Washington Football: WFT gets major boost at training camp with latest roster moves
By Jerry Trotta
The early reports out of Washington Football Team training camp suggest the squad arrived motivated to defend its division crown and make the postseason for the second straight year for the first time since they qualified in three straight seasons from 1990 to 1992.
The quarterback competition has reportedly been as good advertised. The defensive line looks ready to dominate, and there have been some standout performers, including safety London Collins and wideouts Terry McLaurin, Dyami Brown and DeAndre Carter, among others.
You know what would really give the Football Team a major boost, though? If some of their foundational pieces started making their way back from the sidelines.
While the Football Team is still waiting for some key players to return, they just received some uplifting news on the COVID front. On Thursday morning, Washington announced that Brandon Scherff and Daron Payne were both activated from the reserve/COVID-19list.
We have activated the following players from the Reserve/COVID-19 List:
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 5, 2021
-Brandon Scherff
-Daron Payne
The Football Team’s latest roster moves should give the team a boost.
You know what makes those moves even more reassuring? Scherff and Payne didn’t even last a week on the COVID-19 list, as players who test positive are required to self-isolate for at least a handful of days (10 days for unvaccinated players), per league protocols.
The Football Team’s offensive and defensive lines welcoming back two integral pieces should mean both units start performing with more gusto at practice.
Washington’s moral will only improve once the likes of Curtis Samuel, defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis and offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas join Scherff, Payne and the rest of the team at camp, but we’ll cross that bridge when the time comes.
About 24 hours earlier, the Football Team received another dose of positive news when they placed safety Deshazor Everett back on the active roster. The veteran DB landed on the non-football illness before camp, but passed his physical on Tuesday and was activated.
S Deshazor Everett passed his physical and has been placed back on the active roster. pic.twitter.com/hQeUs3LgO9
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 3, 2021
A clear favorite of Washington’s coaching staff, Everett provides just as much value in the secondary as he does on special teams, where he’s earned the captain title.
The Texas A&M product signed with the Football Team as an undrafted free agent back in 2015 and is one of the longest tenured players on the team, so you can imagine the impact his return will have on the mood in the locker room and on the practice field.
How highly regarded is Everett by the franchise? Well, despite being a rotational piece in the secondary and a special teams ace, Washington signed him to a three-year (!) extension worth $1.3 million annually with a chance to earn more through incentives back in 2019.
On the surface, the return of a few players during the second week of camp might not seem important. However, Scherff, Payne and Everett are pillars of the locker room and will be paramount to the team’s success in 2021.
