Washington Football Team: Live updates as WFT trims roster to 53 players
By Jerry Trotta
The NFL put a bow on its preseason slate on Sunday, which means the most ruthless part of the offseason will commence: roster cuts.
On Tuesday by 4 p.m. EST, the Washington Football Team must submit its 53-man roster for the 2021-22 season.
Will the Football Team take things right up to the deadline? Or will they have their roster finalized with plenty of time to spare? Well, when you consider that Ron Rivera claimed that six roster spots were up for grabs after Saturday’s blowout loss to the Ravens, Washington might be cutting it close.
Some teams around the league have already started making cuts, so expect the madness surrounding the Football Team to begin relatively soon.
With that in mind, we thought it’d be a good idea to keep a live tracker of all the moves Rivera and Co. make leading up to Tuesday’s cutoff. Follow along for live updates and analysis as cuts are made to Washington’s roster.
Sure it’s a 53 man roster, but more than 30 of those spots are locked up. That means there’s 6 open spots for about 20 jobs. That’s about 30 %, a huge number for late August. https://t.co/bZWS8Iayru
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) August 30, 2021
Washington Football Team: Live updates and analysis on cuts leading up to Tuesday’s 53-man roster deadline.
First up on the docket was a fairly expected move, as the Football Team waved quarterback Steven Montez. With Ryan Fitzpatrick and Taylor Heinicke taking up two spots, and Kyle Allen potentially being kept as extra insurance, there simply wasn’t enough room for Montez, so he got the axe.
However, don’t be surprised if the the young gunslinger winds up back on the practice squad when the madness subsides.
The Washington Football Team has released QB Steven Montez, per source. Practice squad is a possibility.
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) August 30, 2021
After Montez, three more names — offensive lineman Jon Toth, wideout Troy Brown and running back Jonathan Williams — entered the chopping block.
Confirmed Washington cuts so far:
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 30, 2021
QB Steven Montez
OT Jon Toth
WR Tony Brown
RB Jonathan Williams
No surprises thus far and that continued when Washington released defensive back Linden Stephens. Given the ample options Jack Del Rio has in his secondary, expect more earth-shattering cuts in the cornerback and safety groups.
The Washington Football Team will release DB Linden Stephens, per source.
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) August 30, 2021
The next group of cuts came in the form of wideout Isaiah Wright, tight end Caleb Wilson, defensive lineman Devaroe Lawrence, and safety Cole Luke.
If our math is correct, the Football Team’s roster is down to 70 players as of this writing (roughly 8:30 p.m. EST on Monday).
They must reach 53 by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, so another 17 players will unfortunately will be handed the proverbial pink slip between now and then.
Alright, we’re back and Washington kicked off deadline day with one glaring surprise, as Jimmy Moreland was cut. The 2019 seventh-rounder didn’t have a great preseason, and with so much competition in the secondary, he was the odd man out.
Here's a surprise: Washington has released CB Jimmy Moreland, per source.
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) August 31, 2021
How about another surprise? This one, believe it or not, will probably make fans happy, as the Football Team cut running back Peyton Barber.
Widely speculated as the team’s short-yardage specialist for this season, Barber’s release means Jaret Patterson could play a major role in 2021.
The Washington Football Team has released RB Peyton Barber, source said. A bit of a surprise.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 31, 2021
On top of Moreland and Barber, Washington also parted ways with safety Jeremy Reaves, edge rusher William Bradley-King, corner Danny Johnson, tackle David Steinmetz and linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk.
Washington started the day needing to trim the roster by 17. So far they have released (per sources):
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) August 31, 2021
CB Jimmy Moreland
S Jeremy Reaves
OT David Steinmetz
DE William Bradley-King (@john_keim 1st)
CB Danny Johnson
LB Jordan Kunaszyk
Reaves’ release sticks out amongst this group. Does this mean that Darrick Forrest’s roster spot is safe? We’ll know soon enough.
The Football Team was extremely busy Tuesday morning. After that round, they confirmed the release of OT David Sharpe, guard Wes Martin, and DE Bunmi Rotini.
While Sharpe getting cut is fairly surprising, nothing beat the release of fan favorite wideout Antonio Gandy-Golden. Yup. This one hurts.
It looked as though AGG was poised for a big role after injuries derailed his rookie year, but Washington decided to go its separate ways with the 2020 fourth-round pick. Expect him to be a hot commodity on waivers, however.
Washington is waiving WR Antonio Gandy-Golden, per source. A fourth-round pick out of Liberty last year with rare athletic traits, "AGG" is one to watch on waivers.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 31, 2021
The Gandy-Golden release was tough to swallow, but we move!
Washington continued trimming its defensive and offensive line depth on Tuesday when they released Gabe Wright, Keith Ishmael, Daniel Wise and Beau Benzschawel, so we’re starting to get a good idea of what those units will look like.
How about some good news, Washington fans? Amid all these roster cuts, it was reported that fan favorites, Sammis Reyes, Dax Milne, Troy Apke and Jaret Patterson have all made the 53-man roster. Let’s go!
Finally, some good roster news. Source confirms TE Sammis Reyes and CB Troy Apke are on the 53, as @john_keim reported, as is rookie WR Dax Milne
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) August 31, 2021
per source. Milne was the penultimate pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and made the roster.
Only three hours until the chaos is over. Give yourself a pat on the back if you’ve made it this far.
OK, we finally made it. Here’s the official list of cuts
Washington's official cuts to reach 53. pic.twitter.com/yEIAVvX5wu
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) August 31, 2021
Have any thoughts? Leave them in the comments below!
