Washington Activates Reuben Foster
The Washington Football Team has activated Reuben Foster from the PUP list, per a club announcement. The linebacker is now on track to play in the team’s season opener. 
[RELATED: 2020 NFL Cap Space, By Team]
Foster suffered a torn ACL, MCL, and LCL in his first Washington practice back in May of 2019. Foster also suffered nerve damage, further complicating an already challenging recovery. The 26-year-old only just regained feeling in his toes earlier this year, so this marks a major step forward for him.
The controversial linebacker could provide a huge boost to Washington’s front seven in 2020. He’ll also have extra motivation as he retakes the field – Ron Rivera & Co. declined his fifth-year option for 2021, putting him on course for free agency in March.
Between his suspensions and injuries, Foster has played in just 16 games since being drafted No. 31 overall in 2017. In 16 total games for the Niners, Foster has registered 101 tackles and two passes defensed.
Washington Football Team Releases Derrius Guice
Shortly after his arrest for domestic violence charges, Washington released running back Derrius Guice. Guice is facing charges for three separate incidents that took place earlier this year, and Washington moved fast to drop the former LSU star. 
[RELATED: Washington Football Team To Sign Dontrelle Inman]
Guice was viewed by many as the second-best running back in the 2018 draft class behind Saquon Barkley, but rumored off-field issues caused him to fall to Washington at No. 59 overall. Guice went on to miss his his entire rookie campaign after a summer ACL tear. Then, complications from surgery caused his rehab to drag. Last year, a knee injury put him back on IR and he appeared in just five games. From a football perspective, Washington was excited to see what Guice could do – in that limited sample, he averaged 5.8 yards per carry.
With Guice out of the picture, Washington will move forward with Adrian Peterson, former Seahawk J.D. McKissic, and ex-Buc Peyton Barber, on the depth chart. They also have rookie RB/WR Antonio Gibson on the roster, plus Bryce Love. That could be enough backfield firepower for Ron Rivera & Co., especially if Love stays healthy. Still, it stands to reason that they’ll explore the open market between now and Week 1.
2020 NFL Cap Space, By Team
A total of 67 NFL players opted out of the 2020 season, leaving teams with major roster holes and newly-found cap space. Here’s the rundown of every team’s official cap figure, via ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter):
- Cleveland Browns – $40.5MM
- New England Patriots – $33.4MM
- Washington Football Team – $30.6MM
- Denver Broncos – $29.5MM
- New York Jets – $29.3MM
- Tennessee Titans – $25.2MM
- Miami Dolphins – $24.7MM
- Buffalo Bills – $24.2MM
- Philadelphia Eagles – $23.7MM
- Detroit Lions – $22.9MM
- Indianapolis Colts – $22.3MM
- New York Giants – $21.4MM
- Houston Texans – $21.1MM
- Cincinnati Bengals – $18.6MM
- Chicago Bears – $17.2MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars – $17MM
- Seattle Seahawks – $14.5MM
- Los Angeles Chargers – $13.7MM
- Green Bay Packers – $12.3MM
- Carolina Panthers – $13.2MM
- Kansas City Chiefs – $13MM
- San Francisco 49ers – $12.5MM
- Minnesota Vikings – $12.4MM
- Dallas Cowboys – $9.9MM
- New Orleans Saints – $7.8MM
- Atlanta Falcons – $7.4MM
- Baltimore Ravens – $7MM
- Arizona Cardinals – $5.6MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers – $4.5MM
- Los Angeles Rams – $3.9MM
- Las Vegas Raiders – $3.3MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $1.4MM
Washington Football Team To Sign Dontrelle Inman
Dontrelle Inman is expected to sign with the Washington Football Team after he completes a physical on Monday, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The wide receiver will provide depth for a team that lost Kelvin Harmon to an ACL tear earlier this summer. 
[RELATED: Kelvin Harmon Tears ACL]
Harmon was set to feature as one of the Redskins’ top receivers, alongside Terry McLaurin and Trey Quinn. With Harmon no longer in the picture for 2020, Inman figures to slot somewhere alongside Cam Sims, Steven Sims Jr., and fourth-round pick Antonio Gandy-Golden on the depth chart. The status of Cody Latimer – who facing multiple charges following his May arrest – remains murky.
Inman made his name with the Chargers in 2016, catching 58 passes for 810 yards and four touchdowns in a breakout season. In recent years, he’s bounced around a bit. The Bolts traded Inman to the Bears midway through 2017, but he wasn’t able to regain his old form. In 2018, he inked a one-year deal with the Colts and went on to catch 28 passes for 304 yards and three scores in nine games. Last year, he signed deals with the Patriots and Chargers before circling back to the Colts. All in all, he finished 2019 with 12 grabs for 181 yards.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/30/20
Here are Thursday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the afternoon.
Chicago Bears
- Reverted to reserve/NFI list (after being waived/injured): CB Tre Roberson
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers (from Chiefs): FB John Lovett
New England Patriots
- Re-signed: QB Brian Lewerke
New York Giants
- Placed on reserve/retired list: T Nate Wozniak
New York Jets
- Waived: DL Domenique Davis
San Francisco 49ers
- Released: T Leonard Wester
- Waived: DL Alex Barrett
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: S Deiondre’ Hall, TE Jordan Leggett
Washington Football Team
- Claimed off waivers (from Dolphins): CB Ryan Lewis
Matt Jones Drawing NFL Interest
It’s been a few years since we’ve seen Matt Jones in the NFL, but he hasn’t given up hope of a return. He also has some reason to believe – the running back has chatted with multiple teams as the season draws near, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter).
As Garafolo points out, Jones’ odds could be helped by the growing list of players opting out of the 2020 season. Every team that loses a running back, in theory, is a potential landing spot for the former Colts and [Washington Football Team] rusher.
Jones played for the St. Louis Battlehawks of the XFL, up until the league’s midseason cancellation. He was named to the all-league team at the halfway point, behind a decent 3.9 yards per carry average. Of course, it all came on a minimal sample size – 80 carries for 314 yards, plus a 25-yard touchdown catch.
Jones, 27, came into the league as a third round pick with Washington. For a time, he was their top rusher, and he showed promise in short bursts. Eventually, he slipped down the depth chart and he was jettisoned from the roster in 2017. He then moved on to the Colts, swaying between the practice squad and active roster. In his limited time with the Colts’ varsity squad, he averaged less than three yards per carry.
Jones’ last NFL deal came with the Eagles in 2018, but he did not make their final cut.
NFC East Notes: Eagles, Guice, Giants
The Eagles will be without Lane Johnson for a while. They placed their Pro Bowl right tackle on the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday. Teams are not permitted to disclose whether a player tested positive or if he was placed on the list for other reasons, but Johnson tweets he did indeed test positive for COVID-19. The eighth-year right tackle will be on the shelf for a bit because of the roster designation. The reserve/COVID-19 designation is for players who have tested positive for the coronavirus or are in quarantine for potential exposure. Players must pass three coronavirus tests to return to action. Fellow tackle Jordan Mailata and linebacker Nathan Gerry also landed on Philadelphia’s reserve/COVID list.
Here is the latest from the NFC East:
- Ahead of what could be a make-or-break season, Washington running back Derrius Guice is healthy again. The third-year player tweeted that he has been fully cleared for participation in football activities. Guice missed all of 2018 with an ACL tear and encountered multiple bouts of knee trouble last season as well. The former second-round pick has played in five of a possible 32 regular-season games and now will attempt to carve out a role for a new Washington regime.
- Although rookies have come in at slot deals since 2011, the Eagles sweetened their second-round quarterback’s deal a bit. Jalen Hurts‘ four-year, $6.02MM rookie contract includes a $75K workout bonus in 2022 and a $100K workout bump in 2023, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Broncos included workout bonuses in 2019 second-round pick Drew Lock‘s contract.
- The Giants and Leonard Williams were not close on a long-term deal, and an NFL executive believes Big Blue overpaid the sixth-year defensive lineman on the $16.1MM franchise tag, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com notes. Williams has an interesting trait of almost sacking quarterbacks, ranking 12th in QB hits (101) since 2015 but 84th in sacks in that span. As a result of the pricey tag, which makes Williams the Giants’ highest-paid player this season, an agent told Raanan that the team raised Williams’ asking price. Despite registering a half-sack in 15 games last season, Williams sought an $18-$20MM-per-year deal.
- Ten-year veteran defensive lineman Ziggy Hood is moving into the coaching ranks. The former defensive tackle will be a Washington coaching intern this season, John Keim of ESPN.com tweets. Hood, 33, played in Washington from 2016-18.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/28/20
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the afternoon. With teams having until August 16 to cut their rosters from 90 to 80 players, many are doing so before on-field camp work begins.
Carolina Panthers
- Claimed off waivers (from Patriots): LB Kyahva Tezino
- Waived: OL Juwann Bushell-Beatty
Dallas Cowboys
- Waived: RB Jordan Chunn, DT Garrett Marino
Denver Broncos
- Waived/NFI: WR Zimari Manning
Houston Texans
- Waived: LB Jamir Jones, LS Anthony Kukwa, QB Nick Tiano
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: TE Matt Lengel
Las Vegas Raiders
- Claimed off waivers (from Seahawks): G Jordan Roos
- Waived: DE Ade Aruna
New York Giants
- Claimed off waivers (from Broncos): DB Shakial Taylor
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: LB Joey Alfieri, CB Jermaine Kelly, S Derrick Kindred, QB Broc Rutter, OL Ray Smith
- Waived/NFI: WR Chris Finke
- Waived/non-football illness: Willie Henry
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived/NFI: LB Kendell Beckwith (as of Sept. 2019, the former starter was not planning to play again)
Washington Football Team
- Signed: OL Kevin Pamphile, LB Donald Payne
Washington’s Alex Smith To Take Physical
Washington’s Alex Smith will take a physical exam on Monday and he’s expected to begin camp on the club’s active/PUP list, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). This doesn’t necessarily mean that Smith will be able to play in 2020, but it’s an encouraging step forward for the quarterback. 
[RELATED: Washington Signs Chase Young]
Smith, 36, has said that he feels “very much lucky to be alive” after his horrific injury and ensuing sepsis infection. Smith’s wife, and others, have expressed concern about the QB’s plans to return. He’s already made more money than he can ever spend, but he badly wants to retake the field.
“When I think about Alex returning to football, there’s part of me that wants him to do whatever he has the inner drive to do,” Smith’s wife, Elizabeth Smith, said earlier this year. “If that means stepping back on the football field and throwing on those pads, then I want him to prove that to himself. But obviously there’s part of me asking, “‘Is it worth ever doing that again? Do you know what we just went through?’”
Smith’s contract calls for him to count for $21.4MM against Washington’s cap this year, with his $16MM base salary fully guaranteed. If he is ultimately cleared to play, he’ll join Dwayne Haskins and Kyle Allen on the QB depth chart.
It’s The “Washington Football Team,” For Now
Effective immediately, Washington will call itself the “Washington Football Team,” sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). This will not be the team’s final nickname, but this will be the team’s temporary solve until they settle on a new name and logo. There’s no set timetable for the rebranding, but they hope to have it solidified before the team’s season opener against the Eagles on Sept. 13. 
[RELATED: Washington Signs Chase Young]
Although they are no longer the Redskins, the team will continue to use its burgundy and gold color scheme. Meanwhile, the Redskins logo on the helmet will be replaced by the player’s number, in gold.
These last few weeks have been turbulent for the Redskins, to say the least. Earlier this month, 15 former female employees claimed that they were sexually harassed by high-ranking members of the organization. Meanwhile, the calls for the team to change its controversial nickname reached a fever pitch. FedEx, the team’s stadium sponsor, also pressured the club to make a switch.
In 2013, owner Dan Snyder said the team would “never” change its name. For the time being, the Washington Football Team is without any name.