the final countdown

Last night on Skinscast, we tackled the topic of which players would still be members of the Washington Redskins once the final cuts are made and we’re down to the 53-man roster. This came after five players – wide receiver Burl Toler, linebacker Matt Sinclair, safety Vernon Fox, defensive tackle Babatunde Oshinowo and defensive end Dorian Smith – were given their walking papers in the first round of cuts.

Admittedly, this was not an easy process and we didn’t all exactly agree on how we thought the scenario would play out. Listed below is, barring injury, our best guess as to who’ll still be around this time next week.

QB: J. Campbell, T. Collins, C. Brennan (3)

Nothing out of the ordinary here.

RB: C. Portis, L. Betts, R. Cartwright, M. Mason (4)

Bottom line – Marcus Mason has been too good this preseason to let go. You’ve got to find a spot for him on the active roster because the second you attempt to stash him away on the practice squad another team will gladly swoop in and steal him away.

FB: M. Sellers (1)

Mike Sellers is that good. No help needed.

TE: C. Cooley, T. Yoder, F. Davis (3)

Honestly, this might be the ‘Skins deepest position on the roster.

WR: S. Moss, A. Randle El, J. Thrash, D. Thomas, M. Kelly (5)

We opted to cut both Anthony Mix and Billy McMullen, but had a harder time letting McMullen go. Really it came down to one roster spot for either McMullen or Marcus Mason, with Mason winning out.

OL: J. Jansen, C. Samuels, R. Thomas, P. Kendall, C. Rabach, S. Heyer, C. Rinehart, J. Fabini, J. Geisinger (9)

Todd Wade loses out here, mostly because he just can’t stay healthy.

DL: J. Taylor, A. Carter, C. Griffin, A. Montgomery, K. Golston, D. Evans, E. James, L. Alexander, R. Jackson, R. Boschetti (10)

This one was tough. I argued that Chris Wilson, who was third on the team in sacks last year, deserves a roster spot more than Boschetti, but was overruled.

LB: L. Fletcher, M. Washington, R. McIntosh, H.B. Blades, K. Campbell, A. Fincher (6)

When Matt Sinclair was waived because of an injury, the door opened for Alfred Fincher to sneak in and earn a spot in the linebacker rotation. Otherwise, not much has changed with this group.

CB: S. Springs, F. Smoot, C. Rogers, L. Torrence, J.T. Tryon (5)

No surprises here.

S: L. Landry, R. Doughty, K. Moore, C. Horton (4)

Take a look at the average age/experience of the Redskins safeties. If Landry misses any significant time due to injury this season, the ‘Skins become painfully thin at safety. That’s why you saw Shawn Springs spending some time at safety during the preseason.

ST: S. Suisham, D. Frost, E. Albright (3)

Derrick Frost, in my humble opinion, has outplayed rookie punter Durant Brooks. His 64-yard punt from his own endzone was better than anything we’ve seen from Brooks since he came to town.

If you think we got it wrong, then feel free to leave a comment or send us an email. And if you’re looking for a time waster today, then go listen to Skinscast.

(photo by Brian Murphy)