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Redskins waive P Sam Irwin-Hill after drafting CB Adonis Alexander

By Jacob Camenker

ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 27: Sam Irwin-Hill #92 of the Arkansas Razorbacks carries the ball for a touchdown against James White #20 of the Texas A&M Aggies on a punt fake in the first half of the Southwest Classic at AT&T Stadium on September 27, 2014 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 27: Sam Irwin-Hill #92 of the Arkansas Razorbacks carries the ball for a touchdown against James White #20 of the Texas A&M Aggies on a punt fake in the first half of the Southwest Classic at AT&T Stadium on September 27, 2014 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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The Washington Redskins waived punter Sam Irwin-Hill on Wednesday afternoon, ending any speculation that Tress Way would lose the punter battle.

One of the first moves the Washington Redskins made in free agency was one that left fans scratching their heads. While numerous key members of their squad left to sign deals with other teams, the Redskins turned their attention to adding competition at punter. The team signed Sam Irwin-Hill to serve as a backup punter and since that time, they have kept him on the 90-man roster.

However, that changed on Wednesday afternoon. The Redskins drafted Adonis Alexander in the sixth-round of the 2018 NFL Supplemental Draft and they needed to open up a roster spot to keep him. By the deadline to make the move, the Redskins had decided that Irwin-Hill no longer served a purpose, and they sent him on his way.

Losing Irwin-Hill and gaining Alexander is a huge upgrade for Washington. As we have discussed at length in recent days, Alexander has the upside to be a big, physical press corner for the team. He was considered to be a potential third-round talent had he entered the 2018 NFL Draft. But, some character issues pushed him a bit further down in the Supplemental Draft. So, the Redskins were able to get him for pennies on the dollar, and he figures to be a potential backup as a rookie.

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Meanwhile, Irwin-Hill was mostly on the team to provide competition for Tress Way. That wasn’t really something that was needed. Way averaged 45.7 yards per punt last season, good for 13th in the NFL, and also had 33 punts downed inside the 20 (tied for third-best league wide). Sure, his net average of 39 wasn’t very good comparatively, but part of that fell on the Redskins special teams unit and their penchant for giving up big plays.

Even if the Redskins were serious about replacing Way, they wouldn’t have gone with Irwin-Hill as their top replacement choice. In four preseason games, Irwin-Hill only averaged a meager 38.3 yards per punt and had a net average of 36.3. Irwin-Hill would have been a clear downgrade from Way unless he was able to prove that he had improved during the offseason. He couldn’t do that during OTAs, and thus, he finds himself as a roster casualty.

Cutting Irwin-Hill was probably the best roster move the Redskins could have made. By keeping their other young talent, they will ensure that they have a chance to retain some key depth in case of injuries. And, they will also have a chance to evaluate their players for a longer amount of time to see who might be worthy of a practice squad spot. Plus, if Way does go down, it seems highly probable that Irwin-Hill will still be on the market. So, the team could always re-sign him if needed.

Next: Scouting report for CB Adonis Alexander

Washington continues to make their roster younger and better. That’s a great sign for the team ahead of the 2018 season, and fans definitely have a reason to be excited.

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