Redskins sign DB Maurice Smith to the active roster, add WR Emanuel Hall to practice squad
The Washington Redskins have filled their open roster spot and used a practice squad spot on a promising young receiver.
After placing three players on IR on Tuesday and signing two new ones, the Washington Redskins had an open roster spot. And on Wednesday afternoon, they filled the vacancy.
According to the team’s official website, the Redskins have promoted defensive back Maurice Smith from the practice squad to the active roster. This will give them extra depth in a very banged-up secondary ahead of a Week 16 matchup with the New York Giants.
Smith had a four-year college career spanning from 2013-2016 in which he was a part of the Alabama program before joining Georgia as a graduate transfer. Smith had his best season and was a captain for the Bulldogs in ’16. He totaled 50 tackles, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, and 3 passes defensed.
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Smith went undrafted and was signed by the Miami Dolphins in 2017. He played in 13 games for the Dolphins over the course of two seasons and made six tackles while bouncing between the practice squad and the active roster. Smith has been on the Redskins practice squad since mid-October, so it looks like they’re going to give him a chance to prove himself moving forward.
While Smith does still has some upside, the bigger news is that the ‘Skins signed undrafted rookie Emanuel Hall to their practice squad. He had previously spent time with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but hadn’t been with a team since September.
Hall has immense physical talent and in his final two years at Missouri, he totaled 70 catches for 1,645 yards and 14 touchdowns in just 18 games. His average of 23.5 yards per catch is insanely good.
Some figured that Hall would have a chance to go on Day 2 of the 2019 NFL Draft, but a variety of concerns dropped him to the ranks of the undrafted, as detailed by WalterFootball.com’s Charlie Campbell.
"Team sources say there were a few reasons why Hall went undrafted. Teams had concerns about Hall’s personal makeup and some off-the-field issues. There also were concerns about his toughness and willingness to play when he was less than 100 percent. On top of those issues, Hall has a sports hernia injury that also played a role in his going undrafted. His future team has to decide whether he misses practice and plays through the injury with pain, something he has struggled to do, or has surgery and goes out for some time. Thus, it was a combination of all of those factors that led to Hall going undrafted."
While those concerns could be warranted, there’s no risk for the Redskins in signing Hall to the practice squad. They can stash him there for a couple of weeks and then sign him to a future’s contract at the end of the season. They’ll have a chance to spend the whole offseason evaluating him and if his physical talent shows up, the athletic, 6-foot-3 receiver will have a chance to earn a role in the team’s receiving corps.
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Overall, these signings make a lot of sense for the ‘Skins. They’re adding defensive back help to fill in for the last two games and are targeting a player with upside for their practice squad. We’ll see if Smith gets a chance to prove himself moving forward and whether or not Hall can stick around on the practice squad.