Practice Squad Roster Prediction After Two Preseason Games

Here are the 8 guys I think currently deserve Practice Squad  roster spots:

1. OT Xavier Nixon:

-Currently I have both practice squad eligible OL Adam Gettis and Tom Compton making the roster, making this a pretty easy decision on who to give a practice squad spot to. Nixon is a guy with a little potential, that maybe in a year or two he could land the swing tackle spot, and eventually get a shot as a starter. It would definitely be smart to stash him for a year if the Redskins can.

2. WR Skye Dawson:

-Dawson is more of a return man than a wide receiver at this point, so it would be nice to give him some time to hopefully develop. If Lance Lewis doesn’t make the team he may take Dawson’s spot on the practice squad depending on how the other positions shape up.

3. RB Chris Thompson:

-There is a chance the Redskins could IR Thompson if he has an injury that is semi-serious. That would end his season, but it would give him a chance to be fully healthy. Thompson right now isn’t healthy, and even with the potential he has he’s not worth the roster spot at this time. If he does make it to the practice squad he would have a good chance of getting called up to the regular roster at some point. In every year of the MIke Shanahan tenure with the Redskins, Washington has had to call up/sign off the street 2-3  running backs due to injuries.

4. RB Jawan Jamison:

It is rare to keep two running backs on an 8 man practice squad roster so Jamison’s spot could be determined by whether or not Thompson get’s IR’ed or not. Another thing that could happen is that Jamison is kept initially, but dropped after Rob Jackson and Jarvis Jenkins come back and a practice squad eligible player (ex. Lance Lewis) gets dropped. The Redskins though may be wise to hang on to Jamison given the attrition level of the running back position.

5. DL Dominique Hamilton:

-I don’t think Hamilton has done anything special to warrant a spot, I just feel the Redskins are going to want to keep another defensive lineman. They could look to fill this spot externally if another team cuts a defensive lineman they like.

6. LB Will Compton:

-Compton has clearly impressed coaches this season and is all but guaranteed to have a practice squad spot. Given that the four likely ILB’s on the final roster are free agents next year, it would be wise to have someone in the system to maybe take over.

7. S Jose Gumbs:

-Given the uncertainty of the safety position it would be wise to keep a safety on the practice squad. Currently Gumbs is the only safety with eligibility so barring them grabbing someone off another team, he should get the nod. Gumbs did have a solid 2nd preseason game, and while he’s probably never going to be anything more than a back-up at most, the Redskins may need to call on him this season.

8. Open Spot:

-Currently I think this spot will be filled by someone not on the roster. The Redskins don’t have a ton of practice squad eligible players that aren’t making the final roster, so there aren’t a ton of good options here. There should be a number of guys out there at a variety of positions that could be worth keeping. My guess is another defensive back, inside linebacker or defensive lineman are the most likely spots they’d look to fill.