Redskins Roster Bubble Stock Report: Familiar faces find their footing

Other players to watch

Redskins RB Samaje Perine: It feels like Perine is kind of, sort of on the outside looking in, but it’s hard to get a true barometer for his roster stock right now. He had a dismal showing against the Bengals, but when the blocking was better against Atlanta, he came back and had a respectable performance. Jay Gruden’s talked him up all offseason, but by now, Craig Reynolds is strongly challenging his spot. Reynolds, with his quickness and burst, has been the more consistent runner, and he has some utility as a returner as well. It’ll be interesting to see who Washington keeps, or if they only keep three running backs, as Jacob predicted in his last roster projection.

Redskins WR Darvin Kidsy: Kidsy is another player whose value is hard to get an accurate read on. He had an excellent performance against the Browns in Week 1, but then he fell quiet. He’s only logged four catches for 17 yards since then, but he did take some snaps with the starters on Thursday. Washington has been mixing and matching their many receivers this offseason, so that isn’t a major surprise, but Washington’s coaching staff has also been higher on Kidsy than the public has been led to believe. With Davis rising and Harmon proving his worth, Kidsy will need a good performance next week, but just how good he needs to play is unknown.

Redskins TE Donald Parham: Donald Parham was a go-to red zone target for Dwayne Haskins in training camp. There were days where beat reporters said he caught multiple touchdowns. Fast-forward to now, and Parham has barely seen any action as a pass catcher in preseason. The 6-foot-8 tight end has the traits to excel as a receiver, but the Redskins haven’t given him looks thus far. The injury to Reed may change that, however, and with Matt Flanagan proving unimpressive, there’s a window for Parham, or even J.P. Holtz, to potentially usurp a roster spot in Week 4, if Reed isn’t coming back for a while.

Redskins DL Ryan Bee: Bee has been a regular here at the stock watch, because his stock has been steadily going up this preseason. He had a big Week 2 performance, and in Week 3, he was the team’s leading tackler, with five total. Still, it feels like he’s on the outside looking in. If the team were to keep six linemen, then Bee would likely be the pick. But he may need one more promising showing before the Redskins take that route, as they have a lot of needed depth elsewhere that they could use the extra spot on. I also just realized that the first three paragraphs all have eight lines (on desktop), so I added this sentence to make it more aesthetically pleasing.

Redskins OLB Cassanova McKinzy: Maybe McKinzy started preseason on the watch list, but I’m starting to get the feeling that he’s been a lock in the coaches’ eyes since training camp. He solidified his standing on the roster with a two-sack performance against Cincinnati, earning the royal title of “Stud” in our latest Studs and Duds article. If he were on the roster bubble, his stock would’ve been reported on here. But he’s not. He’s in. This paragraph, unfortunately, can not reasonably be extended to eight lines. If there was a way to make it happen, I definitely would, but it would just be stuffing the word count at this point, and that’s unprofessional.

Redskins OLB Marcus Smith: Cassanova McKinzy was the team’s highest-graded defensive player in the Falcons game, per Pro Football Focus, but fellow outside linebacker Marcus Smith wasn’t far behind. The former Philadelphia Eagles first-round pick logged a cumulative PFF grade of 90.5, with an impressive run defense grade of 91.1 to go with it. Smith also logged two pressures on ten pass rushing snaps, and while that sample size is too small to help his roster chances, he had a good showing in Atlanta. Smith needs more success make the 53-man roster, but his defense-special teams versatility gives him a chance.

Redskins FS Jeremy Reaves: Reaves had a decent showing against the Falcons, but it wasn’t as dominant as his game against the Bengals. Still, Reaves hasn’t yet had a bad game in preseason of 2019, and he’s stood out with his tenacity and reliability as a tackler. Our own Ken Johannesen had Reaves on the 53-man roster in his latest prediction, filing him in as the fifth safety, behind Troy Apke and Deshazor Everett. With so many players knocking on the door at fringe positions, tough cuts will be made. Reaves needs one more strong week to traverse the gap between “unfortunate cut day casualty” and “surprising roster inclusion”. But he’s close.

These aren’t the only players worth watching, however. With one week left to play out, no one can be overlooked, as the Redskins seek to fill out their 53-man roster. Stick with us here at Riggo’s Rag to ride out the action.