Predicting the Redskins inactives for Week 1 vs. Cardinals

Josh Keyes was a surprise addition to the roster. He took the spot of Byron Marshall when he went on Injured Reserve, but it was never expected that the Redskins would add another linebacker to the squad. And if they did, Keyes certainly wouldn’t be the man.

Martrell Spaight, a special teams ace and run stuffer, had been among the Redskins final cuts. Many expected that he would make the squad as a depth player and that he would have a good chance to carve out a role. He didn’t get the nod, losing out to Zach Vigil, and now he sits on the free agent market as a result.

Why bring up Spaight? The answer is simple. He’s basically the same type of player as Keyes, and he might be better at his job. That raises the question: why didn’t the Redskins bring back Spaight instead of Keyes? The reason for this is unknown.

Either way, Keyes seems to be the team’s No. 6 inside linebacker. That’s not going to give him much of a chance to get on the field. Add in the fact that he’s joining his seventh team in four years in the league, and it just seems like he’s a depth body with some traits but not much production to go along with it.

Keyes could see some action as a special teams option during the season, but it seems more likely that he will be a staple of the inactives list. It’s also probable that if the Redskins need help at another position, Keyes would be the player they cut to make room for that position on the 53-man roster. For those reasons, it seems that Keyes is the most likely player to be out on Sunday (save for Harris, who has already been declared out).