Redskins lose Kyle Kalis to Colts, sign two players to practice squad

The Colts swiped yet another player from the Redskins, this time taking OG Kyle Kalis from the practice squad. In his place, the Redskins have signed another offensive lineman, and they also swapped quarterbacks with the final spot.

The Redskins made a surprising decision when they opted to release impressive UFA Kyle Kalis and retain him on the practice squad. It was a decision that yielded little consequences, until now. The Indianapolis Colts reportedly signed Kyle Kalis off of the Redskins’ practice squad. Kalis is the fourth former Redskin to be signed by the Colts since the end of preseason, the first three being Matt Hazel, Matt Jones, and Joey Mbu.

Per Stephen Czarda of Redskins.com, the Redskins signed offensive lineman Jerry Ugokwe to the practice squad in order to compensate for the loss of Kalis. Ugokwe, standing at 6-foot-7, 315 pounds, entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of William and Mary this year. He spent time with the Patriots and the Colts in his first offseason, but he couldn’t latch on either of those teams. The Redskins likely favor his combination of size and smarts over other prospects, and he’ll get a decent look moving forward as a practice squad player with impressive traits.

Speaking of traits, the Redskins also released QB Alek Torgersen, whom they signed just after cut day, from the practice squad and replaced him with a… well, a taller signal caller. The burgundy and gold used their final practice squad opening to sign the 6-foot-5, 225 pound quarterback Joel Stave. Stave left college with a laundry list of accolades, spanning from Wisconsin’s all-time winningest quarterback to a four-time Big Ten Academic All-American. He signed with the Vikings as a UFA in 2016, and since then, he’s been with Seattle and Kansas City as well.

Kansas City waived Stave a month ago, and now, he’ll get his next shot with the Redskins. Stave offers intriguing potential, and his signing is an interesting one. Stave produced at a high level in college, and he offers a rare combination of size and mobility, running a 4.80 at the combine in 2016. He enters an uncertain quarterback landscape in Washington. Kirk Cousins, although backed by the entire team, still has an ugly contract situation left to be solved, and Colt McCoy isn’t getting any younger. If Stave can show enough development fundamentally, his role with the team could increase, moving forward.

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It all starts with a signing. And the Redskins used their final two practice squad spots to sign two players with potential. If these players see an increased role in Washington, it’ll likely be a year, or even years down the road. But Washington is still looking for their next developmental gem. And these two players each have the potential to fill that role.