3:27pm: The team has confirmed that Porter has been placed on IR and that Minnifield has been promoted to the active roster in his place (Twitter link).
2:39pm: Speaking to reporters today, head coach Jay Gruden announced that Washington will place veteran cornerback Tracy Porter on season-ending injured reserve, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post (via Twitter). Porter left the team’s Week 12 game against the 49ers with a shoulder injury.
Porter, 28, was a full-time starter at cornerback for the Raiders a year ago, and signed a two-year, $6MM deal in free agency with Washington, but saw his role reduced significantly this season. Although he earned more frequent snaps on defense during the last couple weeks, Porter only played 89 snaps for the year, finding himself buried on the depth chart behind Bashaud Breeland, E.J. Biggers, David Amerson, and others for a good chunk of 2014.
Because he inked a two-year contract, Porter remains under team control for the 2015 season, but his base salary will increase to $2.25MM, which may be exorbitant for Washington if the club views him as a fourth or fifth corner.
With Porter heading to the IR, Washington will have an open spot on its 53-man roster. According to John Keim of ESPN.com (via Twitter), defensive back Chase Minnifield looks like the probable candidate for promotion from the practice squad, but nothing’s official yet.