Arie Kouandjio clears waivers, Redskins place him on IR

Arie Kouandjio was waived with an injury designation on Tuesday afternoon. He officially cleared waivers on Wednesday and the Washington Redskins placed him on Injured Reserve.

Coming into the 2018 offseason, there was some buzz that Arie Kouandjio was going to be a potential starter at left guard. Kouandjio had reportedly revamped his training regimen and was in better shape. He was ready to compete for the starting spot with Shawn Lauvao, Ty Nsekhe, and other members of the squad.

However, disaster struck for Kouandjio during a workout. He suffered a quad injury and that was supposed to keep him out for at least four months if not, the whole season. After getting multiple opinions, Kouandjio had surgery and it was confirmed that he would miss the season. As a result, the Redskins were forced to waive him with an injury designation in hopes that he would clear waivers and still be available.

That’s exactly what happened on Wednesday. Per NBC Sports Washington’s Rich Tandler, Kouandjio cleared waivers and the Redskins were able to place him on Injured Reserve as a result. Here’s what Tandler said on Twitter.

This was a key move by the Redskins, and it’s not surprising that he went unclaimed on waivers. The only squad that has a tendency to add injured players to their 90-man roster is the New England Patriots. But they elected to pass on the third year guard.

For both squads, this move makes a lot of sense. Kouandjio played well in limited action with the Redskins last season and he probably wants to stay with them. As long as they have the major hole at left guard, he will always stand a chance of making the roster. And at this point in his career, that’s all he can ask for.

As for the Redskins, retaining Kouandjio was nice, but the more important thing was opening up a spot on the 90-man roster. They were able to add Isaiah Williams to take Kouandjio’s spot and while he’s likely nothing more than a camp body, it still adds a player for them to evaluate. And with extra roster flexibility, they will be able to add players that they have a level of interest in throughout the offseason. And maybe one will stick as a potential practice squader.

Next: Redskins rookie stat projections for 2018

Kouandjio’s presence will be missed this season, but he will get a chance to prove himself in 2019. It’s a shame that he had to get hurt when he did, but the former Alabama product still has some upside. So, retaining him is great news for the Redskins.