Redskins waive Kenny Hilliard, sign Manasseh Garner from practice squad

The Washington Redskins are giving one of their practice squad players a chance to be on the active roster in Week 17. That will be Manasseh Garner.

With just one week left in the 2017 regular season, the Washington Redskins are probably going to use the game as an opportunity to evaluate some of the more intriguing players on their roster. After an injury plagued season, figuring out which depth players to keep in 2018 will be critical. Thus, the team is trying to move on from players that are unlikely to be a part of the team’s future, and that’s why they parted ways with Kenny Hilliard on Wednesday afternoon.

Hilliard had signed just before Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos and he was the ninth running back to join the Redskins active roster in 2017. The team only added him because Samaje Perine was questionable with a groin injury. Hilliard stayed on the inactives list for the game and now that Perine is definitely healthy, the team was able to move on from the former LSU product Hilliard.

To replace Hilliard on the active roster, the Redskins brought up a versatile player from their practice squad. Manasseh Garner, a tight end and H-back hybrid, finally got a call up after being on the practice squad for the whole season. Garner was the only player to start the season on the practice squad and spend all 16 weeks there, as many other guys were elevated due to injuries on the active roster.

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Garner has spent three years in the NFL, but he has mostly bounced around the league. The Redskins are his fifth different organization, and he has only really spent time on the practice squad. Still, the former Pittsburgh product flashed potential in the preseason and looked like a decent H-back at times. Having him on the roster for a week will allow the Redskins a chance to look at what he could do as a hybrid fullback, and that’s a position that the Redskins don’t have much at aside from Niles Paul.

Given that Paul is as free agent after this year, getting a look at Garner now is a smart move. While the team will probably want to bring back Paul, he may look for a bigger role or more money and sign elsewhere. If that happens, having Garner around as a special teams player and a depth tight end could pay off for the team. At the very least, bringing him onto the active roster will ensure that nobody tries to snag him from the practice squad in the final week of the season.

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There’s no downside to any roster moves at this time of the year that are based on potential. If Garner is active, we will get a chance to see what he can do. He has upside and he will be happy to make the most of this opportunity.

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