The Commanders sign a wide receiver to bring the roster to 91 players ahead of the first preseason game

Ron Rivera never misses a chance to take a close look at a player if he thinks that player may be able to help the team, whether it’s now or later.

Next Tuesday (16 August) the Commanders will have to cut 5 players and reduce the 91-man roster to an 86-man roster following the preseason game against the Panthers (Saturday at 1:00 pm).

That gives Washington’s newest wide receiver, Matt Cole, five days to establish himself on the roster before the hard decisions start.

Cole is 25 years old, 5’10” and 190 pounds. He played Division II football at McKendree University in Illinois, and his 40-time is listed as a 4.48. You can see from his RAS card below that his 10- and 20-yards splits are better than his 40 time; and his explosion grades are very strong. He has some limited experience as a punt returner, which may help him in his attempt to establish a foothold on the Commanders roster.

Cole entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2020, and has spent time with 6 other teams in two seasons. He has actually played in 2 NFL regular season games, getting only special teams snaps in each game. He played 16 snaps for the 49ers in 2020 and 18 snaps for the Panthers last season.

Aside from those two games, Cole has been a journeyman practice squad player. I’m sure that he’ll be hoping that he’s finally found a long-term home in Washington.

Updated depth chart

The numbers that appear beside some players’ names are 2022 cap hits per Over the Cap.

Please note that assigned positions and color coding are my own personal opinions. They do not necessarily represent the thinking of Washington’s coaches or front office, nor are they necessarily consistent with fan consensus. This chart represents my interpretation, and may not reflect the thoughts of other writers on Hogs Haven. Finally, when it comes to backup players, I don’t put much effort into making sure that they are on the right or left or behind the specific player that they backup. I mostly just try to fit everyone on the chart efficiently.