Five players that may not make the Redskins final roster in 2020

4. EDGE Ryan Anderson

Like the Peterson possibility, this has little to do with the quality of the player. In fact, Anderson is coming off the best season of his professional career. It was a year in which he logged a career-high four sacks and a whopping five forced fumbles despite playing a bit less than 50 percent of the snaps.

That said, the Redskins’ switch to a 4-3 defense could be a bit of a problem for Anderson. The Redskins played plenty of 4-3 concepts before, but when Anderson was in the game, he primarily played on the edge as a rush linebacker. Those opportunities won’t exist as much in Jack Del Rio‘s base 4-3.

Anderson is a bit of a tweener for this scheme. He’s a bit small (6-2, 255) for a defensive end, but he probably shouldn’t be playing too much in coverage. He could find a home as a SAM linebacker and in certain packages if Rivera and Del Rio look to include some 3-4 concepts, but overall, it may be tough for him to get on the field if he’s not playing stand-up linebacker.

Washington Commanders

Additionally, the Redskins have a lot of talent on the defensive line, and it’s likely that Anderson could find himself buried on the depth chart behind Ryan Kerrigan, Montez Sweat, and newly-minted No. 2 overall pick Chase Young. That will make it hard for him to get as many opportunities to get on the field and pressure opposing quarterbacks.

It’s also worth noting that Anderson will be a free agent after the season. And given what the Redskins will soon be paying the likes of Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, and other members of their defensive line, they probably won’t be able to keep Anderson unless he has a down year. And if that happens, they’ll probably let him walk anyway.

With that in mind, it may be better for the team to try to sell high on Anderson. Put him on the trade market and try to sell a win-now team running a 3-4 defense to take a chance on him. Try to get an early Day 3 pick while the team trading for him banks on a lottery pick who could be a game-changer in a bigger role in a 3-4 scheme. Teams like the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens would make a lot of sense.

There’s no harm in keeping Anderson if they think he can fit in the scheme or if they can’t find a trade partner for him. But because of those several factors surrounding him, he shouldn’t be viewed as a roster lock even if he is one of the safer players among the five listed here.