Redskins sign undrafted rookie DL Dante Sawyer, waive one

Ahead of their preseason game against the New England Patriots, the Redskins have done some fine tuning on their roster.

No moves have been necessarily “high-profile”, but ahead of a four-week stretch where depth players and training camp participants will get their chance to shine, the Washington Redskins have given a couple former free agents late opportunities to break onto the NFL stage.

Just a few days ago, the Redskins waived edge rusher Alex McCalister and, in a corresponding move, signed edge rusher Cassanova McKinzy. Earlier today, the Redskins made another small move, signing undrafted rookie defensive end Dante Sawyer to a deal. By extension, the Redskins released training camp defensive lineman Tavaris Barnes, waiving him with an injury designation.

Barnes is second early casualty of our Unheralded Players series, with the first being Alex McCalister. Barnes, an athletic specimen, was expected to be given a chance to prove his mettle in preseason, but instead, Dante Sawyer will receive that honor.

Sawyer is an exciting player in his own right. Although he slipped through the cracks as an undrafted free agent, he’s a player with good size, standing at 6-foot-3, 275. He logged 11.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in three years with the South Carolina Gamecocks, and in his final season, Sawyer register five pass deflections and five forced fumbles as well.

The move, much like the McCalister situation, is far enough down the depth chart where it may not offer regular season implications. But nevertheless, Sawyer gives the Redskins greater potential to work with. He’s a good athlete with solid burst, and as evidenced by his college stats, he knows how to disrupt the play and get his hands on the ball. He’s also much younger than Barnes, who was set to turn 27 years old in November.

We could see Sawyer in action as early as this Thursday, when the Redskins play the Patriots in Foxborough. Be sure to stay with us here at Riggo’s Rag as we give you all the pregame content you need!