Washington Redskins Players Likely to Be Cut Before Start of 2015 Season

The start of the 2015 NFL season remains months away. But as the Washington Redskins demonstrated with the cuts of Tracy Porter and Chris Chester, it's never too early for a team to set its sights on the 53-man roster it'll open the year with.

With more cuts to come, you have to ask yourself, who else on the team's roster can we expect to be shown the door? Let's find out.

Here are five more Washington players likely to be cut before the start of the season.

C Austin Reiter

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press

Cutting a player you just selected in the draft isn't an ideal scenario for any NFL team. Not long after the team cut emergency center Chester, though, seventh-round pick Austin Reiter will also succumb to this fate.

While he's one of the true centers on the roster, starter Kory Lichtensteiger formerly was a guard. But still, Reiter doesn't have the numbers in his favor to make the team.

What numbers, you ask? Well, games played for one—as in experience. It's no fault of his own, but with the Redskins breaking in two new starters on the right side of the offensive line, you can't say it'd be wise for the team to have another green player in a prominent role.

And let's not forget that Reiter's youth also makes him a candidate for Washington's practice squad. 

Who are we kidding, though? Reiter's fate is exclusively tied to one Josh LeRibeus.

After spending the first three years of his career at guard, the former third-round pick is now giving the center position a try:

"

One thing I didn't add w/ @kevins980 is that Josh LeRibeus was once again working at center ...Position versatility is a must.

— Chris Russell (@Russellmania980) June 9, 2015"

LeRibeus' move to center isn't being eyed as a permanent one, but as head coach Jay Gruden relayed to Brian McNally of CBS DC, for the short-term it's all but necessary:

"

It’s important. It really is, because that’s one thing that we’re missing with Chris [Chester]. If something were to happen to Kory [Lichtensteiger] in a game, Chris was our backup center.

So we have to train another guy to be a center and Josh is taking the right steps to do that. We’ll have some backup centers in-house if something were to happen long-term, but it’s important on gameday that we have a backup center. Right now, Josh is working hard at it. Spencer Long is also working at it. We have to have that covered.

"

His performance in training camp will be a determining factor, but save LeRibeus struggling, Reiter is destined for the practice squad.

DL Kedric Golston

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Injuries ravaged Washington's depth along the defensive line last season. The likes of Barry Cofield, Stephen Bowen and Jason Hatcher, just to name a few, all missed time to injury. 

Fielding a front with injured or fatigued players, per ESPN.com's John Keim, the 'Skins surrendered an average of 2.65 yards before contact on runs last year, 19th in the NFL.

Knowing this full well, general manager Scot McCloughan made it a point to bolster this unit in free agency. 

In place of Cofield and Bowen, he acquired Stephen Paea, Terrance Knighton and Ricky Jean Francois. He didn't stop there either. Later in the offseason he brought Jerrell Powell into the fold. 

Now do the math. Fully aware that Washington only carried seven players along the defensive line to open last season, there isn't room for Chris Baker, Frank Kearse and Kedric Golston to all make the team in light of these additions.

The least productive and oldest of this trio, Golston, 32, is the odd man out. It was clear last season that he had little left in the tank. Limited by injury, he registered just seven tackles in 13 games.

With younger and cheaper alternatives available, the Redskins can do without Golston and his $1.1 million cap hit, per Spotrac.com.

RB Chris Thompson

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Not much has changed with Chris Thompson.

The potential is still there for him to infuse some much-needed speed into Washington's backfield. It's especially true with Roy Helu gone, but the need for a pass-catching back still exists.

Even so, after two seasons, Thompson has run out of opportunities to seize a role on this team. 

The Redskins only carried four backs at the start of last season. With Alfred Morris and fullback Darrel Young returning—in addition to Washington bringing rookie Matt Jones aboard—Thompson is left to battle Silas Redd, Trey Williams and Michael Hill for the final spot.

Eyed as a potential return man once upon a time, Thompson doesn't even have special teams to fall back on as a selling point to keep him on the team now that Jamison Crowder is in D.C..

Keeping in mind that Redd not only beat out Thompson for a roster spot in 2014, but actually produced when his number was called upon—albeit rarely—he has to be looked at as the favorite to nab the final spot.

S Phillip Thomas

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Despite the fact Phillip Thomas is entering his third NFL season, the Redskins aren't any closer in knowing what they have in their former fourth-round pick.

He's appeared in just eight games (four starts) and tallied 27 tackles. Even with Ryan Clark and Brandon Meriweather gone, you can't say Thomas has done enough to distinguish himself as a potential heir apparent.

But that's where the additions of Jeron Johnson and Dashon Goldson come in. You can't forget about Duke Ihenacho, but the starters at safety figure to come from this trio.

In a backup role, the expectation would be for Thomas to be a contributor on special teams.

With his chief competition coming from Trent Robinson and Akeem Davis, though, Thomas again loses out here. Per Tarik El-Bashir of CSN Washington, Robinson and Davis were first and third, respectively, in tackles on special teams.

Couple this with the presence of rookie Kyshoen Jarrett, and Thomas' time in Washington has all but run out.

TE Logan Paulsen

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

At this juncture, when it comes to Jordan Reed, it's not a matter of if, but when he'll get injured.

He's missed 12 of 32 regular-season games to injury, and he's currently sidelined following knee surgery until training camp.

Niles Paul proved his worth last season, catching 39 passes for 507 yards. But with the high probability he'll be the starting tight end at some point in lieu of Reed's injury history, the Redskins would be wise to upgrade the No. 3 spot Logan Paulsen is currently manning.

Paulsen isn't much of a receiver. The past two seasons he's tallied 41 receptions with an average of 8.4 yards per catch.

He does have value as a blocker; he actually played left tackle for a series in 2014. Still, with Paul bulking up to improve in this arena (6'1", 252 lbs), per CSN's Tarik El-Bashir, Paulsen's one-dimensional game isn't enough to warrant a roster spot. 

The team has brought in tight ends Je'Ron Hamm, Chase Dixon and Devin Mahina this offseason to serve as competition. Of the group, Mahina is the most intriguing.

As Kevin Kennedy of SB Nation detailed, the 6'6" and 251-pound Mahina has both the size and athleticism to be a dual threat at tight end.

"

Mahina shows promise in the NFL as a tight end that has the ability both to block and catch the ball.

He has the size that would benefit him in the NFL and blocks well with his hands. Although he doesn't cause much separation in his routes he does have a tendency to make defenders miss, or run them over, after catching the ball. With a bit of experience he could fit into a system that would require him to earn his keep as a blocker or pass catcher.

"

He's not by any means a perfect prospect—he was undrafted after all. But with Paulsen pulling in over $2 million of Washington's cap space, according to Spotrac.com, Mahina is a good alternative to fill the No. 3 tight end spot.