Washington Football Team: Final 53-man roster prediction

I don’t predict. I don’t project. I proclaim. So here is my take on the best possible 53-man roster for this year’s Washington Football Team.

Quarterback

Current roster: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Taylor Heinicke, Kyle Allen, Steven Montez

This is a big call right off the bat. The Washington Football Team should only keep two quarterbacks and they should be Fitzpatrick and Heinicke. Fitzpatrick has enjoyed relatively good health throughout his career and Heinicke seems to be taking steps toward preserving his health as well.

There is almost no reason to give a roster spot to a third quarterback who doesn’t appear to have much future with the club. For those of you who have read my lukewarm pieces about Heinicke, you may be surprised to see me keep him over Allen. I do believe that Allen is the steadier choice, and that he will have a decent career as an NFL backup. But Heinicke definitely has the higher upside, and the fact that Allen has missed a fair amount of time with injuries over the past year gives my nod to Taylor.

Final Roster QBs (2): Fitzpatrick, Heinicke

Running Back

Current roster: Antonio Gibson, JD McKissic, Jaret Paterson, Peyton Barber, Jonathan Williams

Gibson and McKissic are locks. Were there a productive vet slotted behind Gibson, Paterson might be a close call. As it stands now, it isn’t close. Paterson can spell both Gibson and McKissic and can return kicks. He’s on the roster. I like Jonathan Williams. He is a good hard-nosed runner. But he’s 27 now and the shelf-life of running backs is limited. That leaves Peyton Barber on a razor’s edge. More on him in a few minutes.

Final Roster RBs (3 or 4): Gibson, McKissic, Paterson, and … maybe Barber.