Washington Football Team elevates Nate Orchard, puts Matt Ioannidis on IR
The Washington Football Team lost Matt Ioannidis for the season and is replacing him with Nate Orchard.
In Sunday’s loss to the Cleveland Browns, the Washington Football Team lost a couple of defensive linemen early in the contest. Chase Young exited the game with a groin injury while Matt Ioannidis left with an arm issue.
Washington’s line was still in good shape without the two because of the depth they have, but fans were still eagerly awaiting news about the status of two of their top pass rushers. Unfortunately, it was confirmed that Ioannidis had a torn bicep and was set to miss the rest of the season. And Washington made that official on Tuesday.
According to the team’s official website, Washington placed Ioannidis on IR. Though players can be activated after three weeks of being on IR this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ioannidis’ season is over.
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To replace him on the active roster, Washington elevated defensive end Nate Orchard from the practice squad. Orchard was a second-round pick by the Browns in 2015 and joined Washington midway through last season. He fared well in five games of action and racked up 14 tackles and a sack for the squad.
Orchard, 27, wasn’t able to make the initial 53-man roster in Washington because of the depth the team had on the defensive line and the fact that he was a bit of a tweener for the 4-3 defense. That said, he should help provide solid depth up front and will now get a chance to work in some pass rush packages and prove to Ron Rivera and Jack Del Rio that he should stick around and play for the team moving forward.
Next. Five positives and negatives from WAS loss to CLE. dark
Losing Ioannidis definitely stings, but his absence will give the team a chance to identify players like Orchard and Tim Settle in larger roles. That’s at least one silver lining after the loss of the tough interior defender.