Washington Redskins Unheralded Players: TE Hale Hentges

How Hentges can make the Redskins roster

The Redskins’ signings of Logan Thomas and Richard Rodgers have further clouded Hentges’ outlook for the 2020 season, as has the addition of 2020 undrafted free agent Thaddeus Moss. Even before these additions, Hentges had Jeremy Sprinkle, Caleb Wilson, and Marcus Baugh working against him as well.

Reasonably, the Redskins can be expected to keep three tight ends; the Panthers rarely kept more than three under Ron Rivera. There’s a chance they could keep four, but Hentges can’t depend on that possibility again for his roster hopes. Hentges has to impress Rivera with the opportunities he receives. He did enough to make it through the first wave of evaluations, but getting onto the 53-man roster is a much greater mountain to climb.

What does Hentges have working for him? There’s no clear-cut No. 1 tight end at the position, so if Hentges picks up where he left off last offseason, he should be able to make an impression. He ended on a high note last season as well, and he has the mentality Rivera is clearly looking for in his players. Hentges was a captain at Alabama, and it’s clear from interviews that his mindset is solely placed on getting better and learning with the resources he has.

Hentges’ focus is rightly placed. With his athletic limitations, he’ll have to prove that he can be a consistent receiving threat if he wants to maximize his versatility and stick around with Ron Rivera’s Redskins. He showed flashes last year. Can he take the next step, like Doyle, whom he hopes to emulate?

It’s just another unanswered question, something Unheralded Players know all too well. Hentges answered the questions last offseason with the Colts, and if his career thus far tells us anything, it’s that the uncertainty doesn’t bother Hentges. It’s just part of the game.