Making Call on the Washington Redskins' Hardest Remaining Cuts
With training camp wrapped and preseason nearing Week 2, it's time for the Washington Redskins to think about trimming the roster. Five players rate among the hardest cuts general manager Scot McCloughan and head coach Jay Gruden will have to make.
Two, in particular, are fringe offensive players who merely have the misfortune of competing at very crowded positions. But the ranks need to be thinned at both running back and wide receiver.
Defensively, a popular middle linebacker may be allowed to walk. Two rookies have stayed relevant during the preseason process. They represent viable depth at the heart of the linebacker corps ahead of the new season.
Find out which five players are facing the axe as the 2015 NFL season draws closer.
Jerrell Powe, NT
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Jerrell Powe got on the field in the preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns, but he may not have much more football in his Redskins career. In fact, the options at his position make Powe look like the classic camp body.
On the surface, Powe is a good option for Washington's 3-4 front. The 6'2", 331-pounder is a two-gap nose guard well-traveled in versions of the three-man-front scheme.
But the 28-year-old is far from starter material. There's just no way he's ever likely to supplant Terrance "Pot Roast" Knighton in D.C.
To make matters worse for Powe, Knighton's buddy Chris Baker can also slide over center. He's generally better at end when he can split a single gap, but Baker has shown some potential for anchoring the defense.
As if that weren't enough, Powe has had to watch veteran Kedric Golston perform his annual survival act and cling onto a roster spot. Golston has been making plays at camp, according to Stephen Czarda and Andrew Walker of the team's official site.
Golston can also play 0-technique, one more reason why he'll stick around. It's also one more reason why Powe, despite his size and 3-4 experience, will be let go.
Rashad Ross, WR
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Rashad Ross represents possibly the toughest remaining cut the Redskins will have to make. Still, it's difficult to suppose this team keeps six wide receivers around for game days.
Ross' problem is that the depth chart is front-loaded with considerable talent. The primary starters are DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon, a pair of elite players at their position.
Much-maligned Andre Roberts has plenty of talent and isn't always used properly in Gruden's offense. He's likely to face strong competition for catches from young wideouts Ryan Grant and rookie Jamison Crowder this season.
So, Ross faces being the odd man out, despite making five grabs for 68 yards against the Browns. He showed an appetite for tough catches and the willingness to fight for extra yards.
Ross can go vertical or work underneath, but the 181-pound 25-year-old just doesn't have a spot when everybody's healthy. A practice-squad berth, either in Washington or elsewhere, surely beckons.
Jackson Jeffcoat, OLB
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Jackson Jeffcoat is a name you don't want to see on the list of cuts. He's raw and inexperienced, but the basis of a talented pass-rusher is there.
The problem is that McCloughan's decision to roll the dice on Junior Galette changed things for every edge-rusher on the roster. Say Galette wins a starting berth on the weak side; that will still leave second-round draftees Trent Murphy and Preston Smith as prominent members of the rotation. Certainly, they'll be more prominent than a former undrafted player like Jeffcoat, right or wrong.
Mike Jones of the Washington Post noted how Murphy has continued lining up with the starters at camp. He's also "done a good job of setting the edge against the run." Meanwhile, ESPN.com's John Keim had praise for Smith's solid debut in Cleveland. In particular, Keim was impressed by the ex-Mississippi State star's pass-rush technique:
"One thing I liked about Preston Smith’s sack: his hands. Smith timed up the right tackle well, having rushed vs. him a few times already, got into his chest with both hands and then shed him and chased down the quarterback. My initial impression is that Smith looked OK vs. the run as well. Haven’t seen him win a lot of rushes in camp – sometimes he’s thinking too much and it shows.
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Smith also made five solo tackles against the Browns. He's generally had a rough time at camp but used a game situation to show the Redskins his potential on the outside.
Ultimately, it's Smith's and Murphy's potential this team is going to count on. Fair or not, anything Washington gets from Jeffcoat, who also notched a sack in Ohio, would be considered strictly a bonus.
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Trey Williams, RB
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Trey Williams had seven carries and even scored his first pro touchdown during the win in Cleveland. But the undrafted backfield weapon still isn't going to beat Chris Thompson to the third-down running back role.
The latter has done everything right this offseason, according to Rich Tandler of Real Redskins: "Later on with the second team offense on the field, RB Chris Thompson took a handoff on a draw and popped up the middle for a touchdown on third and goal at the five. He is quietly putting a lock on the third-down back job. It was his to lose coming into camp and he has done nothing to lose it."
What will have really earned Thompson props is the way he successfully blocked blitzing defenders more than once against the Browns. Competency as a blocker is the one string 2013's fifth-round pick needs to add to his bow if he's really going to be trusted with third-down chores.
The 5'8", 193-pound half-sized hare offers genuine breakaway speed and invaluable receiving skills out of the backfield. But if he can't pass protect on the down when defensive coordinators commonly love to create blocking mismatches via overload pressures, he won't see the field.
Thompson has already shown improvement in this key area. If he repeats the progress during the rest of preseason, Williams will be pushed off the roster.
Despite the one-yard plunge in Cleveland, Williams hardly helped his case by mustering only 15 yards on the ground against third-string defenders.
Will Compton, ILB
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Will Compton couldn't have picked a worse time to be sidelined with injury. Jones noted how the hustling third-year pro is currently suffering a groin problem that kept him out of the Browns game and some subsequent practices.
Unfortunately, Gruden was less clear about the beefy linebacker's injury, per Howard Fendrich of the Baltimore Sun: "We've got one that I've never even heard of—(linebacker) Will Compton, I don't even know what that injury is."
Either way, Compton is missing valuable time during a pivotal offseason. He entered it possibly ready to push for more playing time ahead of the disappointing Perry Riley Jr.
To be honest, that was probably always something of a long shot, even though Compton made five starts a year ago. But the 25-year-old thumper lacks the athletic range to really be effective in a 3-4.
Still, Compton at least represented solid depth. But while he's been stewing in injury limbo, rookies Martrell Spaight and Terrance Plummer have had extra opportunities to make their respective cases for roster spots.
Both players seized their chances against the Browns. Spaight was in on nine combined tackles, including five solo stops. Meanwhile, Plummer made six total tackles.
Each player can help out on special teams. Speaking of football's third phase, the captain of the coverage units, Adam Hayward, also represents a viable reserve inside linebacker.
Compton has won fans over with his effort and physicality. But by the time he returns from injury, he'll be too far behind in the pecking order.
Washington's roster can lose these five players and still be strong at key positions. That's especially true at outside pass-rusher and third-down running back.
Generally, depth is a lot better than it was at this time in 2014, something that reflects well on McCloughan's early rebuilding efforts.
All statistics and player information via NFL.com.
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