Updated depth chart - 31 August 2021 (10:00 a.m.)

UPDATES (10:00 a.m.)

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UPDATES (9:30 a.m.)

Six more

Last week I had Mayo, Norris and Kunaszyk vying for two backup LB spots. I thought that Kunaszyk looked the worst of the three, so no surprise to see him released. The other two didn’t look great, and Rivera said on Monday that he’d like a veteran linebacker, so don’t be surprised to see the linebacker room very fluid between now and Friday.

David Sharpe, no surprise, though the coaches seem to like him so he may well end up on the Practice Squad.

With the release of Bunmi Rotimi, Brisbane Australia goes into mourning. Rotimi, an ODU alumnus, actually looked pretty good in the preseason. Don’t be surprised if he ends up on the practice squad.

That sound you hear is the entire Washington fan base letting out its breath with the news that Barber was released. I doubt he gets picked up by anyone and the coaches seem infatuated with him, so he may be another PS candidate.

AGG may be the biggest surprise so far. I had been predicting that he would be cut since 2021 began, but thought he might’ve done enough in the final two preseason games to stick. Another team that liked him during the draft could snatch him off of waivers. If not, look for Rivera to put him on the practice squad.

Wes Martin had a huge hill to climb to make the roster. He didn’t couldn’t make it happen. I’m not sure how they feel about him, though Rivera was complimentary in his Monday morning press conference. He could be PS material or the team could just wash their hands of him.

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UPDATES (8:30 a.m.)

Five more cuts

No surprise with Steinmetz.

WBK was expected by most observers to be headed to the practice squad.

I had Moreland as a backup fighting for a roster spot a week ago, but a comment from a reader convinced me to move him up on the depth chart. I should’ve stuck to my conviction. The game against the Ravens convinced most people that he was unlikely to make the 53. If nobody claims him, he seems a likely practice squad candidate.

Two months ago, I had Danny Johnson making the team, primarily on the strength of his kick return ability. I had wavered in recent weeks, and Jaret Patterson changed my mind completely with his game against the Bengals. Expect Johnson to be offered a spot on the practice squad.

Likewise, two months ago I had Jeremy Reaves making the 53, but over the past several weeks he was looking more and more like the guy who just wouldn’t get on the team because of numbers and Deshazor Everett’s importance to special teams.

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INITIAL REPORT

There have been reports from several media outlets that Washington has released ten players already. Here is the list:

There are no surprises here. These ten players were at the bottom of their respective positions on the last depth chart that I published, 4 days ago.

The depth chart is now at 60 players (28 offense, 29 defense, 3 ST specialists). With the roster exemption for David Bada, they are in compliance with the league’s roster rules, with final cut down to 53 players required by 4 p.m. today, 31 August.

There will surely be some surprises and fan favorites announced today.

I’ll remind you that the initial 53 rarely represents the “final” roster of players that will take the field for Washington in Week 1. There may be some movement of players to IR after the 31 Aug roster, and the team may pick up players cut from other teams, necessitating that players who initially looked ‘safe’ to be cut. The roster ‘tweaking’ often goes on for about a week beyond final cut downs as the coaches and front office position themselves to build the strongest, deepest roster they can ahead of the start of the regular season.

If you are wondering about the numbers on the depth chart, those represent the 2021 cap hits for players over $1m for the season.

As always, the assessment of position, depth, and skill level is mine alone; it does not necessarily reflect the thinking of the coaching staff and no one else was consulted regarding it’s construction.