NEW ORLEANS, LA – NOVEMBER 19: Samaje Perine #32 of the Washington Redskins is tackled by Manti Te’o #51 of the New Orleans Saints during the second half at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on November 19, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
The Washington Redskins have some players that are on the roster bubble. Here are five guys fighting for roster spots in the preseason finale vs. the Baltimore Ravens.
NFL final roster cuts are almost here. That means that the Washington Redskins are going to have some key decisions to make about their roster. They’ll need to trim the 90-man unit to 53, so 37 players are going to be looking for work soon.
Though the Redskins will have already decided a majority of the 53 players that are going to be on their roster, there are still quite a few players battling for a handful of spots. These bubble players are going to be on display in the preseason finale when many of the safe players are going to be sitting out and giving time to the roster hopefuls.
The ‘Skins will still need to evaluate some guys before they know who they want to keep. And, of course, they’ll be keeping an eye on some of their potential practice squad options. But no matter how you look at it, certain players are going to be fighting for their jobs. And they will all have to prove themselves.
Here’s a look at the five players that are going to be fighting the hardest to earn roster spots in the preseason finale vs. the Ravens.
5. DL Ryan Bee
I’ve been a fan of Ryan Bee’s game from the beginning. That said, a path to a roster spot always seemed complicated for that Marshall product. The Redskins already had a very strong group on the defensive line, so Bee’s only chance would come if the team decided to keep six players there. Or if they kept an extra player.
However, it now at least appears that is possible.
Throughout camp and the preseason, Caleb Brantley has dealt with various injuries. First, he dealt with a Lisfranc issue. He has since returned to practice, but he was down on the field on Monday and had his ankle taped up. If there is any concern about his ability to get on the field, keeping an extra lineman could make sense.
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Bee has played well enough to at least have a shot at the roster. This preseason, the 6-foot-7 end has put pressure on opposing quarterbacks and has generally looked solid in all facets of the game. That matches his college production pretty well as well.
With Bee’s frame and developmental potential, he could become a solid role player, especially if given the chance to work with Jim Tomsula. If he can dominate against the Baltimore backups and notch another sack, that should give him a chance to make the roster. Still, if Brantley is healthy, it seems more likely that the team will try to stash Bee on the practice squad.
Also, it is worth noting that JoJo Wicker could be in competition for a spot along with Bee. I’ve liked Bee’s game better so far this preseason, but Wicker spent time on the squad last year. We’ll see what ends up happening at the defensive end position.
4. OT Timon Parris
Trent Williams could return to the Redskins. Or he could not. He could be traded by the Redskins. Or he could not.
But one thing is clear in the wake of Jay Gruden‘s comments. The Redskins and Williams are still in a stalemate. And it’s unclear if and when that will end.
As it stands, Williams is still away from the team. Donald Penn has earned the starting job at left tackle while Geron Christian will serve as the swing option. Given how poorly Christian played during the preseason, that is a massive risk. The team is certainly missing Williams, but they are also missing the presence of their ever-faithful swing tackle from the past few seasons, Ty Nsekhe.
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With the questions at tackle, it would surprise very few people if the team elected to keep a fourth man at the position. They have done that in recent years and after all, they certainly don’t want to see what Ereck Flowers looks like playing at left tackle again. So, keeping a fourth option in tow could be smart.
That said, it isn’t clear exactly how they view their options. Currently, Parris would be considered the fourth option. He has been solid this preseason and definitely has upside thanks to his 6-foot-5 frame. If they feel that he has developed enough, they could keep him around as insurance and hope that Bill Callahan develops him along with Christian.
For a team that is short on offensive line depth, keeping Parris would be a sensible move. But he’ll need to perform well to ensure that he can lock down a spot. If he can keep Dwayne Haskins clean against the Ravens backups, that should at least give him a chance to make the team.
3. S Jeremy Reaves
The Redskins have seen their backup safeties player better this preseason, and Troy Apke has particularly shown improvement. But still, the team could opt to keep five players at the position to improve their overall depth.
One of the players they could keep is Jeremy Reaves. Reaves signed with the ‘Skins practice squad after going undrafted out of South Alabama last season and spent time on the active roster last season. But this offseason, Reaves has played particularly well and has done a lot to make a case for a roster spot.
As I pointed out in a recent piece, Reaves will be the player to watch in the Redskins secondary against the Redskins.
"For the Redskins, they will look to contain McSorley and his receiving corps and the player to watch in the secondary will be Jeremy Reaves. He has had a very good preseason at the safety position and has made a case to make the team as a fifth safety. If he can make some plays on McSorley’s passes, that could be enough to get him a chance to make the roster."
If Reaves can show off nice coverage skills and special teams ability, that should give him a chance to make the roster. He is going to turn 23 on Thursday, so he is still very young and has a lot of upside moving forward. With a strong outing, he could earn one of the remaining spots on the roster.
2. TE JP Holtz
Jordan Reed is currently in the NFL’s concussion protocol. While Jay Gruden is optimistic that Reed will be ready to start Week 1, it doesn’t guarantee that he will be on the field. Concussions are tricky injuries, so Reed’s situation needs to be monitored because of that.
With that said, the team does have some intriguing tight end depth on the roster. Vernon Davis and Jeremy Sprinkle would be the top backups for Reed, but keeping around a third option to provide depth and play special teams would make sense.
And that could end up being JP Holtz.
Holtz has been a quality blocker for the Redskins and has some receiving ability as well. Last preseason, he proved to be a solid H-back option before spending most of the season on the Redskins’ practice squad. His versatility should give him a chance to make the roster outright. But if there are any concerns about Reed being ready for the start of the season, that would make Holtz more of a lock.
With a strong outing in the preseason finale, Holtz could do a lot to solidify his case for a roster spot. For now, he is firmly on the bubble, but if the team loads up at the position, he would be the next in line for playing time.
1. RB Samaje Perine
This is Perine’s chance to make a really good case to make the final roster. He struggled in the first two preseason games before looking much better in last week’s game against the Atlanta Falcons. Now, he has to follow that up by looking strong against mostly back-caliber players.
Perine needs to show a couple of things against the Ravens. First, he has to be decisive as a runner. Too often in the first two preseason games, Perine was not decisive and failed to make it out of the backfield. He needs to run more like he did last week when he identified where he wanted to go early and was able to generate positive yardage.
Speaking of identifying where Perine wants to go, he needs to showcase better vision in this game. That goes hand in hand with the decisiveness, but if he can find open lanes and create some long runs, that will lock down his spot as the fourth running back on the roster.
If Perine struggles at all to run the ball, he may see some other options on the roster challenge him for a spot. Craig Reynolds has been solid this preseason while Byron Marshall seems to be a Gruden-favorite and has some special teams value.
Perine may still be in the lead at the moment, but his grip on a spot is tenuous. He really needs to prove that he can play at a high level against the Ravens’ backups. If he can’t, it may be time to move on from him.