The Washington Football Team has cut RB Lamar Miller and WR Kelvin Harmon, the team announced. Washington has also cut DB Chris Miller and activated WR Curtis Samuel off the PUP list.
L. Miller is the most recognizable member of the trio of players now seeking new employment. The 2018 Pro Bowler, who has two 1,000-yard rushing seasons on his resume, suffered a torn ACL during the 2019 preseason and missed all of the 2019 campaign as a result. He hooked on with the Patriots last August but did not survive final cutdowns. He ultimately wound up on the Bears’ practice squad and appeared in one game for Chicago before being poached by WFT. Washington re-signed him to a one-year pact in March and has now cut him loose after one preseason game.
L. Miller, 30, actually had a fair showing in that preseason contest against New England on Thursday evening. He had three carries for 14 yards and three receptions for 10 yards and a TD. WFT, however, has elected to move on with the likes of J.D. McKissic, Peyton Barber, and Jonathan Williams behind Antonio Gibson on its RB depth chart.
Harmon, a 2019 sixth-rounder, at one time looked like he might have a real future with Washington. His collegiate resume, size, and upside suggested he could have been a much higher draft choice, and he showed some flashes towards the tail end of his rookie season, finishing with 30 catches for 365 yards. Unfortunately, a torn ACL last July wiped out his entire 2020 season, and the club added Samuel and Adam Humphries in free agency this offseason while using a third-round pick on Dyami Brown. John Keim of ESPN.com classifies Harmon’s departure as a bit of a surprise but notes that the team is comfortable with its other options (Twitter link).
WFT will certainly be happy to have Samuel, who was dealing with a groin issue, back on the field. Samuel landed a three-year, $34.5MM contract from Washington in March, and his speed and abilities as a receiver and runner should complement WR1 Terry McLaurin nicely.
C. Miller, meanwhile, signed as a UDFA with the Seahawks last year and also spent some time on the taxi squads of the Titans and Cardinals. Arizona waived him in May, and WFT liked him enough to claim him off waivers, but not enough to keep him on the roster at this stage of the summer.