John Keim has covered the Washington Redskins since 1994. Follow his work at WashingtonExaminer.com.
Hogs Haven: How did Trent look in practice yesterday? Did he do a full participation or is he still hobbling a bit?
Keim: Trent was limited, but I did not see him limping so that's a good sign. He said he feels 10 times better than he did a week ago. Mike Shanahan was not yet ready to proclaim him ready, but Williams is very confident.
With Lorenzo getting the starting gig at LB, it's silly to keep Andre on the bench. Is it safe to say we're more of a 4-3 team now going forward?
Keim: Not sure I'd say that. But I do think they'll find more ways to use him as an end, as they did this past week. It's what he does best. The base will still be a 3-4, but they've used a lot of 4-3 looks in each game. They've lined up with two tackles flanked by linebackers; that's basically a 4-3 look. So I think they'll still mix it up. Carter is so much better at this spot. Talked about this a bit in my blog Wednesday morning, but he gets a lot more power when engaging tackles with his hand in the dirt. He comes in lower, making his hands more effective when he tries to slap. As a linebacker, he comes in high and has much less power.
How do you see the RB playing out? If they sign Keiland Williams to the active roster, who goes down? A lot of teams I think could snatch up Logan Paulsen (Rams). Perhaps it's time to cut a WR like Roydell since he adds zero to the STs?
Keim: I would guess at this point it would be Williams. He can offer help in pass protection, something others can't do. I agree on Paulsen; I think he'd be signed. I doubt anyone would give Roydell much of a look. Not sure why they would, really.
With Hicks banged up, they need to sign another OL to the active roster. Is anyone on the practice squad (Erik Cook) making strides or do you foresee them bringing someone in off another practice squad?
Keim: Hicks is OK; he was just sick. Don't think they'll have to do anything there. We don't see enough of practice to know how some of the practice squaders are looking. They seem to like promoting guys off their own practice squad. Shanahan always talks about having a 61-man roster. I'm sure the eight guys on the practice squad would like a chunk of that 53-man change.