Redskins waive interior offensive lineman Tyler Catalina, per reports

The Redskins have waived a reserve player on the interior offensive line.

Even back in 2017, when Georgia product Tyler Catalina was signed by the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent, the Redskins were searching for depth on the interior offensive line. It’s been a problem for years on end now, and that was no different in 2017.

Catalina was pegged as a potential roster inclusion early on that year; with his 6-foot-6 frame, he profiled as a potential tackle-guard hybrid with good potential as a versatile depth lineman. Catalina made the roster because of this versatility, and it was assumed that he would continue to learn from Bill Callahan.

That year, however, Catalina was perhaps thrown into the fire too early. He played in seven games, starting two of them at right guard, and he was clearly not ready for that level of competition. He was waived midseason, but brought back, and in 2018, it was assumed that he could potentially take the next step. Instead, however, he was placed on injured reserve at the start of September, after having shoulder surgery.

Catalina was back and healthy recently, but with the additions of Donald Penn and Corey Robinson, the Redskins needed to clear up a roster space. Per Kareem Copeland of the Washington Post, Catalina was waived by the team earlier today.

Catalina was involved in a scuffle with defensive lineman JoJo Wicker at camp yesterday, but it’s unclear if that incident had anything to do with Catalina’s release. Players get chippy in the trenches on a regular basis, however, so it’s more likely that the numbers game got the best of Catalina. He was already looking on the outside looking in before the Redskins drafted Wes Martin and Ross Pierschbacher. Now, his fate is sealed.

The Redskins recent workout of former Colts guard Hugh Thornton may have something to do with this transaction; the Redskins are still trying to shore up their interior line, and as promising as Catalina may have been, to make the roster as an undrafted free agent in 2017, that promise appears to be exhausted, at least in D.C.

Catalina isn’t particularly young anymore; at least not for an undrafted free agent with little seasoning. He’s 26 and a half, but with his limited starting experience and his lengthy frame, he could get a call from a team looking for line depth in the lead-up to preseason. For now, however, his time in Washington is over. And the Redskins still have a need to fill.