Roster Moves

August 9, 2018

by Steve Thomas

It’s gameday!!! It’s seemed like a very long offseason, for some reason, and I’m ecstatic that it’s over.  We published our abbreviated preseason game preview yesterday (read it here), so with that done, we wanted to catch up with the back of the roster moves that the Redskins have made over the past few days that we tweeted but didn’t write about.

The Redskins signed linebacker Cassanova McKinzy, who was with the team earlier this offseason.  McKinzy, 6’3”, 257 pounds, is an Auburn product who first entered the league in 2016 as an undrafted free agent with Tampa Bay.  He also spent time with the Rams’ practice squad before being signed by Washington on January 1, 2018.  The Redskins waived him on April 30, so this represents McKinzy’s second opportunity with the team.  He played 38 games at Auburn, with 149 solo tackles, 109 assisted tackles, and 2 interceptions from 2012 – 2015.  McKinzy bench pressed 225 pounds 21 times at the NFL Combine and ran the 40 yard dash in 4.83 seconds at the Auburn Pro Day in 2016.

The Redskins also signed defensive lineman Dante Sawyer, 6’3”, 275 pounds, who played his college ball at South Carolina, where he made 45 solo tackles, 27 assisted tackles, and 11.5 tackles for loss in 32 games from 2015-2017.  At his pro day, Sawyer did 15 bench press reps at 225 pounds.  He was viewed as a priority free agent in pre-draft projections, and now gets his chance in a crowded Redskins position group.

To make room for McKinzy and Sawyer, the Redskins waived linebacker Alex McCalister and defensive lineman Tavaris Barnes.