The Washington Commanders’ 53-man roster is set. Well, at least the initial 53-man roster.
All NFL teams met the 4 pm mandated deadline. Now begins the waiver period, during which teams can claim players who have been waived. Wednesday, starting at noon ET, teams will be permitted to sign 16 players to their practice squad.
Here are some quick thoughts on Washington’s first 53.
Five wide receivers
The Commanders’ only keeping five wide receivers raises suspicion they may choose to do as they did last season, when they went out and signed WR Noah Brown after the Houston Texans had released him. GM Adam Peters certainly put in plenty of offseason work, bringing in multiple receivers. Yet, none of them produced enough to warrant a roster spot. Thus, Peters and his staff are no doubt searching the NFL transactions list to see which receivers they want to bring to Ashburn for a workout. Or they may simply sign one to the roster.
Clelin Ferrell was no surprise
DE Clelin Ferrell simply was not a surprise cut this season. We would have loved to see Ferrell step up and begin to play like one drafted fourth overall in the NFL draft; however, that has not occurred for Ferrell. It may sound strange to some, but I think Ferrell was only a victim of the Raiders, having no idea what they were doing when they drafted him 4th overall in the 2019 draft.
UDFA LB Ale Kaho earned it
While watching the Commanders’ preseason games this August, we found ourselves noticing No. 51 making plays on the defensive side of the ball once the games reached the second half. But who was this No. 51? I’ll admit it, I had to look on the roster online to find that he is Ale Kaho (LB). Who? That’s right, Ale Kaho was undrafted out of UCLA. He tackled well and played aggressively. Kaho earned his spot.
More veteran DL moves
DT Sheldon Day played a lot for the Commnanders in 2024. With Jonathan Allen tearing a pectoral muscle, Day saw action in 12 games for the Burgundy and Gold. Yet, the Commanders were not overwhelmingly impressive against the run, finishing 30th in the league. Thus, defensive linemen Day, Carl Davis, Jalyn Holmes, and Clelin Ferrell were all released on Tuesday. Some could be brought back to the practice squad, or the active roster if there are injuries.
Commanders stick with 3 QBs despite preseason struggles
QB Josh Johnson struggled in the preseason, not as badly as Sam Hartman, but Johnson was unimpressive. Yet, he has much NFL experience. Perhaps more importantly, backup QB Marcus Mariota has been nursing and rehabbing a sore Achilles tendon. Mariota last week said he hopes to be ready for the season opener on September 7 against the Giants. He may indeed be prepared, but for now, you keep a veteran QB who went through your training camp, in case you need him on opening day.
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