WFT Could Bench QB Dwayne Haskins
The Washington Football Team is not pleased with how quarterback Dwayne Haskins has performed through the first three games of the season, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says the club could bench Haskins if he does not show improvement soon. In fact, Rapoport hears Haskins could be yanked during the club’s game against the Ravens this afternoon.
Haskins was the 15th-overall pick of the 2019 draft, and WFT gave him all the first-team reps in this year’s training camp while tailoring the offense to his strengths. Washington is not talent-rich on the offensive side of the ball, so not all of the club’s struggles fall on Haskins’ shoulders, but Haskins has certainly had his issues.
Thus far, he has taken too many sacks, has not shown much poise in the pocket, and he turned the ball over four times in last week’s loss to the Browns (three interceptions and one fumble). Although WFT did have an exciting comeback win over the Eagles in Week 1, Haskins has completed just 56.4% of his passes and has thrown four TDs against three picks, good for a 75.7 QB rating.
The Ohio State product had just one season as a starter in college, so it would seem strange that a team like Washington that doesn’t have realistic postseason hopes would pull the plug on him before he has even played a season’s worth of games as a pro. But as Rapoport writes, WFT sees the five games after Baltimore as eminently winnable — the team plays the Rams, the Giants twice, the Cowboys, and the Lions — and the coaching staff might believe current backup Kyle Allen is better-suited to win those games.
Allen was with WFT head coach Ron Rivera and OC Scott Turner in Carolina, so he has more experience with the offense. But Haskins definitely has a higher ceiling than Allen, and the team has much more invested in him. It will be interesting to see if Rivera — who was not with Washington when the club selected Haskins — has a quick hook.
Washington’s Matt Ioannidis Done For The Year
Washington has been dealt a tough blow. Defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis has a torn bicep and is done for the year, a source told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).
The defensive line is the clear strength of this team, and now it’s taking a bit of a hit. If defensive end Chase Young‘s groin injury proves to be serious, the unit which had been a bright spot could take a big step back. Ioannidis is a very productive interior pass-rusher, as he made 15 starts and had 8.5 sacks coming up the middle last year.
He had 7.5 sacks in 14 games in 2018. The 2016 fifth-round pick from Temple signed a three-year, $21.75MM extension in April of last year. Ioannidis had 1.5 sacks of Carson Wentz in Washington’s surprise Week 1 victory over the Eagles, and he went down early in their Week 3 loss to the Browns. This certainly won’t help 1-2 Washington as they look to pull off a huge upset of the Ravens next week.
Washington Places Brandon Scherff On IR
The Washington Football Team has placed offensive lineman Brandon Scherff on injured reserve, per a club announcement. Scherff suffered an MCL sprain on Sunday against the Cardinals, which will keep him out of action for at least three weeks. In a related move, Washington promoted wide receiver Cam Sims from the practice squad. 
At minimum, Scherff will miss the next three games against the Browns, Ravens, and Rams. If he’s cleared in time, he’ll be eligible to return on Oct. 18 against the Giants at the Meadowlands.
Thanks to the franchise tag, Scherff is set to play out 2020 on a one-year, $15.03MM deal. The three-time Pro Bowler was the first guard to receive the franchise tag since 2011, and that’s largely due to the league’s arcane rules regarding offensive lineman. Per the collective bargaining agreement, guards and tackles are classified under the same “offensive lineman” banner. Those franchise tender salaries are calculated off of the average of the top five at any given position, and teams aren’t keen on paying tackle money to guards. At least, they haven’t historically been keen on that. Scherff is one of the better interior linemen in the league, and the cost of quality guards has risen dramatically.
Since entering the league as the No. 5 overall pick in the 2015 draft, Scherff has started in all 67 of his games. Unfortunately, he’s also missed a good chunk of time. Between 2018 and 2019, he was sidelined for 13 games. He’s one of the league’s very best interior protectors when he’s healthy, but the injury bug has unfortunately bitten him once again.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/17/20
Today’s practice squad moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: DT Brandon Bryant, LB Deon Lacey
Green Bay Packers
- Signed DT Billy Winn, OL Ryan Pope
- Released: DL Daylon Mack
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: S Dallin Leavitt
- Released: CB Jordan Brown
New England Patriots
- Signed QB Jacob Dolegala, C James Ferentz
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Cody Hollister, DB Picasso Nelson, DB Maurice Smith
Washington Football Team
- Signed: WR Jeff Badet
- Released: TE Hale Hentges
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/16/20
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Carolina Panthers
- Released: K/P Kaare Vedvik
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: RB Darius Jackson
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: CB Cordrea Tankersley, C Tyler Gauthier
New England Patriots
- Signed: OL James Ferentz
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Derrick Dillon
- Waived: WR Alex Bachman
New York Jets
- Signed: LB Paul Worrilow
Washington Football Team
- Signed: TE Temarrick Hemingway
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/12/20
Here are Saturday’s minor moves. Many of these roster decisions involve practice squad promotions. Under the new CBA, teams are permitted to promote two P-squad players without corresponding roster moves per week. Teams can carry 55 players on their rosters for game days and can have up to 48 active.
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted: RB D.J. Foster
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted: S Jordan Richards
Chicago Bears
- Promoted: K Cairo Santos
Cincinnati Bengals
- Promoted: DE Amani Bledsoe, S Trayvon Henderson
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: CB Robert Jackson
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: G Kenny Wiggins, RB Jonathan Williams
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: LB Krys Barnes
- Promoted: LB Tipa Galeai, TE John Lovett
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted: RB Nathan Cottrell, TE Ben Ellefson
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted: G Ryan Groy, FB Gabe Nabers
Miami Dolphins
- Released from IR via injury settlement: DB Nate Brooks
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: LB Hardy Nickerson
- Signed: DB Nate Meadors
New England Patriots
- Promoted: K Nick Folk, DT Xavier Williams
- Placed on IR: WR Gunner Olszewski
New Orleans Saints
- Promoted: WR Bennie Fowler, DL Margus Hunt
- Released from IR via injury settlement: DE Anthony Lanier
New York Jets
- Signed: QB Mike White
- Promoted: RB Josh Adams, WR Josh Malone
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: DT T.Y. McGill, G Sua Opeta
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted: C Hroniss Grasu, CB Dontae Johnson
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted: T Chad Wheeler
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted: WR Cyril Grayson, DB Mazzi Wilkins
Washington Football Team
- Promoted: WR Cam Sims
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/11/20
Today’s practice squad moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: S T.J. Green
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DL Joey Ivie, DT Tanzel Smart
- Cut: T Brady Aiello, RB Benny LeMay
Houston Texans
- Signed: QB Alex McGough
New England Patriots
- Cut: OL Corey Levin
Washington Football Team
- Signed K Brett Maher
Washington Cuts CB Aaron Colvin, Moves Down To 53
Here is how Washington trimmed its camp roster down to the 53-man regular-season limit. Some notable veterans did not make the squad.
Waived:
- T Paul Adams
- DT David Bada
- DE Jordan Bradford
- WR Tony Brown
- G Joshua Garnett
- TE Hale Hentges
- WR Johnathon Johnson
- CB Ryan Lewis
- QB Steven Montez
- LB Jared Norris
- T Timon Parris
- LB Donald Payne
- C Ross Pierschbacher
- WR Trey Quinn
- S Jeremy Reaves
- WR Cam Sims
- T David Steinmetz
- WR Jester Weah
Released:
- CB Aaron Colvin
- S Sean Davis (story)
- DE Nate Orchard
- TE Richard Rodgers
Placed on IR:
- DL Ryan Bee
- LB Reuben Foster (story)
- G Mike Liedtke
- CB Simeon Thomas
- WR Jordan Veasy
Washington added Colvin last year, doing so after the Texans cut him early in the season. The veteran has played six seasons, seeing action with the Jaguars, Texans and Washington. He will head back to free agency. As with Rodgers, who was the most notable tight end on Washington’s roster entering camp. Following the exits of Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis — and Thaddeus Moss‘ IR trip — Washington does not feature much of note at the position.
Mr. Irrelevant in 2018, Quinn latched on with Washington for two seasons. He operated as Washington’s slot receiver for a time, but with a new regime running the show now, Quinn will head to the waiver wire. However, he would certainly profile as a player who could be added to Washington’s 16-man practice squad. Garnett would as well.
The team added Garnett during training camp, but the former first-round pick has never managed to carve out a consistent role as a pro.
Washington Cuts S Sean Davis, Places LB Reuben Foster On IR
Our first surprise move of Labor Day weekend comes out of Washington. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the team has released safety Sean Davis. Schefter tweets that the team has also cut offensive lineman Timon Parris, while ESPN’s John Keim tweets that Reuben Foster is being placed on IR.
Davis joined Washington this past offseason, snagging a deal that included a $2MM signing bonus. Now, the former second-rounder will be seeking his third team in less than a year. Davis spent his first four seasons with the Steelers. He started 31 games for the team between 2017 and 2018, averaging 86 tackles, 7.5 passes defended, and two interceptions per season. A shoulder injury limited to only a single game in 2019.
Back in 2019, Foster suffered a torn ACL and MCL during his first practice with Washington. That naturally forced him to miss the entire campaign, but after opening 2020 camp on PUP, he was activated by the organization in early August. Unfortunately, Foster has lacked strength and explosiveness throughout the month, and Washington is buying themselves some time (and a roster spot) by placing him on IR.
An undrafted free agent out of Stony Brook in 2018, Parris has seen time in four NFL games.
Washington Releases Adrian Peterson
The Washington Football Team has released Adrian Peterson, per a club announcement. The timing of the move is a bit curious, as Peterson was projected to serve as the team’s leading running back.
Even with Derrius Guice out of the picture, Washington didn’t see a place for Peterson, who was set to earn $2.25MM in 2020. By releasing him, they’ll save ~$2.4MM against $750K in dead money. The backfield will now be led by third-round rookie Antonio Gibson with support from the talented and oft-injured Bryce Love. Peyton Barber and J.D. McKissic round out the RB group.
Between 2018 and 2019, Peterson averaged a solid 4.2 yards per carry and suited up for 31 of a possible 32 games. For his career, Peterson has rushed for 14,216 yards, putting him roughly 1,000 yards behind Barry Sanders for fourth on the NFL’s all-time career list. As you might expect, the 35-year-old tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter) that he still wants to play. .
Peterson has racked up quite an odometer with 3,036 carries over the course of 13 seasons. Still, he remains productive, and insistent that he’s nowhere near the end.
“I can see myself playing to 40,” Peterson said in December. “People look at that and say, ‘oh my god; that’s crazy.’ But they’ve been doing that for the past two years and surprise, surprise I’m still able to do it at a high level.”