Washington Football Team: Analyzing the practice squad

Marken Michel: Michel, on the other hand is a very intriguing prospect. At 5-foot-11 and193 pounds, nothing stands out on paper (other than the insane 25 bench press reps he pulled off at his pro day, which would be respectable for an offensive lineman). Michel has decent quickness and good hands, but what really stands out is his ability to run with ball after the catch. He may come by this naturally. His little brother is former Georgia standout running back Sony Michel.

Marken does not blow you away with his speed or his burst. He is just one of those guys who plays faster than his measurables suggest. And his vision in the open field is outstanding. He also carried the ball out of the backfield in college, which may get you thinking he is here to provide depth behind playmakers like Curtis Samuel and DeAndre Carter. But Michel doesn’t have their explosiveness. His running ability and strength put me more in mind of a Golden Tate or Jarvis Landry. Or, the bizarro-world world version of JD McKissic, who transitioned from receiver to running back in college. Michel could be playing the slot for this team down the road.

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Dalton Schoen: Schoen and Michel were the two receivers signed last week. Schoen profiles as a classic Z. He has good straight-ahead speed and he put up huge numbers at Kansas State as a downfield threat. He came to the Wildcats as a walk-on and eventually averaged more than 17 yards per catch during his time in Manhattan. Whether that translates at the highest level remains questionable, and whether he has more to offer than deep balls may determine if he can stick around.

Washington has two backfield players currently on the practice squad.

Jonathan Williams (Running Back): Williams is a hard runner who had some success with Indianapolis a few years back. At this point, he is unlikely to wow anyone, which is why rookie UDFA Jaret Patterson beat him out for a roster spot. But with Peyton Barber now playing for Las Vegas, Williams remains a serviceable option should either Antonio Gibson or Patterson suffer an injury.

Kyle Shurmur (Quarterback): Shurmur was an interesting choice to bring on after Ryan Fitzpatrick went down with his hip. Granted, there were no sure things floating around out there, and it never seemed likely that Cam Newton was a realistic option. But there were certainly players with more raw talent than Shurmur.

Shurmur is a coach’s son who played at Vanderbilt and everyone has always said he sees the game very well. He simply does not appear to have an NFL arm. The decision to bring him in suggests that the Washington coaches value the mental part of quarterback play above all else. If it ever comes to Shurmur having to step in, they understand he will not win games for them with his talent. They just don’t want him to lose the games either. This follows along with the decision to play Taylor Heinicke over Steven Montez last season. Montez has a bigger arm, but Heinicke appears to be a quicker study. Given that, it makes a little more sense that Shurmur is here.