Washington Football Team: Did WFT give up on Steven Sims Jr. too soon?

The Washington Football Team has an incredibly deep roster, so there was bound to be some eye-opening cuts before the regular season.

The chances of that happening increased ten fold after fans escaped the first round of cuts without having their heartstrings tugged at.

That proved true on Monday, as the Football Team released receiver Steven Sims Jr. to clear a roster spot for offensive tackle David Sharpe, who had missed most of camp and all of the preseason on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

The move came roughly 24 hours before Washington has to trim its roster from 85 to 80 players by Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.

It’s not surprising that Sims Jr. is gone, as he was always a longshot to make the final roster in a crowded wide receiver room. However, is it worth speculating if they gave up on the 24-year-old receiver too soon?

Was the Football Team right to part ways with Steven Sims Jr.?

We don’t doubt that Sims will find another home in the NFL soon, but the Football Team’s decision, as hard as it was, was justifiable.

After all, Sims cooled down after a hot start to camp and failed to make an impact in either of the first two preseasons games. The Kansas product managed one catch for 18 yards in Week 1 and dropped his only target in Friday’s win over the Bengals. He also totaled just 12 yards on his only kick return in that game.

When you consider that both Jaret Patterson and DeAndre Carter have looked better than Sims in the return game, and that Sims was behind Carter and Dax Milne in the receiving pecking order, Washington was probably right to cut him loose.

In normal circumstances, we’d be reluctant to part ways with a young WR who has starting-caliber upside on a playoff team. However, given how many players he had to leapfrog just to make the team, getting released was in Sims’ best interest.

Think about it. Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel and Adam Humphries are locked in as the starters. Behind them, the Football Team has Dyami Brown, Antonio Gandy-Golden, Cam Sims, Isaiah Wright, Carter, Milne and Troy Brown.

That’s 10 (!) receivers, folks.

Given that five or six will make the 53-man roster, Sims really didn’t stand a chance, which has wondering if Washington cut him this early to give him enough time to sign with a WR-needy team, maybe pop in the final preseason game and make a roster before the Aug. 31 deadline?

Ron Rivera is as classy as they come and obviously wants the best for the young wideout, so we aren’t ruling it out.

Whatever the case, while Sims’ release will no doubt draw mixed reviews among fans, it’s a move we ultimately have zero qualms with.

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