Washington Roster Moves: WR Tony Brown signed, Darvin Kidsy Jr. Released

The Washington Football Team announced a bottom-of-the-roster move at wide receiver on what is effectively the last day of training camp, just 5 days before the roster has to be cut to 53 players. Ron Rivera said that yesterday’s practice would be a competitive one, and would help filter out the bottom of the roster, and now we have our first moves following it. Brown was brought in for a workout yesterday by the team.

Tony Brown is a rookie out of Colorado who signed as an undrafted free agent with Cleveland after the draft. He was released by the Browns on 31 July as the team reduced its roster to 80 players. He had a cup of coffee with the Giants before ending up on the Washington roster.

Here’s the report on him from Browns Nation published in late May:

Brown started his college career at Texas Tech, where he hoped to put himself on the NFL radar.

He hauled in 14 receptions, 250 receiving yards, and one touchdown as a reserve player during his freshmen season.

His production dropped his sophomore year, so Brown decided to transfer to Colorado after the season.

Brown was redshirted in 2017, but worked his way into the starting lineup the following year.

He finished with 32 receptions, 333 yards, and one touchdown during his first season as a starter at Colorado.

During his senior year, Brown tied for the team lead with 56 receptions, while recording 707 yards and five touchdowns along the way.

Brown earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors for his performance in 2019.

He didn’t start until his final two years in college, but Brown played well during those two seasons.

Brown is an above-average route runner with an outstanding ability to go up and catch 50-50 balls.

There’s plenty to like about his game, but he’s far from a complete player right now.

Brown hauled in 56 receptions for 707 yards and five touchdowns during his 2019 campaign.

Darvin Kidsy Jr. joined the Washington roster as an undrafted free agent in 2018 and has spent most of the past two years on the practice squad, though he was elevated to the regular roster for a short stint in each season with the team. His career stat line as a pro is 2 targets, with 1 reception for 8 yards.

At 6’1” and 195 pounds, Tony Brown is similar in stature to the 6’0”, 190 pound Kidsy.

The only surprising thing about this move is the timing. With just days to go before final cut downs, the front office seems unlikely to be counting on Brown to make the roster. Unless he brings some special teams prowess, this is likely a move to get the inside track on Brown as a practice squad player.