Washington Football Team: Ron Rivera makes eye-opening roster assessment before deadline

The Washington Football Team wrapped up its preseason slate on Saturday night, losing in blowout fashion to Baltimore in a truly forgettable game.

Like always, some players performed better than others, but it goes without saying they didn’t make Ron Rivera’s job any easier leading up to Tuesday’s 4 p.m. EST deadline, when 53-man rosters must be finalized.

Going into the game, Rivera likely had a good idea (aside from a few spots) in terms of which players would fill out his roster.

However, the Football Team head coach made a fairly shocking revelation while speaking to the media on Sunday following the 37-3 loss, saying that up to six (!) roster spots could be there for the taking.

As reporter JP Finaly of NBC Sports Washington wisely pointed out, that obviously isn’t six out of 53. Rather, it involves every player that’s currently on the roster bubble, which could be up to about 20 players in total.

Football Team HC Ron Rivera has a lot of questions to answer before he finalizes his 53-man roster.

"“There was probably four spots that really were completely open and after watching one more time, two more spots became an even bigger battle,” Rivera said. “It may change but I’ll say right now at a minimum six spots were impacted.”"

While preseason games are largely meaningless, Rivera learned next to nothing in Saturday’s drubbing.

Looking for some clarity regarding whom he might keep as a return specialist(s), the defense performed so poorly that Washington didn’t get a single punt return. It’s anyone’s guess who Rivera is considering for that role now.

Rivera also has to wait and see the severity of Torry McTyer’s injury after the emerging cornerback left with a concussion and didn’t return. Could that lead to Washington carrying an extra CB on the roster? We wouldn’t rule it out.

And what about the defensive end position? While Chase Young and Montez Sweat are locked in as starters, projected backups James Smith-Williams (leg) and Casey Toohill (toe) are currently combatting injuries. In their absence, neither one of Shaka Toney or William Bradley-King stepped up against the Ravens.

Let’s rattle off some more conundrums Rivera could be mulling. Could he keep an extra receiver after both Antonio Gandy-Golden and Dax Milne balled out vs Baltimore? The same could question could be posed for the offensive line.

Furthermore, Peyton Barber and Jaret Patterson struggled in the run game. Is one of them in danger of missing the 53-man cut? Probably not, but it certainly didn’t look like Washington needs to carry four RBs on the roster.

The safety position also presents a headache for Rivera. Could Darrick Forrest and Jeremy Reaves, who are widely said to be battling it out for the final, both end up making the team now?

We know these are A LOT of questions, but you can bet that at least some of them are currently driving Rivera crazy. Fasten those seatbelts, folks, because we could be in for some major surprises before Tuesday evening.

Washington Football Team: Roster bubble watch leading up to 53-man deadline

With the 53-man roster deadline less than one week away, let's take a look at the roster bubble for the Washington Football Team.