Surprise Addition on Projected Final Redskins 53-Man Roster

The Washington Redskins ended their preseason with a 20-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday. Like every NFL team, the Redskins will now have to decide who will represent their 53-man roster to start the regular season.

The deadline for each team to submit their final roster is Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.

Washington will have several tough decisions to make and there could be a few surprises on the roster as far as who makes it and who doesn’t.

From a sheer talent standpoint, this might be the best collection of talent coach Jay Gruden has had to work with.

After last night’s performance, I have made a few changes to my final roster.

I have also added a surprise player that has performed well all offseason and could give the Redskins a spark at a position of need.

Will the Redskins continue the trend they have established in keeping their draft picks? Over the past few years, the Redskins have kept the majority of players from their 2017 and 2018 draft classes on the final opening-day rosters. This year should be no different as the 2019 draft class has been steady throughout training camp and the preseason.

As mentioned in the previous 53-man roster, I think the hardest decisions for the Redskins will be what to do with quarterback Colt McCoy and also which young wideouts will make the final roster.

Here is my final updated roster:

OFFENSE (26 players)

Quarterback
Case Keenum
Dwayne Haskins
Colt McCoy

Running Back
Derrius Guice
Samaje Perine
Adrian Peterson
Chris Thompson

Wide Receiver
Robert Davis
Josh Doctson
Kelvin Harmon
Terry McLaurin
Trey Quinn
Paul Richardson
Stephen Sims

Tight End
Vernon Davis
Jordan Reed
Jeremy Sprinkle

Offensive Line
Tony Bergstrom
Geron Christian
Erik Flowers
Wes Martin
Morgan Moses
Donald Penn
Ross Pierschbacher
Chase Rouiller
Brandon Scherff

DEFENSE (24 players)

Defensive Line
Jonathan Allen
Caleb Brantley
Matt Ioannidis
Daron Payne
Tim Settle

Linebacker
Ryan Anderson
Jon Bostic
Shaun Dion Hamilton
Josh Harvey-Clemons
Cole Holcomb
Ryan Kerrigan
Cassanova McKinzy
Montez Sweat

Cornerback
Quinton Dunbar
Fabian Moreau
Jimmy Moreland
Josh Norman
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
Greg Stroman

Safety
Troy Apke
Landon Collins
Deshazor Everett
Montae Nicholson
Jeremy Reaves

Specialist (3 players)

Kicker
Dustin Hopkins

Punter
Tress Way

Long Snapper
Nick Sundberg

Could McCoy be placed on the injured reserve list with a leg injury?

The former Texas standout knows coach Jay Gruden’s offense but has dealt with a myriad of injuries since his arrival in Washington six seasons ago.

The team already hinted that fourth-round running back Bryce Love would more than likely have a ‘redshirt season’ which means he would be a candidate to be on the injury-related PUP list for the full season. Rookie linebacker Jordan Brailford is another player that the team will have to make a decision on. His sample size has been small due to an injury sustained back in training camp and he most likely will start off on injured reserve.

The Injury related PUP list states that players must sit out the first six weeks of the regular season. At that point, teams have a five-week window in which to allow the player to begin practicing. From the day the player begins practicing, teams have an additional 21-day window in which to decide whether to activate the player on to the 53-man roster. If either of those deadlines passes, the player must remain on the PUP list for the remainder of the season.

Washington will have several tough decisions to make as the competition among young players has stood out going back to minicamp.

Will the Redskins keep more offensive lineman than in years past with the ongoing holdout of 7x Pro Bowl left tackle, Trent Williams?

With recent injuries to tight end Jordan Reed (concussion protocol) and cornerback Fabian Moreau (ankle), will the Redskins keep one more player at those respective positions?

My surprise addition to the roster is wideout Stephen Sims Jr. The former Kansas product has played well throughout training camp and the preseason and shows a special ability as a returner.  With the injury history of the wideout room, Sims could be a nice backup slot receiver to Trey Quinn and excell as a game changing returner. He will be in a battle to make the final roster with challenges coming from Robert Davis, Cam Sims, Bryan Quick and Darvin Kidsey. I would keep him because of his game changing potential on a special teams group that needs it.

Whatever the Redskins decide, they will have tough decisions that they haven’t had the luxury to make in years past. The young players fighting for spots on this year’s roster have proved that they belong at the next level. Finding out if there is enough room for them will have to wait until Saturday afternoon.

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