Breaking down the Redskins pending free agents for 2021

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GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – DECEMBER 08: Cam Sims #89 of the Washington Redskins looks on after the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on December 08, 2019 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /

The Bubble Boys

These are players not currently on my 53-man roster projection

WR Cam Sims. Sims has been around the last couple of years as a practice squad player who has gotten the occasional call-up to the big leagues. His great size (6-5, 220) makes him an appealing red zone target and he has shown flashes in the pre-season. But he is fighting an uphill battle.

The team has devoted draft picks in each of the last two seasons to big wideouts, and both Kelvin Harmon and Antonio Golden-Gandy would appear to be ahead of Sims. Barring an injury or two, this is likely his final year with the Redskins, though I suspect someone else out there will give him a chance.

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WR Cody Latimer. I had Latimer on my initial 53, and given his experience and the abbreviated nature of training camp, I saw him as a potential early-season starter. Then came his arrest in May of 2020 for assault and several other charges, and his very career suddenly seemed in doubt.

There has been no news on Latimer since then. He has not been released. He has not been cleared. He is obviously still in limbo. An unfettered Cody Latimer can help this team, but he’s nowhere near good enough to earn multiple chances. I still think he could stick, but he has left the door open for younger guys to overtake him, and unless he really shows something special, even if he does stick, I suspect this will be his only year in D.C. (Or in Landover – or wherever FedEx Field is officially located – if it is even still called FedEx Field… I think I’m going down a rabbit hole.)

TE Richard Rodgers. I wrote off Rodgers early and nothing about his situation has changed.

OG Jeremy Vujnovich. I also wrote off Vujnovich early, but a tiny bit has changed there. One or two of the offensive line journeymen signed this offseason will stick, especially given the nuances of the new game day 55-man roster which requires a minimum number of linemen. Vujnovich, who has some starting experience, probably has as good a chance as any of them. This could be a very important year for him. He could carve out a role for himself as a steady depth player who could stick around for another five years, or he could be out of the league.

DE Nate Orchard. I don’t think the switch to a 4-3 front benefits Orchard. He is undersized for a 4-3 end. Orchard has hung around the league for five years now, largely on the strength of his special teams play. It’s almost impossible to make the Redskins as an unheralded edge player, given the talent on the roster. They did re-sign him this off-season, which is a clear sign they like something about him. But without a couple of injuries, I don’t see how Orchard sticks around. He will probably get a shot with someone else either this year or next.

LB Jared Norris. Norris is in the same boat as Orchard. He is more of a classically-sized linebacker, but his bread and butter is special teams. The one advantage he may have is that Ron Rivera knows him from their time in Carolina. Rivera seems to like him. He could stick as a teams guy, especially if some of the other young guys don’t shine. If he doesn’t show off something this year, he might be out of chances.

LB Josh Harvey-Clemons. Harvey-Clemons was drafted as an athletic, late-round project back in 2017. He has done little in his time here to earn himself a spot. Like Norris, this is most likely his last chance to make a mark, and he needs to vault several more productive players to even get that shot.

CB Danny Johnson. I’m a Danny Johnson fan. I want him to make the team. He’s a tough, quick player with good ball skills. He can tackle, he can cover, and he can return. He also has been plagued by injury and finds himself behind a number of other corners on the depth chart. The Redskins used about a thousand different guys in the secondary last year, so I would not be surprised to see Johnson suit up at some point this season. But if he doesn’t really shine, this is probably the end of the road for him in DC. I hope he gets another shot.

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