Category: Latest Redskins News

Ron Rivera isn’t focused on a hot start in 2020; says wins will come eventually

When asked if he plans to go with the hot hand over future plans to start the 2020 season, Rivera said he plans to reward hard workers.

When you look at the calendar today and it reads July 28, take a second to cherish that feeling. We’ve finally made it to training camp in an unprecedented NFL offseason.

With actual football getting set to take place, it’s important for every team in the league to set up some expectations for the season, whether low or high, and do what they can to achieve them. For the Washington Football Team, there is no harm in saying that expectations are low, but knowing that there are things more important than wins is the real key for fans of the team.

Wins are likely not going to be plentiful in the 2020 season, but that doesn’t mean that Washington won’t grow. For Ron Rivera, who is getting set to coach his first practices in Washington, there’s an understanding that the start of the season might be a bit of a slog, with a tough schedule and several players who are working to adapt to his way of doing things. He said as much when sitting down for an exclusive interview with The Athletic‘s Ben Standig on Monday:

I’m not worried about a good start. What I’m worried about is a good way of playing. In other words, I want to see us play hard, play physical. The winning will take care of itself if you do things right. If you take care of the little things, and you’re better at the little things than anybody else, you give yourself what you want. I am concerned with setting the tone, setting the tempo as to who we are. That will help us take care of the winning portion of it. We want to focus in on it.

The question that prompted that answer was about what Rivera would do if it became clear that playing Adrian Peterson over Derrius Guice early on would lead to more success, or if Kyle Allen presented a better opportunity for wins than Dwayne Haskins. Rivera doesn’t seem to care about measuring success by wins early on, but rather by hard work and doing things the right way.

If that sounds like a breath of fresh air in Washington to you, you’re not alone. In the coming weeks, we are going to finally see what the hype surrounding Rivera as a coach is all about, and it’s bound to be inspiring.

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What does being placed on PUP list mean for Reuben Foster’s future in Washington?

Foster was placed on the active PUP list in Washington, meaning that he will not be able to return to the field until midway through season.

The Washington Football team placed both Alex Smith and Reuben Foster on the PUP list ahead of training camp, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

The move was expected for Smith, who is still working his way back from a gruesome leg injury suffered near the end of the 2018 season. However, this is a new development for Foster, who injured his knee in the spring of 2019 in a practice. The severity of the injury was not always known, but when word got out earlier this year that Foster was finally regaining some feeling in the lower part of his leg, it was apparent that significant damage was done. However, there were still some hopes that he would eventually be able to play in Washington, especially after a video of Foster working out emerged over the weekend.

By placing him on the PUP list, it doesn’t mean that Foster will be unable to play going forward, as Washington can add him to the active roster later in the season. Here is an explainer of the active PUP list in the NFL.

Players on the PUP list may not practice or play the first six weeks of the season. After the sixth week, the player must be allowed to return to practice, placed on injured reserved or released within five weeks.

If the player returns to practice, the team has three weeks to decide to place him on the active roster or on the injured reserve list.

Players on the PUP list do not count aginst the 53-man roster, but do count against the 90-man roster limit.

There is still a chance that we see Foster suit up at some point in the future for Washington, but it won’t be before Week 6 of the 2020 season, at the earliest.

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Report: Washington DL Caleb Brantley opts out of 2020 season

Caleb Brantley becomes the first player in Washington to choose to forgo the 2020 season in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first player for the Washington Football Team has decided to opt out of the 2020 NFL season due to the coronavirus pandemic, as was reported by multiple sources on Monday afternoon.

According to the NFL transaction wire, Brantley will be sitting out the season because he is considered ‘higher risk’ to catch the disease. Brantley is one of several players in the NFL to decide to opt out of the upcoming season. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, players who voluntarily opt out of the season will receive a $150,000 salary advance and their contract will toll. He added that all opt-outs are due within seven days of the deal being finalized.

As for Washington’s roster, losing Brantley is not too significant, as he slotted in as a backup player on the defensive line, which is arguably the strongest position group on the team. It will be interesting to watch if more players follow Brantley’s lead in Washington.

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Report: WR Cody Latimer placed on Commissioner’s Exempt List

Washington’s WR Cody Latimer was placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List on Monday after facing eight charges following arrest.

Cody Latimer, a wide receiver for the Washington Football Team, has been placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, which will hold him out of team practices going forward.

While on the commissioner’s exempt list, a player is paid as if he were on the active roster, yet he does not count against his team’s 53-man active roster limit. A player on the exempt list is not allowed to practice or attend games, but he is allowed to be present at the facility for meetings, to work out, and to receive treatment.

The incident that led to Latimer being placed on the list came back in May, where he is facing eight charges, four of which are felonies, for a scuffle that broke out during a poker game where a gun was reportedly drawn.

Latimer was signed by Washington earlier this offseason after playing with the New York Giants, and he was expected to step in as a second or third option for QB Dwayne Haskins.

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5 questions you need to ask ahead of Washington’s 2020 training camp

With an unusual training camp on the horizon, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered going forward.

In a typical year where it doesn’t seem that the world is finding a new way to end every few days, the fact that we are entering the last week in July would mean one incredible thing: NFL training camps are set to begin soon, or are already getting started in some places.

However, this year is obviously different. Because of the novel coronavirus, the world has had to shift on its axis and work to figure out how to go on in the light of a global pandemic. Football is not alone in having to devise a plan to keep athletes, coaches, and fans safe going forward, but they are on the cusp of entering the spotlight. Training camp is coming, and though it will surely be different than years past, the need to get players ready for live-action is still present, with several more obstacles to deal with.

So have you been questioning how all of this is going to work, and what happens if a player tests positive for COVID-19 during camp or the season? We’ve got you covered on everything you need to know.

When does Training Camp 2020 start?

Quite simply the easiest question that we have in regards to camp, but unfortunately there isn’t a clear answer. That may tell you a bit about how sensitive this NFL season and schedule is to change. Rookies and skill players reported to camp last week, and many contracts were signed for the 2020 draft class. As this week rolls on, be ready to see more and more Washington players report to Ashburn, and ready for team activities to begin.

Where is Training Camp this year?

Because of COVID-19, each team is being forced to hold training camp at their team facilities, meaning that Washington won’t be able to make their yearly trip to Richmond, VA. for camp, and they will rather have to stay in Ashburn.

What happens if a player tests positive for COVID?

It’s inevitable, isn’t it? Tough as it may be, there are going to be players in the NFL who test positive for the coronavirus. What is important is how the NFL handles those players going forward.

The NFL and NFLPA have agreed on terms for what will happening during training camp and the season, and it was laid out by NBC Sports’ Peter King on Monday in his column:

  • If a player tests positive and is showing symptoms, at least 10 days must pass since the symptoms first occurred and at least 72 hours must have passed since symptoms last occurred. This likely means that such a player will miss at least two games.

  • If a player tests positive but is not showing symptoms, he can return either 10 days after the positive test or in just five days, if the player tests negative twice.

If you haven’t accepted the fact yet that this NFL season will be unlike any other in history, it’s time to come to that realization. Players are going to miss significant time because of the virus, and many will fight that, as asymptomatic positive results will happen.

Last week, the NFL reported that 59 players had already tested positive for the coronavirus at some point during the pandemic. As these hundreds of players start to get together to partake in a physical sport, there are bound to be more going forward.

Will there be any preseason games?

No. While it seemingly hasn’t been officially announced by the NFL and Roger Goodell, the NFLPA told their players last week that there would not be any preseason games. After the NFL was pushing to have the preseason cut down from 4 weeks to 2, players pushed even harder to have the preseason nixed completely, as they didn’t see the value in trying to add two meaningless games to an already monumental task of keeping players healthy.

Who in Washington is most at risk due to altered training camp?

It’s hard not to say that everyone in Washington will be severely impacted by this altered schedule in the NFL, mainly because it is a young team that is trying to mesh with a brand new coaching staff. However, there are a few players or groups of players who will take the bulk of the beating with missed preseason games and a shortened training camp schedule. Among them are Dwayne Haskins, bubble players hoping to make the 53-man roster, and rookies looking to transition into the NFL.

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Washington places Alex Smith on PUP list ahead of training camp

There is still a lot that needs to happen before Smith can take the field, but his trip to the PUP list is the next step in that process.

Another major step in the eventual return of Washington quarterback Alex Smith has been taken, as the team has placed him on the PUP list ahead of training camp this fall.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport, this allows the team to completely keep their options open, and keep a watchful eye on his recovery. Smith is supposed to undergo his physical with the team on Monday.

There is still a long way to go before Smith can put some pads on and be cleared for contact, but by moving him to the PUP list, Washington is guaranteeing that he can at least further his process on the field and be around all of the other quarterbacks in Washington, mainly Dwayne Haskins. This will be a major boost to the young QB who is in need of a solid mentor at his side.

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WATCH: Reuben Foster appears to be getting back into football shape

Foster has spent the last year rehabbing back from a tough knee injury, but a potential return could be in the cards sometime in the future.

Remember back when the most controversial thing with the Washington Football Team was the fact that they signed former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster?

It may be easy to forget that Foster is actually on the team in Washington, simply because he has yet to play for the team ever since an injury ended his season before it started in 2019, with significant damage to his knee that resulted with him at one point losing some feeling in his leg.

Now that he has had some time to rehab though, it appears as if a return to the field might be in the future for Foster, which was not always a guarantee. A recent video of him working shows that the former first-round pick has gotten some agility back in his legs, and a comeback might be on the horizon.

Of course, the only thing going on in that video is a few quick shuffles and accelerations, but it’s more than we’ve seen Foster do in over a year, and anyone who has come back from a significant knee injury knows that this is a process.

Earlier in the offseason there was a feeling that Foster might not be around for the 2020 season, or with the team going forward. No answers have been made regarding either of those two questions, but it’s starting to feel like he could be a part of the future in Washington after all.

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What does Alex Smith’s return mean for Dwayne Haskins?

It was announced on Friday night that Alex Smith had been cleared for full football activity, which could raise questions in Washington.

Another big story came out of Washington on Friday night when it was announced that quarterback Alex Smith was cleared by his doctors to return to full football activity after over a year of rehab following his gruesome leg injury that broke both his tibia and fibula, and forced him into a subsequent countless surgeries to repair it.

So now that Smith is back in the picture, does that mean that he will start playing in Washington again? More importantly, does that mean that Dwayne Haskins’ job is at risk?

To put it simply, no.

A clear distinction was made on Friday that Smith had been cleared by his doctors, though the Washington training staff and the medical team had yet to sign off on his playing. That won’t happen until the end of July, and even then it is unclear how much opportunity to train he will get, as COVID-19 has decimated training camp rules and there is little confidence that 11v11 scrimmages will take place for quite some time.

On the contrary, Smith’s return to football activities may be beneficial for Haskins, as he has one of the more prominent mentors back at his side on the practice field. Haskins went through his trials and tribulations during his rookie season in 2019, and several claims were made that Smith’s guidance and leadership helped Haskins along the way. It’s important to note that Smith was one of the players who NFL-star Patrick Mahomes credits for some of his early success as well.

Going forward, there are several ways that this can play out. If it becomes clear that Smith is ready to actually play within the near future, it’s very possible that Washington looks to either release him — saving them $14 million against the salary cap — or trade him to another team where he has a better chance to play. There has also been a notion that more NFL teams might choose to carry three quarterbacks on the roster instead of two, likely because of the coronavirus threat. If this were the case in Washington, Smith could stay put for the season and then re-evaluate going forward.

Long story short, everyone should be ecstatic about Alex’s return to football, and celebrate it for the monumental achievement it is. His return after such a horrific injury is nothing but a complete miracle, and it was undoubtedly harder than any of us could imagine. We can figure out the football side of things later, right now we just want to celebrate Alex.

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Chase Young: ‘I’m gonna give everything I have’ to Washington Football Team

Chase Young knows that the spotlight will be on him to help turn around the franchise in Washington, and he is ready to do anything he can.

It’s fun to see new faces in Washington, isn’t it?

There are a lot of new things to marvel at when you talk about The Washington Football Team, from players to coaches to names to jerseys. Two of those new faces — rookie DE Chase Young and new VP of Media Julie Donaldson — sat down for an interview recently and discussed what the upcoming season might look like.

While talking about the recent changes in the program and how a star in the making like Young might be able to take advantage of a fresh slate and carve his path in the NFL, one thing he said stood out to us, and it should get fans riled up to go.

He promises to give everything he has to the Washington Football Team.

Judging by what we’ve seen from him in college, everything he has is a lot. It was enough to get him selected as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and it was enough to see him sign a 4-year contract with Washington earlier this week, where he saw approximately $22 million in guaranteed money upfront.

Now we just have to wait and see what he has on an NFL field. It’s sure not to disappoint.

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Alex Smith cleared for football activities; could participate in training camp

After over a year of rehabilitation, Alex Smith was cleared for full football activities on Friday.

Let this day be marked in history as the biggest win in the career of quarterback Alex Smith.

There were no games played, and no touchdowns were thrown, but Smith was cleared for full activity by his doctors, according to ESPN’s Stephania Bell. This may not mean that he’s suiting up in pads right away, but it means that he can start to work more and more on his eventual comeback.

Here is an excerpt from the ESPN article on the situation:

Smith, who spoke to ESPN while filming an update for his E:60 documentary “Project 11,” is in the process of going through COVID-19 testing and expects to report Monday to the team’s facility, where he will undergo a team physical.

Once there, the team is expected to determine the next steps for Smith’s eventual participation in training camp.

“Everyone was in agreement that my bone was in a really good place,” Smith told ESPN. “I had healed a lot. They said that given the combination of the rod and where I was with the healing process, I had zero limitations and could even resume some football activities.

What this means for the Washington Football Team going forward is unknown, as they seem to be set at the quarterback position with both Dwayne Haskins and Kyle Allen ready to go. However, that’s a question for another time. All that matters right now is Smith has taken the biggest step in his recovery, and he’s that much closer to playing football again.

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