Cut down day & initial roster reaction
August 28, 2024
by Alex Zeese
The bloodletting has ended and Washington has their initial 53-man roster. On the eve of cuts, we saw rumors swirling that Adam Peters was working the phones hard trying to find a trade partner for 3 bubble players. They had no takers for any of the three so the commanders ended up keeping defensive tackle John Ridgeway. The other two, tight end Cole Turner and Ricky Stromberg, had no takers and were released.
Initial 53 man roster breakdown and who was cut:
Quarterbacks: Jayden Daniels, Marcus Mariota, Jeff Driskel
Released: Sam Hartman, Trace McSorley
With the NFL returning to its original rules regarding quarterbacks on the roster, and teams no longer able to stash a QB on the practice squad and use him in an emergency in-game the team was forced to keep 3. While I think there’s some hope that Hartman may return to the practice squad, none of the moves at quarterback are unexpected. Driskel played well in preseason and earned that 3rd spot on the roster. Unlike most homers, I see no big loss with McSorley.
Running Backs: Brian Robinson Jr., Austin Ekeler, Jeremy McNichols
Released: Chris Rodriguez Jr., Michael Wiley, Austin Jones
The only real competition here was for that 3rd spot on the roster, and McNichols clearly won out in preseason.
Tight ends: Zach Ertz, John Bates, Ben Sinnott, Colson Yankoff
Released: Cole Turner
This was the first real shocker of the day, Yankoff beating out Cole Turner, catching many with our pants down. I’m sorry, I will stop.
Wide receiver: Terry McLaurin, Dyami Brown, Luke McCaffrey, Olamide Zaccheaus, Jamison Crowder, Byron Pringle
Released: Davion Davis, Martavis Bryant, Mitchell Tinsley, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, Brycen Tremayne, Kazmeir Allen
We hear a lot of talk about this being the initial 53. With plenty of other teams releasing quality wideouts, I won’t be shocked at all if we see a few moves here in the next day or so. Plenty of guys who were just cut could easily come into DC and step into a #2, or #3 type role.
Offensive line: Brandon Coleman, Nick Allegretti, Tyler Biadasz, Samuel Cosmi, Andrew Wylie, Cornelius Lucas, Trent Scott, Michael Deiter, Chris Paul
Released: Julian Good-Jones, Ricky Stromberg, Braeden Daniels, David Nwaogwugwu, Armani Taylor-Prioleau, Cameron Tom
The release of Stromberg was something I was not expecting. I feel like he still had some potential if they could coach him up, but it shouldn’t have been a total shock given how center was addressed in the offseason.
Defensive line: Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Jer’Zhan Newton, Phidarian Mathis, John Ridgeway III, Clelin Ferrell, Dorance Armstrong, Javontae Jean-Baptiste, Jamin Davis
Released: Taylor Stallworth, Efe Obada, Haggai Ndubuisi, Benning Potoa’e, K.J. Henry, Nolan Pollard, Jalen Harris, Justin Hollins, Andre Jones Jr.
Cutting K.J. Henry shocked a lot of people since he played well in the last preseason game. Davis being listed by the team now as a defensive end is very interesting to me, and I wouldn’t be shocked if we find out that they are still trying to deal away John Ridgeway, given that they kept so many defensive linemen.
Linebackers: Bobby Wagner, Frankie Luvu, Dante Fowler Jr., Mykal Walker, Dominique Hampton
Released: Anthony Pittman, Chapelle Russell
This group more or less is what I expected, especially with the news that Mcgee will start the year on IR.
Safety: Jeremy Chinn, Quan Martin, Jeremy Reaves, Percy Butler, Tyler Owens, Darrick Forrest
Released: Kendell Brooks, Sheldrick Redwine
I like the depth that the team has right now at the safety position. if you want to know why a team would keep 6 guys when classically teams would have four or five at the most, I think that the new kickoff rules may play into this a little, particularly the need for more quickness to get to the ball carrier.
Cornerback: Mike Sainristil, Benjamin St-Juste, Emmanuel Forbes, Michael Davis, Noah Igbinoghene
Released: Nick Whiteside II, A.J. Wood, Tariq Castro-Fields, Chigozie Anusiem, Kyu Blu Kelly, James Pierre
This is another group in which I’m not shocked by any of the decisions, and would not be shocked if we see a new name or two up here in a few days.