Washington Redskins Live Cuts Tracker: Who makes the 53-man roster

Today is the final day of NFL roster cuts. The Washington Redskins were completely silent on Friday afternoon, so that means that they will be cutting 37 players before 4:00 p.m.

Saturday is going to be an interesting day for the Redskins. They are going to have a chance to shape their roster exactly how they want to, and they are certainly going to have a lot of moves to make. With 90 men still on their roster, the team will have to cut 37 before the end of the day to get to the required 53-man threshold for the 2018 season.

Of course, there will be moves after the cut date, but the fact is that this is the single most important day of the year for transactions across the league. And the Redskins have to make sure that they get this right to have a chance at competing during the upcoming campaign.

We’ve already Redskins 53-man roster prediction after preseason, but there are still some position battles that are hard to figure out. Notably, Brian Quick vs. Cam Sims and the entire battle for the back-end roster spots at running back will be the ones to watch. Can Kapri Bibbs make the roster? Did Samaje Perine fumble his way to a new team? We’ll know soon enough.

As the day goes along, we’ll hit you with the news and updates as everything happens. And after that, we’ll take a look at the waiver wire and of course, the 10 guys that are likely to make the practice squad for the team.

Check back early and often for updates throughout the day.

9:35: The first cut is officially in. According to ESPN’s John Keim, the Redskins have released WR Shay Fields. This is no surprise, as Fields was way behind others players on the depth chart. The team now has 89 players with 36 cuts left to go.

10:11: The Redskins have trimmed their offensive line by cutting Kendall Calhoun (Keim). He was added late in the season as a camp body. He never really had a chance to make the roster.

10:32: The first somewhat surprising cut is in, and it’s J.P. Holtz. The Redskins tight end/fullback hybrid looked very good as a blocker throughout the preseason, and some expected that he would make the final roster. Instead, he was among the first cuts. This seems to confirm that Jay Gruden plans not to use a roster spot on a fullback for another season. That said, Holtz could earn a practice squad spot and may get called up if Gruden has a change of heart.

10:34: Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Redskins have also parted ways with undrafted safety Quin Blanding. There was some hope that he would be able to compete at the safety position, but he didn’t show much during the preseason. He is a candidate for the practice squad.

10:54: Cassanova McKinzy is the latest Redskins cut according to Keim, and it’s interesting that Keim noted McKinzy could be a practice squad player. I haven’t heard a lot about McKinzy this preseason, but Keim is generally very well informed. Thus, we’ll keep an eye on him as a post-cut addition to the practice squad.

11:15: John Kling is the latest offensive lineman to be cut. Kling wasn’t impressive in the preseason. He’s still extremely raw and doesn’t seem likely to be stashed on the practice squad.

11:20: Per 106.7 The Fan’s Craig Hoffman, the Redskins have released Vontae Diggs. He flashed in the first couple of preseason games and seems like a candidate to make the practice squad. He has good athletic ability and given the lack of depth the Redskins have at the rush linebacker position, stashing him might be a smart idea.

11:23: John Keim is reporting that the Redskins have parted ways with LB Pete Robertson and OL Isaiah Williams. Robertson was seen as potential special teams depth for the squad, so he might have a spot on the practice squad. Robertson’s release may open up opportunities for the team to keep a fifth running back (Byron Marshall) or a sixth inside linebacker (Zach Vigil). We’ll keep an eye on that moving forward.

11:26: Dax Gray of WKTR News 3 is reporting that the team has released TE Matt Flanagan, WR Dan Williams, and LB Jerod Fernandez. If any are to stick with the team, it seems that Fernandez would have a chance to land on the practice squad.

11:32: Kyle Kalis is the latest offensive lineman to be cut. Kalis was considered a potential backup at guard, but he committed too many penalties during the preseason. With him gone and Tyler Catalina likely out for the season, the team needs to add a backup guard on the waiver wire unless they have another ace up their sleeves.

11:39: NBC Sports Washington’s Rich Tandler made a good point about the fact that the Redskins only really need to cut 21 players, as they have three other moves that will impact their roster in the upcoming hours. Here’s what he said on Twitter.

11:45: T.J. Clemmings has been released, per Rapoport. I had advocated for Clemmings to move to guard, but it never happened. The team’s waiver claim from last season seems likely to find a home somewhere else given the need for offensive linemen across the NFL. With many offensive linemen gone, it’s seeming more and more possible that undrafted free agent Casey Dunn could make the active roster.

11:54: Prince Charles Iworah is the latest Redskins cut. The veteran corner played well at times this preseason, but never really had a chance to make the active roster. He’s a great candidate for the practice squad and if he continues to develop, he could become a solid depth player.

12:04: With four hours to go, it’s important to note that the Redskins may keep five running backs on their opening roster. If they want to stash Byron Marshall on the IR with a designation for return, they’ll need to keep him until Monday and then make the move. So, don’t be surprised to see him stick around and then the team make a Labor Day move to reduce to four RBs and add a player from the free agent market or practice squad.

12:29: After a bit of a lull, De’Veon Smith was reportedly cut by the Redskins (via Les Carpenter of the Washington Post). Smith looked good in the fourth preseason game, but never had a realistic chance at the active roster. If the Redskins keep Kapri Bibbs and cut Samaje Perine, Smith could be a candidate for the practice squad. However, if the inverse happens, Bibbs seems like the likely practice squad candidate.

12:40: Garrett Hudson has been told that he’s a potential practice squad candidate. That means that he won’t be on the active roster, so that means he’s probably a cut.

12:57: Per Ben Standig, DL JoJo Wicker is the latest Redskins cut. The undrafted rookie was a very late addition to the roster and was just serving as depth in the final couple of preseason weeks.

1:42: John Keim is reporting that the Redskins have cut Brian Quick. The release of Quick may open the door for Cam Sims to make the roster. He certainly seems to have an edge at this point in time.

2:56: It’s been quiet for about an hour, but the Redskins official Twitter announced that at 4 p.m., the team would have all of the cuts posted. All the leaks may have come through, but the other roster moves will be known soon enough.

3:05: The Redskins have cut Kapri Bibbs, according to Ian Rapoport. This means that Samaje Perine is likely on the 53-man roster as a result of this decision. Perine, Adrian Peterson, Rob Kelley, and Chris Thompson will be the quartet for the Redskins this season, and keeping Perine over Bibbs is a sensible choice, at least in this analyst’s opinion.

3:11: Demetrius Rhaney was cut by the Redskins. He was a third-string center that never flashed, so this is hardly a surprise.

4:19: It’s well past the 4:00 p.m. deadline. We’re waiting for the final confirmation of cuts for the team…

5:14: Cuts are still somehow trickling in despite being well past the deadline. The team may not announce/confirm them until late in the day. However, Matthew Paras of The Washington Times is reporting that Phil Taylor has been released. This isn’t a huge surprise, as he was a third stringer, but he does have some talent and could land with another team.

5:20: Looks like Zach Vigil is on the roster and the Redskins may keep six linebackers. That position looks like a strength for the team right now (barring a surprise move).

6:04: And here’s a surprise cut in the linebacker corps: Keim is reporting that Martrell Spaight has been released. Spaight was considered by a potential special teams ace for the squad, but Vigil has apparently beaten him out. Spaight struggled in coverage during his Redskins career, so cutting him isn’t a shock, but it did seem that he was on the inside of the roster bubble. So, it is somewhat of a surprise.

7:40: A slew of cuts have come in per Keim, as Ondre Pipkins, Kevin Hogan, Kenny Ladler, and Timon Parris are all gone. The latter three may have a chance to make the practice squad, but in our projections, we only have two making it.

7:43: The full list is out and confirmed, per the Redskins official site. Here’s a look at all the players who were cut.

Final list of cuts:

• WR Shay Fields
• OL Kendal Calhoun
• TE/FB J.P. Holtz
• S Quin Blanding
• LB Jerod Fernandez
• LB Cassanova McKinzy
• OL John Kling
• OLB Vontae Diggs
• OLB Pete Robertson
• OL Isaiah Williams
• TE Matt Flanagan
• WR Dan Williams
• G Kyle Kalis
• OL T.J. Clemmings
• CB Prince Charles Iworah
• RB De’Veon Smith
• TE Garrett Hudson
• DL JoJo Wicker
• WR Brian Quick
• RB Kapri Bibbs
• C Demetrius Rhaney
• NT Phil Taylor
• LB Martrell Spaight
• DL Ondre Pipkins
• QB Kevin Hogan
• S Kenny Ladler
• OL Timon Parris
• QB Connor Jessop
• WR Darvin Kidsy
• OL Tyler Catalina (IR)
• DL Stacy McGee (PUP)
• DL Ondre Pipkins
• DL Dante Sawyer
• OLB Dadi Nicolas
• DB Josh Holsey (PUP)
• CB Ranthony Texada
• S Fish Smithson