Quick Thoughts On Today’s Cuts

The Redskins cuts won’t be finalized for over an hour and even then things could change with them possibly claiming a player or two off of waivers, but I wanted to touch on a couple things that have stood out from the cuts so far:

Keeping Just 3 Running backs:

-While much of the focus will be on the releasing of 6th round rookie Lache Seastrunk, the bigger story may be the fact that the Redskins only went with 3 RB’s (as of now). The Redskins need to be a run centric team if they have hopes of competing so extra depth at a position that sees quite a few injuries would seem like a good idea. On top of that the Redskins had some interesting names for that 4th RB role. In addition to Seastrunk, Chris Thompson and Evan Royster would have all been easy to make a case for keeping around. Now the Redskins can keep Seastrunk and Thompson on the practice squad if they clear waivers, but they could get poached any week if another team suffers RB injuries before the Redskins. The Redskins have to hope they can avoid the injury bug this season at the running back position.

Forbath over Hocker:

-Though many felt that Hocker was clearly ahead in the kicking battle entering the final preseason game, it might not have been that way in the Redskins mind. Forbath’s numbers weren’t that far off of Hocker’s and there were some reports from camp of Forbath having the edge in accuracy. As important as kick-off distance is to a team, having someone reliable to add points is what coaches are going to want the most. Hocker’s miss on a short field goal was probably the icing on the cake, as he would have to be clearly Forbath’s better, to get the job. The Redskins may sacrifice a little on kick-offs if it means they have a guy who has proven that he can make game winning kicks in pressure situations.

Keeping extra DL and S:

-While not official yet it looks like the Redskins went with 7 DL and 5 safeties to start the season. It’s understandable why the Redskins went 5 safeties given that Brandon Meriweather will be suspended the first two games, but it’s also possible they keep that number throughout the season. The Redskins will get a 2 week roster exemption for Meriweather’s spot, but that doesn’t start till Tue. Depending on who the Redskins bring in and what happens those first two weeks, will determine what the Redskins do once Meriweather is back. Along the defensive line it could be a good call keeping an extra defensive lineman. Defensive line is a position that see’s a lot of injuries, particularly serious ones. Having some extra depth there makes some sense since it is likely that one or more of the Redskins current linemen will suffer an injury at some point this season.

Cutting Phillip Thomas:

-This was definitely a surprise and it probably has to do with the prognosis of his recent foot injury. While he’s been banged up and hasn’t played much in the preseason, you typically don’t cut 2nd year 4th rounders unless there is a pressing need. Thomas might have never lived up to his potential if the Redskins kept him, but there was at least a chance. Now they will move on without him, making an already unstable position even more murky for the future.

Gabe Miller over Everette Brown:

-While I’ve been impressed with Miller this preseason, Brown has flashed as well and looked to be the more logical choice, given that Miller was practice squad eligible. Miller though really had a nice game against Tampa and it’s possible the Redskins felt that the hype was too high with him and someone would claim him before he could reach the Redskins practice squad. The other factor here is that the Redskins are looking at it from an upside perspective. With their top 3 OLB’s locked into place this year, the 4th guy isn’t going to get many opportunities barring an injury. The Redskins might have felt it was better to just develop Miller for the long term, rather than worry about who the better option was for just this season.