Many people were disappointed, but not surprised that the Redskins did not keep a fullback on the 53-man roster this year. Washington started camp with Elijah Wellman on the roster, but he was waived/injured and the team moved onto TE J.P. Holtz to play FB.
Holtz did a solid job blocking, and earned some hype from new starting RB Adrian Peterson(and a Mason-Brennan Preseason Hype! Award nomination).
"[Holtz] made a key block on [the big fourth-down run] and gave me a two-way go,” he said. “If you have guys who can do that, put him out there, because I know he’ll hit it fast and lock on his guy. That’s a lot better for running backs.”
Holtz also got some praise from Head Coach Jay Gruden, who talked about the numbers game at RB, ILB, and OL when considering keeping a 4th TE to play FB. He didn't make the cut and the Redskins kept 5 RBs, 5 ILBs, and 9 OL. One of those RBs, Byron Marshall, is reportedly a candidate for IR with a sprained ACL/MCL.
#Redskins sign TE/FB JP Holtz to the practice squad. He drove in from Pittsburgh yesterday after remaining unclaimed over the weekend. Passed his physical this morning.
— Craig Hoffman (@CraigHoffman) September 5, 2018
The Redskins dumped DL Cashaud Lyons yesterday after only one day on the team. It was reported last night by Craig Hoffman that a familiar name would be brought in, and we now know that J.P. Holtz is back with the team.
Holtz joins Matt Flanagan as a TE on the practice squad. Will Holtz ever be brought up to the main roster, or will the Redskins continue to use other players/positions for the role?