Washington Commanders 2022 practice squad tracker

The Washington Commanders submitted their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday. Believe it or not, they were the first team to reveal their roster.

While most of the depth chart for the upcoming season is set in stone, many of the decisions to waive or cut players were done strategically with the hope they’d clear waivers and end up back on the practice squad.

There were some surprising cuts and decisions, like cutting both Danny Johnson and Corn Elder, which left the cornerback room paper thin. In addition, Jaret Patterson got the axe in favor of Jonathan Williams and athletic linebacker Khaleke Hudson missed the cut in favor of young linebackers Milo Eifler and De’Jon Harris.

The Commanders are allowed to keep sixteen players on the practice squad this campaign. As players get claimed or survive the waiver wire, bookmark this page to stay up to date with which players make the 16-man squad.

Who is on the Washington Commanders 2022 practice squad?

As of submission of this article, the Commanders reportedly want the following players back on the practice squad.

• Marken Michel, WR
• Steven Parker, S
• Ferrod Gardner, S/LB
• Jaret Patterson, RB
• Aaron Monteiro, OL
• Wes Martin, OL
• Kyric McGowan, WR
• Jon Toth, OL

Corn Elder, CB

We highlighted Elder as someone who was unlucky to make the initial regular-season roster, so it’s not a surprise he’s on the practice squad. The former Ron Rivera draft pick was a camp standout and performed will in preseason.

Danny Johnson, CB

You just had a feeling Johnson would find his way back. Wouldn’t be a surprise to see him on the active roster on several occasions this year.

Kyric McGowan, WR/KR

While Dax Milne is expected to return punts, the Commanders have yet to announce their kick returner. Perhaps McGowan, oft-utilized as a return specialist during camp and the preseason, still has an outside shot.

Marken Michel, WR

Another predictable returnee, Michel flashed throughout camp and finished the preseason with four catches for 58 yards.

Jon Toth, OL

Toth didn’t cover himself in glory in the preseason finale, but he appeared in six games last year with so many injuries to the center position.

Aaron Monteiro, OL

Another depth option for the Commanders, Monteiro logged a 61.1 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus this preseason.

William Bradley-King, DE

The Commanders are smart to keep Bradley-King to after he compiled five run stops, four pressures, three hurries and a QB hit this preseason.

Khaleke Hudson, LB

It was a tad surprising Washington cut Hudson given he was in contention for the vacant Buffalo nickel role. Perhaps the coaching staff isn’t quite ready to give up on developing the athletic third-year linebacker.

Ferrod Gardner, S/LB

The Commanders gave Gardner a hefty signing bonus as an undrafted free agent this offseason and his versatility was on full display this preseason, as he lined up in the box on 12 snaps, as a free safety 14 times and in the slot six times.

David Bada, DL

Part of the International Pathway Program, Bada does NOT count against the 16-player cap for the practice squad.

Nolan Laufenberg, OL

You can never have too much offensive line depth. Laufenberg is back in Washington after spending most of 2021 on the practice squad.

Alex  Akingbulu, OT

Akingbulu will serve as extra insurance at tackle behind Charles Leno, Sam Cosmi, Cornelius Lucas, Saahdiq Charles and Chris Paul.

Jaret Patterson, RB

Patterson oddly was’t part part of the initial wave of Washington’s practice squad signings, so it’s relieving he made the list. The Maryland native is back for another year and we wouldn’t bet against him making the active roster a few times.

Alex Erickson, WR/KR

Erickson’s inclusion is bad news for McGown, as the vet is seemingly ahead of the undrafted free agent to get reps in the return game. If Milne goes down, look for Erickson or McGowan to be promoted to punt returner.

Troy Apke, DB

This might be the biggest surprise, as Apke was part of the Commanders’ first round of roster cuts. A special teams ace who played sparingly on defense, we like to think Nate Kaczor had some influence in Apke’s re-signing.

Note: Per reports, it doesn’t seem as though Washington will sign Justin Hamilton, Steve Parker or Tre Walker to the practice squad.