Redskins Could Place Josh Doctson On IR
An Achilles issue continues to bother Redskins first-round receiver Josh Doctson, who will miss his third straight game Sunday, and head coach Jay Gruden didn’t rule out an eventual trip to injured reserve Friday. “We’ll have to wait and see if this thing gets any better the next week or so and go from there,” he said (via JP Finlay of CSN Mid-Atlantic). “I hate to put him on IR and then he’s better tomorrow, you know what I mean, because he’s such a valuable, big play type guy. We’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and see what happens.” Doctson is dealing with pain when he “pushes off,” according to Gruden, which Finlay notes is especially problematic for a receiver. The 22nd pick from TCU appeared in the Redskins’ first two games, catching two passes for 66 yards, but he previously missed all of training camp and the preseason.
More from the NFC:
- After going without a catch or a target in the Cardinals’ 33-21 win over San Francisco on Thursday, wideout Michael Floyd is on a career-worst reception pace through five weeks. That led head coach Bruce Arians to posit Friday that Floyd’s status as an impending free agent is a factor in his sagging production. “I’m sure that has a lot to do with it,” Arians said of Floyd, who has caught only 12 of 35 targets through five games. Floyd averaged 52 receptions on 97 targets over his first four years, and the Cardinals remain confident in him, per Arians (Twitter links via Darren Urban of the team’s website).
- Although Eagles receiver Dorial Green-Beckham hasn’t posted gaudy numbers this year (seven catches, 65 yards in three games), the club is pleased with the mid-August trade acquisition. “He’s done a nice job. He’s really grasped the offense and understood his role,” head coach Doug Pederson stated (via Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com). Green-Beckham, whom the Eagles got from the Titans for offensive lineman Dennis Kelly, has seen his offensive snap percentage rise in each of Philly’s games. The 2015 second-round pick participated in 32 percent of the Eagles’ plays in their opener and was on the field for 46 percent and 49 percent in Weeks 2 and 3.
- The Saints were disappointed with high-priced free agent signing Coby Fleener after the first two weeks of the season, but the tight end has turned it around since, writes Herbie Teope of NOLA.com. After picking up a meager three catches on 12 targets in his first pair of games as a Saint, the ex-Colt totaled 10 receptions on 16 targets over the previous two. “I feel like over the last two or three weeks here, he’s really starting to, ‘OK, I got it, I understand what’s going on. I know what Drew’s (Brees) looking for,” assistant head coach/tights ends Dan Campbell told Teope.
- Friday was an eventful day for backup quarterbacks in San Francisco: A contract restructuring is a possibility for Colin Kaepernick, as is a return to the starting lineup in Week 6. Meanwhile, some 49ers want Christian Ponder to take Blaine Gabbert‘s job.
Opinion: Redskins Flop In Free Agency
- The Redskins tried to fortify their roster through free agency but, so far, those additions haven’t panned out, John Keim of ESPN.com writes. Last year, signings like cornerback Chris Culliver, defensive end Stephen Paea, nose tackle Terrance Knighton, and Junior Galette all flopped for various reasons. This year, spring signing Kendall Reyes was dropped just four games into the year and safety David Bruton was placed on IR after a poor start to the season.
Redskins Sign Josh Evans
The Redskins are signing safety Josh Evans, a source tells Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Evans joins a Redskins’ secondary that has lost both David Bruton and DeAngelo Hall to injury. Evans is currently on the practice field with Washington, so it would appear that his deal is official. 
Evans auditioned for the Redskins late last month and apparently made a good impression on team brass. Cut by Jacksonville before the 53-man deadline, Evans played a significant role during his three years with the Jaguars. He appeared in 47 of a possible 48 regular-season games and tallied 36 starts, with at least 11 coming in each individual campaign.
Evans, 25, amassed 201 tackles – including a career-high 90 in 2014 – with the Jags. For his performance last season, he ranked just 77th among Pro Football Focus’ 89 qualified safeties.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Redskins To Place David Bruton On IR
The Redskins will place safety David Bruton on IR, according to Master Tesfatsion of The Washington Post (on Twitter). It’s not immediately clear what the injury is or if Bruton will be a candidate to return later this season. 
[RELATED: Redskins Sign Donte Whitner]
Bruton’s injury would explain the Redskins’ signing of Donte Whitner earlier today. With Bruton out, the Redskins are down one starter and Whitner should provide some valuable veteran depth. Since he is just getting acclimated to the system, it is fair to assume that Whitner will start out on the bench with Duke Ihenacho stepping into the starting role. The Bruton injury is yet another bad break for the Redskins secondary after DeAngelo Hall tore his ACL.
Bruton signed on with Washington in mid-March on a three-year, $9MM deal. Bruton spent the first seven years of his NFL career in Denver, playing a key role for the Broncos team that won the Super Bowl last month. A special-teamer and a backup for most of his career, Bruton saw more action on defense in 2015 due to injuries, and set career highs in several categories, including tackles (43), interceptions (two), and passes defended (seven).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Redskins To Sign Donte Whitner
It took a little while, but Donte Whitner has found himself an NFL home for this season. The Redskins signed the safety after a workout on Tuesday, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Whitner’s deal will be a one-year accord, which makes sense given his age and the fact that this is a mid-season deal. 
The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus had Whitner pegged as a top 30 safety in 2015, but teams apparently did not agree with that assessment. Whitner met with multiple teams but found a very mild market this offseason. Now, Whitner will presumably be playing with a chip on his shoulder to show the rest of the league what they missed out on.
The Giants also auditioned Whitner this week given the rash of injuries they have had at the safety position, but he’ll be suiting up for a divisional rival instead.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Redskins Cut DE Kendall Reyes
The Redskins have cut defensive lineman Kendall Reyes, a person familiar with the situation tells Mike Jones of The Washington Post (on Twitter). Reyes joined the Redskins as a free agent this offseason but the team was not happy with his play in the offseason or in the first month of the regular season. Reyes’ one-year, $2.5MM deal included $1MM fully guaranteed, so the Redskins will be on the hook for a good chunk of money.
Reyes was dealing with a groin injury through the first month of the season and missed Week 2 against the Cowboys and Week 3 against the Giants as a result. He returned to action on Sunday against the Browns, but coaches weren’t thrilled with how he looked. With Reyes gone, the Redskins are left with Chris Baker, Ziggy Hood, Ricky Jean-Francois, Cullen Jenkins, Matt Ioannidis, and Anthony Lanier on the defensive line.
Reyes, a second-round pick in 2012, was a starter on San Diego’s defensive line from 2013-2015. The 27-year-old racked up 10.5 sacks during his first two years in the league, but his numbers have been more modest in recent seasons. In 2015, Reyes picked up a pair of sacks to go along with 32 tackles and his first career interception.
While the Chargers leaned on Reyes heavily during his four years with the club, Pro Football Focus wasn’t particularly fond of his performance last season. PFF ranked the Connecticut product 120th out of 123 qualified interior defenders, assigning him the third-worst grade as a run defender among those players.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Redskins Work Out Donte Whitner
Donte Whitner worked out for rival Redskins this week, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, they will not be signing him at this time, a source tells ESPN.com’s John Keim (on Twitter). Whitner also auditioned for the rival Giants recently, but they’re still in deliberations. 
Whitner, 31. started 14 games for the Browns last year, defensing four passes, forcing one fumble, and posting 1.5 sacks. Whitner also graded out well via the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus, which rated him as the league’s No. 24 safety among 89 qualifiers.
Late in the offseason, we ranked Whitner as one of the very best defensive free agents to remain on the board. Even if he’s not as good as the advanced numbers would indicate, we’re surprised to see that he’s still without a job in October.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Redskins Audition Cedric Thompson
- The Redskins auditioned safety Cedric Thompson, Caplan tweets. Like the division rival Giants, Washington is also on the hunt for secondary options after corner-turned-safety DeAngelo Hall was lost for the season. The Redskins worked out fellow safeties Josh Evans and Jerome Couplin last week.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/3/16
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Nordly Capi (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com)
Detroit Lions
- Signed: RB Mike James
- Cut: RB George Winn
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: FB Joe Kerridge (Twitter link via Rob Demovskiy of ESPN.com)
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: CB JaCorey Shepherd (Twitter link via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer)
- Cut: G Darrell Greene
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: RB Daryl Richardson
- Cut: DB Jacob Hagen
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: RB DuJuan Harris
Seattle Seahawks
- Cut: QB Jake Heaps (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times)
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DT Antwaun Woods (Twitter link via Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com)
- Cut: WR Jordan Leslie
Washington Redskins
- Signed: CB Robertson Daniel
- Cut: CB Lloyd Carrington
Josh Doctson May Sit Out With Injury
Redskins coach Jay Gruden may sit rookie wideout Josh Doctson, who is currently struggling through an Achilles injury. After having hauled in a single catch for 57 yards through two games, the first-rounder was a late scratch prior to last weekend’s game against the Giants. The injury first popped up all the way back during May’s OTAs.