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Redskins: 3 dark horse candidates to make the final roster

By Jacob Camenker

LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 24: Quarterback Brock Osweiler #17 of the Denver Broncos is tackled by linebacker Junior Galette #58 of the Washington Redskins and Pete Robertson #45 at FedExField on December 24, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 24: Quarterback Brock Osweiler #17 of the Denver Broncos is tackled by linebacker Junior Galette #58 of the Washington Redskins and Pete Robertson #45 at FedExField on December 24, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – AUGUST 19: Quarterback Brett Hundley #7 of the Green Bay Packers is sacked by defensive tackle Phillip Taylor #99 of the Washington Redskins in the first half during a preseason game at FedExField on August 19, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – AUGUST 19: Quarterback Brett Hundley #7 of the Green Bay Packers is sacked by defensive tackle Phillip Taylor #99 of the Washington Redskins in the first half during a preseason game at FedExField on August 19, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

3. NT Phil Taylor

Taylor isn’t your typical dark horse, as many expected that he would be the starter at nose tackle last season. However, over the course of the offseason, Taylor has moved further and further away from the safe part of the roster. And after the draft, he looked to be on the very back end of the roster bubble.

However, there is still an outside chance that Taylor could do enough to make the Redskins keep him. The team has had issues stuffing the run in the past, and Taylor’s a big-bodied man who can fill that role as a backup. Even though he’s a third-string player right now, he still provides value and could be a more than serviceable backup in the event that one of the Redskins D-linemen went down.

Taylor’s hopes of making the roster hinges on how many players that the team is willing to keep at the position. For most of the offseason, it was assumed that they would keep six or seven men. And with a healthy Stacy McGee in the fold, Taylor would be eighth on that depth chart.

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However, McGee is currently on the PUP list and will almost certainly miss the first six games of the season as a result. With him out of the equation, Taylor moves into consideration as the potential seventh defensive lineman on that roster. The team may ultimately decide to keep six, but if Taylor can show well enough in the final preseason game, he could force the team to strongly consider keeping an extra player at the position.

Roster crunches often come down to difficult choices between a handful of players. It’s possible that Taylor could be one of the most difficult decisions of the offseason, and that makes him a dark horse as a potential third-string run stuffer.

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