The Washington Redskins were unable to close out their preseason with a victory over the Baltimore Ravens, but the team did get some solid performances from some of their roster hopefuls.
Well, that’s it. The NFL preseason is now in the books. After the Washington Redskins’ fourth preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens, the next live football on the schedule for the ‘Skins will be live NFL action.
The Battle of the Beltway didn’t go exactly as planned for the Redskins. They fell by a score of 20-7. But as always, the important part of the preseason game isn’t the scores. It’s more about the performance of the roster hopefuls.
The Redskins did get some solid performances from their young crew. And it appears that they are going to have some tough roster decisions ahead of them as a result. With that said, here’s a look at the team’s three biggest standouts from their preseason performance against the Ravens.
Toughest Omissions: QB Dwayne Haskins, RB Byron Marshall
3. DL JoJo Wicker
I’ve been talking up Ryan Bee quite a bit on the defensive line this offseason. And he was good in this contest notching five total tackles.
But there’s another player that deserves some love on the defensive line. That’s JoJo Wicker.
Wicker came to the Redskins late last preseason and he spent most of the season on the Redskins’ practice squad. Evidently, Jim Tomsula likes him a lot and with his performance on Thursday night, it’s easy to see why.
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Wicker was able to consistently get pressure on the Ravens quarterbacks and notched a sack on the evening. However, his best play came when he burst through the line on a third and goal, split the blockers, and brought the Ravens’ running back down two yards behind the line of scrimmage. It was an impressive, instinctive play that showed off his solid burst, so that should get him some love with roster cuts looming.
Given that the Redskins already have a very strong defensive line group, Wicker may still have a tough time making the roster. But at this point, he could end up being the sixth defensive lineman that the team keeps if they choose to do so. He and Bee will battle for that role with one or both potentially landing on the practice squad. That seems to be Wicker’s likely destination at this point in time.
But Wicker’s performance also has continued to make one thing clear. Tomsula is damn good at developing defensive linemen.
2. S Jeremy Reaves
Jeremy Reaves was one of the players at the safety position that had a chance to prove themselves in Washington’s decent-at-best safety corps. And he certainly has delivered.
After a good first three preseason games, Reaves put forth one of his best performances against the Ravens. He led the team in tackles with eight and was able to notch a pass breakup in the contest as well.
Reaves showed great energy, athleticism, and instincts as he was able to make life a bit more difficult for the Ravens’ receivers. He really was able to be all over the field and consistently found himself in an area where he would be able to make a play.
In this analyst’s opinion, Reaves has done more than enough to secure a roster spot with this team. He’s still young, has upside, and is a well-rounded player who should be a special teams contributor at the very least. The Redskins should certainly keep him around and at this point in time, it seems like they will.
Reaves could end up being one of those classic diamond-in-the-rough type stories for Washington. We’ll soon see if he gets a chance to remain with the squad, but things are certainly looking good.
1. WR Steven Sims Jr.
No player did more to help boost his case for a roster spot than Steven Sims Jr. The undrafted rookie out of Kansas had an excellent diving catch on Dwayne Haskins’ lone touchdown of the game and continued to show off his quickness and ability to be a potential slot player at the NFL level.
However, the bigger area that Sims was able to make an impact in came in the return game.
Sims returned two kicks for the Redskins. One went 39 yards and one went 41 yards. He was dynamic, fast, and elusive while making his way through the Ravens’ special teams. It looked like he had real potential to be a return weapon, so that special teams ability could make him have a shot at a roster spot.
If the Redskins are going to be competitive, they’ll need their special teams to be strong. Sims could help improve that. With his solid performance, he may have moved in front of guys like Robert Davis and Josh Doctson for a final roster spot. It will certainly be interesting to see if the Redskins elect to keep him on cutdown day, but he has certainly impressed his coaching staff so far.
If Sims does make the roster, the team could opt to keep seven players at the position. The receiving corps will be the most critical part for the team to figure out as final roster cuts approach.