Washington Football Team: Which recent draft picks are in danger of getting cut?
By Jerry Trotta
The Washington Football Team’s release of Steven Sims Jr. on Monday sent a clear message to fans: regardless of your previous contributions to the team, pedigree or draft status, you have to earn your spot on the roster.
With the 53-man roster deadline just one week away, Washington fans should expect more high-profile cuts after the third preseason game.
After all, Ron Rivera sent shockwaves throughout the fan base when he told the media that recent draft picks aren’t untouchable.
It’s worth speculating if Rivera was hinting at something, because the Football Team needs to reduce its roster from 85 to 80 players by Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. At the end of the month, another 27 players will get the axe.
Taking that into account, it only seems fitting that we highlight some recent draft picks who are in danger of getting cut.
I asked Ron Rivera if his draft picks had a better chance at a roster spot than other players: “Sometimes there's a certain point every now and then we just have to admit a mistake to move on.” https://t.co/hErAfdjdVZ
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) August 22, 2021
Football Team: These recent draft picks could get cut by Aug. 31
As far as the 2021 draft class is concerned, it goes without saying that Jamin Davis, Sam Cosmi, Dyami Brown and Benjamin St-Juste are locks to be starters, let alone make the final roster. You could even throw fourth-round tight end John Bates in there in light of the injuries to Temarrick Hemingway and Sammis Reyes.
In the worst-case scenario, Bates will star the year on the practice squad. That brings us to our first player from the 2020 class.
Antonio Gandy-Golden
This one’s tough, as we listed Antonio Gandy-Golden as a “winner” from Friday’s win over the Bengals. Injuries limited the 2020 fourth-round pick to just six games as a rookie, but he’s impressed at training camp.
Gandy-Golden’s size will present matchup nightmares for opponents, so that could end up being his saving grace. However, there may only be two spots (maybe one) behind Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, Adam Humphries and Brown.
Is the 6-foot-4 WR ahead of DeAndre Carter, Cam Sims, Dax Milne, Isaiah Wright and Tony Brown in the pecking order? We’ll know soon enough.
After first set of cuts, pretty clear that Washington coaches like what they see from Antonio Gandy Golden, Jaret Patterson https://t.co/lE7RujNaH3
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) August 18, 2021
Keith Ismael
Though we wouldn’t rule out any surprises, the Football Team’s offensive line group for 2021 could be set in stone.
The way we see it, the tackle position will consist of Charles Leno, Cornelius Lucas, Sam Cosmi and David Sharpe, who was just activated off the COVID list on Monday, while the interior group should feature Brandon Scherff, Ereck Flowers, Chase Roullier, Tyler Larsen and Wes Schweitzer.
That could leave 2020 fifth-rounder Keith Ismael, who played just four offensive snaps as a rookie, on the outside looking in.