgh product has bounced around the NFL over the course of the past three seasons, but he offers something that the Redskins like. Versatility.

Garner is a solid special teams player who plays both the tight end and fullback positions. Garner is a player who could be similar to Niles Paul. A do-it-all type of player with a strong special teams presence. This is what may allow him to stick around with the Redskins.

Though the Redskins do have depth at tight end, they do have injury issues at the position. The aforementioned Paul has only played in eight games in the last two seasons and starter Jordan Reed has also had trouble staying healthy. Because of this, the team needs to make sure that they have depth in reserve, in case they lose a player to injury.

Garner may not be the most inspiring option, but he is versatile and can play special teams. He is a good piece to have, and the Redskins seem to like him enough to keep him.

Offensive Line

Kyle Kalis

One of the more surprising cuts of the 2017 period was Kyle Kalis. The undrafted rookie had been working as the primary backup at the left guard position. He was working ahead of veteran Arie Kouandjio and many believed that he would be the No. 8 offensive lineman.

However, Kalis was cut on Saturday morning as the Redskins opted to keep fellow undrafted man Tyler Catalina instead. There is no doubt that Kalis has potential, but the Redskins must have wanted to see more consistency out of him before awarding him with a roster spot. On the practice squad, Kalis will have a chance to grow and improve and maybe earn a spot on the active roster later in the season.

Lucas Crowley

Just about a week ago, the Redskins made a trade that sent defensive back Dashaun Phillips to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for Lucas Crowley. The center from North Carolina was buried on the Steelers’ depth chart, and the Redskins needed some depth in wake of the injury to Spencer Long. With Long uncertain to be ready for the opener, the team will need some organizational depth at center.

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Ronald Patrick was waived with an injury settlement, so Crowley becomes the obvious candidate to stay on the practice squad. Crowley doesn’t have the strongest frame, and that’s why the team cut him. But they may need an emergency center if Chase Roullier goes down and Spencer Long isn’t healthy.

For now, Crowley will have chance to make the practice squad. However, if Long gets healthy, it could end up being a short stay for the center.

Defensive Line

Joey Mbu

There was always a chance that Joey Mbu would make the final roster after the injury to Phil Taylor. During the offseason, Mbu had flashed immense potential and was working as the top nose tackle very early in the offseason. However, Mbu didn’t quite do enough to earn a spot.

Still, Mbu is a strong practice squad candidate. He did have a nice showing in the preseason finale, but according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post, the team wants him to get stronger to be more consistent.

Mbu had worked hard, but was told this week team felt like he needed to get a little stronger to be consistently effective. Psquad candidate
— Mike Jones (@ByMikeJones) September 2, 2017

If Mbu improves on the practice squad, there is a strong chance he could make it to the final roster before the end of the season, especially given the weakness that the team has at nose tackle. It will be interesting to see if the Redskins elect to keep him instead of A.J. Francis, the other nose tackle that was cut by the team on Saturday.

LUBBOCK, TX – SEPTEMBER 26: Trevone Boykin #2 of the TCU Horned Frogs looks to pitch the ball while defended by Pete Robertson #10 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders on September 26, 2015 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. TCU won the game 55-52. Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)

Linebackers

Nico Marley

This preseason, Nico Marley proved that he was a gamer. The undrafted free agent out of Tulane was considered by some just to be a camp body, but he turned into a lot more than that. The 5-foot-8, 180 pound linebacker was thought to be too small to be successful in the NFL. He proved everyone wrong.

In the preseason, Marley was a force during most of the games. He was able to get into the backfield on multiple occasions and had a couple of sacks. Additionally, he was good in run defense despite his lack of size. Marley could have made the team had it not been for the strong performance of Josh Harvey-Clemons. For now, he’ll wait on the practice squad but he will have a chance to make the team as a special teams player during the 2017 season.

Pete Robertson

Over the course of the preseason, Pete Robertson was able to put together a solid showing for the Redskins. The former Texas Tech product showed some decent edge rush ability, but also demonstrated very strong special teams skills. He also has some positional versatility and is able to play inside and outside linebacker. Robertson never had a shot of making the 53-man roster, but his youth will give him a chance to make the practice squad.

The main reason I have Robertson making the practice squad is that the Redskins don’t have a lot of depth at the rush linebacker position. Junior Galette is set to be a primary backup, but he has dealt with injury issues. If he were to go down, the Redskins have to have a contingency plan and Robertson would give them just that. He’ll have time to grow on the practice squad, and his versatility could be a weapon for the team.

Secondary

Fish Smithson

Of all the undrafted players that had a chance to make the Redskins final roster, Fish Smithson was probably the best. He played his college ball at Kansas, and he really looked like a complete player during the course of his career with the Jayhawks. In the preseason, those suspicions were confirmed.

Smithson was excellent in coverage and had the only pick the Redskins had during the preseason. He had good tackling skills as well and looked like a depth player with some serious upside. However, the Redskins elected to keep only four safeties, and Smithson ended up on the chopping block along with Will Blackmon.

Smithson may have a chance to make the roster late in the year, and he will be on the Redskins practice squad, provided that he is not claimed by another team in the waiver process. He could end up being the most pro ready player on the team’s practice squad.

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We will keep you updated on all the latest rumors when it comes to the practice squad. Now that the 53-man roster is set, not much more needs to happen before the NFL season kicks off!

Jacob Camenker