Washington Redskins 53-Man Roster Projection, 8/1/12

With just about a week of training camp behind us, it's hard to believe how much has transpired so far in the way of roster battles. Evan Royster taking first-team reps? Brandon Banks beating press coverage? Jammal Brown struggling to get onto the field? (Shocker.)

Predictably enough, injuries are the main cause of the biggest changes to the projected 53-man roster for this week. Jonathan Goff is done for the year, Kory Lichtensteiger is out for the preseason and Jammal Brown remains "out indefinitely" after aggravating his hip during wind sprints, though it is not season-threatening. Other players such as Tanard Jackson and Darrel Young suffered minor injuries in camp that are not deemed serious, but bear monitoring.

With that said, tweaking to last week's pre-camp projection of the final roster needed to happen after these players tweaked prior injuries themselves. Here's a better idea of how things are shaping up, with new names to the roster in red:

Quarterbacks (3)

Robert Griffin III, Rex Grossman, Kirk Cousins

Missing the Cut

Jonathan Crompton

Nothing to see here, folks. No more Rex vs. Becks to talk about. Or Campbell vs. Collins. Or Wuerffel vs. Matthews. Or having to watch Jeff George take a snap vs. suicide.

Halfbacks/Fullbacks (4)

Tim Hightower, Roy Helu, Jr., Evan Royster, Darrel Young

Missing the Cut

Alfred Morris, Antwan Bailey, Lennon Creer, Stafon Johnson

PUP

Tristan Davis

No changes from last week here as well. Still look for Alfred Morris to be called upon at some point this season, but since depth is needed at other positions he will likely start his career on the practice squad. We saw the same thing last season with Evan Royster.

Wide Receivers (6)

Pierre Garcon, Joshua Morgan, Santana Moss, Leonard Hankerson, Anthony Armstrong, Brandon Banks

Missing the Cut

Terrence Austin, Aldrick Robinson, Dezmon Briscoe, Darius Hanks, Brian Hernandez, Sam Kirkland, Lance Lewis

Last week, a lot of people wanted to see a safe roster spot for Aldrick Robinson, but the fact is he just has not earned it. He has struggled in camp so far with false starts and drops, which never bodes well if a player on the bubble continues those habits. Robinson is one of the many on the outside looking in, but of those players, he has one of the best shots of making the final roster.

Robinson’s biggest competition in making the final 53 is Brandon Banks, who has impressed in the early-goings. He has shown improvements on offense by displaying ability to beat press coverage, which is impressive for anyone sporting a (generously listed) 153-pound frame. He’s going to need to continue to prove his versatility and show his coaches that he’s more than just a return man. Thus far in his career, Banks has been a one-trick pony, and it hasn’t been a very good trick.

Tight Ends (4)

Fred Davis, Chris Cooley, Logan Paulsen, Niles Paul

Missing the Cut

Richard Quinn, Beau Reliford

Rumors swirled Monday about a possible trade involving Chris Cooley and the Oakland Raiders, but there is no guarantee one will happen. The Redskins are certainly in the market for offensive line depth, and Cooley’s health issues in the past and his hefty price tag suggest that he could be on the way out. Reports from camp are that he is healthy, so it does make some sense for the Redskins to try and get something in return for him while they still can. It’s nothing more than a rumor at this point, but it will be interesting to see if anything more concrete surfaces in the near future.

Offensive Linemen (9)

Trent Williams, Tyler Polumbus, Maurice Hurt , Kory Lichtensteiger, Chris Chester, Josh LeRibeus, Adam Gettis, Will Montgomery, Willie Smith

Missing the Cut

Tom Compton, Jordan Black, James Lee, Erik Cook, Grant Garner, Nick Martinez, Cole Pemberton

PUP

Jammal Brown

Although Jammal Brown will not need season-ending surgery, life still gets a little easier for Willie Smith, who should have a much clearer path to the roster than before. Maurice Hurt was a name I left off last time because guard was a position the Redskins added depth to via the draft. But with news surfacing that Kory Lichtensteiger will miss the entire preseason with further problems with his knee, the Redskins will need something more than two rookie linemen as insurance. Hurt doesn’t provide much more than they do at this point, but it’s something.

Defensive Linemen (6)

Adam Carriker, Stephen Bowen, Jarvis Jenkins, Kedric Golston, Barry Cofield, Chris Neild

Missing the Cut

Kentwan Balmer, Darrion Scott, Doug Worthington, Chris Baker, Delvin Johnson

It would be nice to have Kentwan Balmer, Darrion Scott and Doug Worthington making the cut. You can never have too much depth on a defensive line to keep players fresh, however, there is just too much help needed elsewhere. The six that will make the cut are more than capable of holding the fort down on their own, although it would be nice to get them some help down the road.

Linebackers (8)

Brian Orakpo, Ryan Kerrigan, Rob Jackson, Markus White, London Fletcher, Perry Riley, Lorenzo Alexander, Keenan Robinson

Missing the Cut

Bryan Kehl, Chris Wilson, D.J. Holt, Monte Lewis, Brian McNally, Jonathan Goff

Jonathan Goff has been cut after tearing the same ACL that sidelined him for all of 2011. He put together a tremendous 2010 campaign and it’s unfortunate that it will be another year before he gets the chance to prove himself capable of playing at that same level.

The only good news about this is that the Redskins have enough depth at inside linebacker with Lorenzo Alexander and rookie Keenan Robinson to warrant addressing other positions in need. I wouldn’t envision using another spot on a linebacker given the fragility of the offensive line and the uncertainty at safety.

Defensive Backs (10)

DeAngelo Hall, Josh Wilson, Madieu Williams, Cedric Griffin, Kevin Barnes, Morgan Trent, Tanard Jackson, Brandon Meriweather, Reed Doughty, DeJon Gomes

Missing the Cut

David Jones, Brandyn Thompson, Richard Crawford, Jordan Bernstine, Michael Hamlin, Travon Bellamy

Madieu Williams is the new name on this list, and he’s gotten off to a very nice start at camp so far. Not only is he in the mix for a roster spot, but he could even be in line to start a few games if Tanard Jackson is unable to prove himself healthy enough to shoulder a heavy workload this season. Health has always been a concern for Jackson, and it appears he has a new nagging calf injury on top of attempting to recover fully from a torn rotator cuff.

Richard Crawford is someone worth keeping an eye on as well, as he’s already drawn attention by disrupting passes and showing his versatility in the return game. Crawford is doing precisely what a longshot has to do if he wants to separate himself from the practice squad bodies. As of now, he is still on the outside looking in, but people may be pleasantly surprised where he stands once camp nears its end.

Special Teams (3)

Neil Rackers, Sav Rocca, Nick Sundberg

Missing the Cut

Graham Gano

I don’t think we’ll really know much about the kicking battle until preseason begins and we see how Graham Gano and Neil Rackers fare in real-game situations. Right now, I’m going with my gut and slotting Rackers in the 53-man roster, but in all fairness, I expected the same fate for Shayne Graham a year ago.