Commanders’ roster shuffle creates intriguing position battle at tight end

Every NFL team must team their offseason rosters from 90 to 85 players by Tuesday evening. While some teams got a head start by cutting players over the weekend, the Washington Commanders waited until Tuesday morning to get their ducks in a row.

Several reports have confirmed Washington released cornerback De’Vante Bausby and offensive guard Deion Calhoun, while fullback Alex Armah and tight end Sammis Reyes landed on the reserve/injured list.

This is an unfortunate turn of events for Armah and Reyes, as neither player can return to the Commanders’ active roster this season.

In other words, both players are out for the year. It’s especially unfortunate for Reyes, who became the NFL’s first Chilean-born player when he signed with Washington last year and made the 53-man roster out of camp and preseason. He went on to appear in 11 games and played mostly on special teams.

Fans will undoubtedly hate this for Reyes, but his injury designation creates a compelling battle between Armani Rogers and Curtis Hodges for the fourth and (presumably) final tight end spot on the 53-man roster.

With Sammis Reyes out for the year, undrafted TEs Armani Rogers and Curtis Hodges will battle to make the Commanders’ roster.

The Commanders’ tight end room has battled injuries all offseason. Logan Thomas is still recovering from ACL surgery. It’s unclear when he’ll return to practice, but he seems like a long shot to be ready for Week 1. Additionally, Cole Turner, one of the biggest stars of training camp, is out with a hamstring.

Washington being cautious with the talented rookie, who could be shelved for another week or two. Meanwhile, second-year player John Bates has missed most of training camp with a calf injury. The 2021 fourth-rounder returned to practice briefly last week, but re-aggravated the injury and has been out ever since.

Thus, Rogers and Hodges have taken the tight end spotlight and both players performed well in their preseason debuts Saturday vs Carolina. Rogers and Hodges were each targeted five times and hauled in three catches apiece.

Both of those were team-highs for the game.

Assuming Thomas, Bates and Turner are roster locks — and Washington only keeps four tight ends on the active roster — Reyes’ unfortunate injury means Rogers and Hodges are likely going to battle it out for the final spot.

Worth noting, too, that the Commanders’ roster currently stands at 86 players, meaning they’ll have to cut/IR another player before the deadline.