Reports: Redskins cut defensive linemen Terrell McClain and A.J. Francis

Terrell McClain didn’t perform well in his first season with Washington. Now, the Redskins have elected to part ways with him and A.J. Francis.

The Redskins didn’t waste any time in continuing to remake their roster finding the 2018 NFL Draft. After landing two defensive linemen in the draft, first rounder Da’Ron Payne and fifth rounder Tim Settle, the team had a logjam at the position on their roster. And that logjam was cleared up a bit on Monday afternoon.

According to ESPN’s John Keim, the Redskins cut defensive lineman Terrell McClain in the aftermath of the draft. McClain spent just a single season with the Redskins, and his departure was a strong possibility this offseason.

In his first season with the Redskins, McClain didn’t play particularly well. He recorded 20 tackles and two sacks, but he didn’t really fit well into the Redskins 3-4 base defense. Because of that, he quickly moved down the depth chart and was overtaken by guys like Matt Ioannidis and Anthony Lanier. By the end of the year, McClain was barely on the field and it looked like his days in Washington were numbers.

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However, McClain still had a lot of guaranteed money left on the four year, $21 million deal he signed with the Redskins. So, that complicated the matter. But earlier in the offseason, McClain and the Redskins agreed to get rid of the guarantees in his contract to give McClain a chance to make the roster. It also gave the Redskins a chance to cut McClain if they upgraded him. And they definitely were able to do that, so they parted ways with him without giving up too many guarantees.

The move that really spurred this release was the selection of Settle in Round 5. McClain was brought in to help stuff the run, and he didn’t do a great job of doing that. Settle has more upside and is a better scheme fit for the Redskins. So, McClain was the odd man out. And was released accordingly.

McClain wasn’t the only Redskins lineman who was cut. A.J. Francis was cut as well, per NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay. Francis made a case to make the final roster as a nose tackle last year, but he wasn’t added to the squad until midway through the season. He played in six games and notched 18 tackles, but only five were solo tackles. Francis was another casualty in the team’s choice to remake their defensive line, and his release was probably a sensible move.

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As it stands, the Redskins defensive line figures to have a new look in 2018. Getting rid of McClain and Francis were moves that were likely to happen, so getting them done early and moving on with younger players with upside is a sensible move.

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