Redskins Waive Recent Cornerback Starter
- To make room for the recently activated Derek Carrier on the 53-man, the Redskins waived cornerback Dashaun Phillips, the team announced. Phillips started two games for Washington this season and saw action in three.
Redskins To Activate Derek Carrier
Sidelined for nearly a year since seeing his most promising NFL season end early with a torn ACL and MCL, Derek Carrier is set to rejoin the Redskins’ 53-man roster. The fifth-year tight end and 2015 trade acquisition will be activated from the PUP list in advance of Sunday’s Redskins-Vikings game, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.
Carrier will fill Niles Paul‘s place as Washington’s third tight end behind Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis. He’s been on the PUP since the team pared its roster to 75 players in August.
This continues the fluidity of the Redskins’ tight end corps behind Reed over the past two seasons, with recently re-signed Paul and Logan Paulsen no longer part of the equation. Reed has already missed time this season with the latest in a string of concussions, so Washington’s tight end depth has been tested this fall.
Traded from the 49ers after Paul and Paulsen went down last summer, Carrier started 11 games and played in 12 for the Redskins in 2015. The former UDFA caught 17 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown before tearing up his knee in early December. The 26-year-old Carrier has been running sprints with the team recently but hasn’t incorporated contact into his recovery routine yet.
Carrier has one season left on his rookie contract, being set to see his salary climb to just over $1MM next season. The former Division III performer played in just five games during his first two years in the league, delaying his service-time clock.
Redskins Ambivalent On DJax’s Future
The Redskins are “50-50” on whether they’ll try to re-sign DeSean Jackson after the season, according to Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole, who adds that the wide receiver’s injury issues could push him out of Washington in free agency. Jackson suited up for each of the Redskins’ first eight games this year, but he’ll miss a key NFC showdown against the Vikings on Sunday because of a left shoulder issue.
Jackson, 29, hasn’t played a 16-game campaign since 2013 – his sixth and final season in Philadelphia – and will sit out his eighth contest as a Redskin in Week 10. The majority of those missed games (six) came last year for Jackson, who has already matched his 2015 reception total (30).
With 56 targets, Jackson is one of four weapons quarterback Kirk Cousins has significantly relied on this season, joining Jordan Reed (58), Jamison Crowder (56) and Pierre Garcon (55), though Jackson’s current yards-per-catch average (13.9) is a career low and he only has one touchdown. Still, having put up 472 receptions, 17.4 YPC and 43 scores in nine seasons, Jackson should draw plenty of interest if he gets to the open market.
Like Jackson, who’s on a $3.75MM salary, Garcon is also unsigned beyond this season, leaving Crowder as the only highly targeted Redskins wideout under team control next year. A big 2016 from first-rounder Josh Doctson could’ve better prepared Washington to lose one or both of the Jackson-Garcon duo, but the rookie has endured an injury-stunted year and is on IR through at least Week 14.
Keim: Final Eight Games Will Determine Kirk Cousins' Future
- The Redskins final eight games will not only determine their playoff fate, but they’ll also determine quarterback Kirk Cousins‘ future in Washington, writes ESPN.com’s John Keim. Since the team is seeking consistency from their signal-callers, Keim takes a look at Cousins’ potential performances against his upcoming opponents.
[SOURCE LINK]
Redskins Work Out Three DBs
- The Redskins took a look at defensive backs Durell Eskridge, Lee Hightower and Shak Randolph (Twitter link). Hightower joined their practice squad.
Redskins Sign Jordan Hill
The Redskins have signed defensive lineman Jordan Hill, who was one of several players to audition for the Jets on Monday. The ex-Seahawk is going to the NFC East instead, though, and will reunite with former Seattle executive/current Redskins general manager Scot McCoughlan. The Seahawks selected Hill in the third round of the 2013 draft, and he went on to appear in 27 of their regular-season games and record seven sacks (5.5 in 2014) before they released him from injured reserve last month.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/8/16
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: OL Blake Muir
- Cut: LB Davis Tull
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: G Jarell Broxton, DB Robertson Daniel
- Cut: QB David Fales
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: DT Bruce Gaston
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: G Kadeem Edwards
- Cut: G Clay DeBord
Houston Texans
- Signed: WR Wendall Williams
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: S Jimmy Hall, CB Tylor Patmon, QB Joel Stave
- Cut: RB Zac Brooks, OL Jarrod Pughsley, OT Zach Sterup
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Kevin Norwood
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Jarrod Pughsley
- Cut: WR Myles White
San Diego Chargers
- Signed: OT Tyreek Burwell
Seattle Seahawks
- Cut: WR Kenny Lawler
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: CB Cody Riggs
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DB Lee Hightower
Redskins Audition Six
- The Redskins worked out running backs Storm Johnson, Brandon Ross, Dreamius Smith, and Cedric O’Neal, as well as centers Trevor Robinson and Shane McDermott (Twitter link). Washington is taking a look at backs after Matt Jones was forced to miss Week 9 with a knee injury.
Redskins Place TE Niles Paul On IR
The Redskins have placed tight end Niles Paul on injured reserve with an torn labrum, head coach Jay Gruden announced to the media today. In a corresponding move, Washington announced that it has signed offensive tackle Blaine Clausell off the Ravens’ practice squad.
[RELATED: Washington Redskins Depth Chart]
Paul, 27, had played on less than 20% of the Redskins’ offensive snaps, and had garnered only two targets while playing behind Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis. Known more for his run-blocking aptitude than his receiving prowess, Paul had also been a key special teams player, having seen action on nearly two-thirds of Washington’s ST plays. Paul is currently signed through the 2017 campaign as part of a three-year extension he agreed to in 2015.
Speaking to reporters, Gruden indicated that the Redskins would consider adding an outsider to fill Paul’s role, but the team also has an internal candidate to take his place. Derek Carrier, who began the season on the PUP list, began practicing again today, opening a three-week window during which Washington can choose to activate him. The Redskins also boast tight end Wes Saxton on their practice squad.
Clausell, 24, was an undrafted free agent out of Mississippi State in 2015. He’ll slot in behind Ty Nsehke, Morgan Moses, and Vinston Painter at offensive tackle while Trent Williams serves his four-game suspension.
Keim On Redskins' Wide Receiver Situation
- Josh Doctson‘s lost rookie season may change things, but John Keim of ESPN.com does not foresee the Redskins retaining more than one of DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon. Both players, in fact, may look to move on in 2017, and if that happens, Washington would be forced to look for wide receiver help on the open market and/or expend a high draft choice on a wideout.