Grading Redskins most controversial moves during roster cuts
Redskins cut Kapri Bibbs, sign him to practice squad
This was a move that angered a lot of Redskins fans. Bibbs was one of the preseason darlings who many would have been happy to see make the roster. However, the team cut him as they whittled down their RB room. That said, it wasn’t the worst choice they could have made.
All told, the Redskins kept five running backs on their roster. Adrian Peterson, Chris Thompson, Samaje Perine, Rob Kelley, and Byron Marshall. There’s no way that they could have kept six. In fact, they may not keep five for long, as Marshall is rumored to be a potential candidate for the IR designated for return tag. If that’s the case, it will happen in the near future.
That aside, keeping Bibbs on the roster would have meant parting with either Perine or Kelley. Had the Redskins parted with Perine, despite the fumbling issues he had in the preseason, it would have been a bad move. He’s arguably the most talented back on the roster and has shown a lot of improvement since last season. He’s the guy they need to have available to split time with Peterson, so holding onto him was a very smart move.
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As for Kelley, that’s a bit more debatable. He hasn’t played consistently well during his career, but the fact is that Gruden loves him and Kelley outplayed Bibbs in the final preseason game. That earned Kelley the nod and is why Bibbs ultimately got cut.
It’s also worth noting that while Bibbs would have served as the backup to Thompson, he simply wasn’t needed in that role. Gruden seems more confident that Thompson will be healthy to start the season, and they’ve never carried a backup to him in the past. Why would they start now?
At the end of the day, other teams weren’t even that interested in Bibbs’ services, which was predictable. After all, he was a late-season signing by the Redskins in 2017, so he remained on the free agent market for a long time without anyone really calling upon him. As a result, clearing waivers was easy and he landed back with the Skins.
The logic of keeping Kelley over Bibbs can be debated. That said, the rest of what the Redskins did in this scenario was completely sound. Considering that Bibbs was the only one of the backs (aside from Marshall) that could have been on the practice squad, they did well to retain their depth and will have the option of bringing on Bibbs midway through the season if needed. That makes this a solid all-around move for the squad.