Washington Football Team’s Jordan Brailford claimed off PS by Vikings
By Ian Cummings
The Washington Football Team lost some of their insurance at the edge position after Sunday’s games.
The Washington Football Team is far from a finished product, as Week 5’s lopsided loss to the Los Angeles Rams displayed, but they can boast depth in certain areas, most notably their defensive line. In the wake of Matt Ioannidis’ injury, reserve lineman Tim Settle has played relatively well, and on the edge, Washington has a very strong rotation.
Washington’s edge rotation is headed by Chase Young and Montez Sweat, but even behind them, Washington has solid depth on multiple levels. Players like Ryan Kerrigan and Ryan Anderson form the top layer of that depth, while other players like Nate Orchard and James Smith-Williams fill out the ranks.
Additionally, the Washington Football Team did have 2019 seventh-round pick Jordan Brailford stashed on the practice squad, but as of last night, Brailford is no longer a member of the Washington Football Team.
According to reports from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Minnesota Vikings poached Brailford off of Washington’s practice squad after their Sunday night loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Brailford was not one of Washington’s protected players for Week 5.
Yannick Ngaokue has been as disruptive as advertised for Minnesota off the edge, but on the other side of the line, they’ve been struggling to get consistency. Danielle Hunter remains on injured reserve after suffering an injury ahead of the season, and his replacement, Ifeadi Odenigbo, has only managed one sack in five games. The Vikings likely eyed Brailford as a potential spark plug, who’d improve the team’s depth at the very least.
Brailford, 25, hasn’t yet taken an NFL snap. He was drafted in the seventh-round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Washington Football Team out of Oklahoma State. He was viewed as a relatively raw prospect, but his NFL Combine numbers — a 4.65 40-yard dash, a 37.5-inch vertical, and a 126-inch broad jump — spoke to the physical upside that he possessed.
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Brailford reportedly made some noise in this year’s training camp session with his explosiveness, but he didn’t do enough to earn a roster spot over this year’s seventh-round pick, Smith-Williams. Brailford had been on the team’s practice squad since Week 1, but now, his next opportunity will come somewhere else.