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Redskins Roster Moves: Team signs 11 players to reserve/futures contracts

By Jacob Camenker

LANDOVER, MD - AUGUST 18: A Washington Redskins helmet sits on the grass during a preseason football game between the Redskins and Cleveland Browns at FedExField on August 18, 2014 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by TJ Root/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - AUGUST 18: A Washington Redskins helmet sits on the grass during a preseason football game between the Redskins and Cleveland Browns at FedExField on August 18, 2014 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by TJ Root/Getty Images) /
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The Washington Redskins have started to create their 90-man roster for the 2018 season. They signed 11 players to reserve/future contracts on Monday.

Each year after the season ends, teams across the NFL are allowed to sign players to reserve/future contracts. Essentially, these contracts are deals that are agreed upon prior to the new league year, but don’t take effect until the official first day of the new league year, which is usually in March. Only players who weren’t on a roster at the end of the 2017 season are eligible for these deals.

In the past couple of years, the Redskins have had success signing these deals. The team inked Ziggy Hood to a futures contract during the 2016 Super Bowl, and he has since started 31 games for the team. In 2017, the team signed nose tackle Phil Taylor to a deal and he was set to be the starter there before suffering a season ending injury in the preseason.

On Monday, the Redskins began signing these reserve/future contracts and actually added 11 men to their 90-man roster. According to the Redskins official website, these were the 11 players who signed.

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    • It’s worth noting that eight of those players finished the season on the Redskins practice squad. Of that group, two will enter their second season on the Redskins’ 90-man roster, John Kling and Kenny Hilliard. Kling is a big, athletic looking offensive lineman who has the potential to develop into a solid tackle. Meanwhile, Hilliard was on the active roster for Week 16 against the Broncos, but was inactive. He is one of the nine running backs to have been on the team’s active roster in 2017.

    The three signees who weren’t on the practice squad are Cassanova McKinzy, James Sample, and Chris Bazile. Of the group, McKinzy may be the most well known. He was a big part of the Auburn program from 2012-2015, and he had 165 tackles combined in his final two years of college. He’s a linebacker with a bit of upside, but he just hasn’t put it together at the NFL level. Perhaps the Redskins can unlock his potential.

    James Sample is probably the most talented of the new players added. He was a fourth round pick by the Jaguars in 2015 and he had four picks in his lone season at Louisville. After missing 2016 with a shoulder injury, Sample was released and spent the last year out of football. He has ball skills, so maybe he could develop into a solid backup.

    Finally, Bazile was a tight end from Grambling who never did a lot at the college level. He’s had a few NFL tryouts, but hasn’t stuck around anywhere. More likely than not, he is just a camp body.

    Also, it’s worth noting that there was one player on the Redskins roster who didn’t sign a futures contract with the team. That would be former Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds. Now a receiver, Reynolds was added to the team’s practice squad midway through the 2017 season. It’s unknown if there is a reason that he didn’t sign.

    Next: 5 Prospects to watch in College Football Playoff

    Overall, these players were all added due to potential. What this really signifies is that the Redskins 2018 offseason has begun. This and the signing of Quinton Dunbar will give the team some momentum as they look to improve their team in the upcoming season.

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