Category: Latest Washington News

Breaking: Adrian Peterson to sign one-year deal with the Detroit Lions

Adrian Peterson wasn’t a free agent for long, as he has now signed with the Detroit Lions after being released by Washington.

The future Hall of Fame running back who was cut by the Washington Football Team on Friday morning has already found a new home, and he is staying in the NFC while joining the Detroit Lions.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the deal is a one-year, $1,050,000 contract, plus incentives with Detroit.

Peterson, who was expected to have a heavy workload in Washington before being cut, will become a solid addition to the Lions backfield that includes Kerryon Johnson, rookie D’Andre Swift, Bo Scarborough, and Ty Johnson.

Having spent so many years with the Minnesota Vikings early in his career, Peterson is definitely familiar with the Lions franchise, and any fan of that team is surely familiar with him. No matter who he went to, it’s great to see Peterson be picked up quickly so that he can continue his career and get closer to moving up on any NFL rushing record list that he can.

[vertical-gallery id=40876]

NFL practice squad rules 2020: Everything you need to know

Rosters have been cut down in the NFL, and after players clear the waiver period on Sunday, some will be asked to join the practice squad.

The 2020 offseason has been unlike any other in NFL history, so why should the same rules hold true for the practice squad this year? With all 32 rosters now cut down to at least 53, many players will pass through the waiver system and have the chance to land back on their team’s practice squad for the time being.

Before we get into current practice squad rules, it’s worth noting the difference between being waived and released.

Players with less than four years of experience are waived, therefore subject to waivers, and can be claimed by other teams during a 24-hour period. If a player goes unclaimed in that span, he becomes an unrestricted free agent (UFA).

Players with four or more accrued NFL seasons are released and become free agents (FA). Therefore, they are not subject to the waiver period and can sign immediately with any team.

Teams have from 4 p.m. Saturday to noon Sunday to submit a claim for a waived player. Once that deadline passes, claims are executed based on the priority of which teams submitted them. The 2019 final standings set priority; teams with worse records (Arizona, Washington, Carolina, Detroit) have higher priority. Players are awarded to teams beginning at 1 p.m.

Practice squad

The practice squad (PS) is critical to any NFL team. If a player on the 53-man roster goes down, teams must have a solid group from which to pluck another player. Generally, it’s of the position the team just lost, but that’s not always the case.

There are some changes to the rules and eligibility of practice squads in 2020. Not only because of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) signed in March but because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the CBA was ratified, the league and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) agreed to increase the size of the PS rosters from 10 to 12 players for 2020 (it will increase to 14 in 2022).

The CBA was agreed upon before the pandemic struck. So, to combat inevitable positive COVID test results, the league expanded PS rosters from 12 to 16 players.

An hour after that waiver claiming period ends (1 p.m. Sunday), teams will begin constructing their 16-player practice squads. Teams can protect four PS players weekly and can activate two PS players to the 55-man roster without having to clear waivers to revert to PS. It’s likely the protection allowance will only be permitted in 2020. An unprotected player is free to sign with another team, and there are no practice squad-to-practice squad transactions.

Here are rules for players to be eligible for the practice squad, according to Sporting News:

  • Players who do not have an accrued season of NFL experience (rookies)

  • Players who were on the active list for fewer than nine regular-season games during their only accrued season(s)

  • Up to four players per team who have earned no more than two accrued seasons (no game limitations)

  • Up to two (six in 2020) players per team with no limitations as to their number of earned accrued seasons

Injured reserve

Injured reserve (IR) could also impact roster decisions. Previously, players placed on IR with a designation to return had to be sidelined for at least eight weeks. Now, players can return after three weeks, and teams can activate an unlimited number of players from IR. As it relates to cut-downs, however, a player must be named to the 53-man roster before he can be placed on IR.

[vertical-gallery id=40876]

Washington ranks as the 14th youngest team in the NFL after cut-downs

Washington’s aim is to have a group of young players on the roster who can build a bright future, and they rank as the 14th youngest in NFL.

The through-line for Washington’s scheme and desire during this past off-season and ensuing 53-man roster cut that took place on Saturday has been a push for youth. It’s why veteran RB Adrian Peterson in lieu of going with a stable of young running backs, and it’s why the team has stayed away from bringing in another veteran receiver, though the depth chart could use the experience.

Despite all of that, Washington ranks as just the 14th youngest team in the NFL, following the league-wide roster cuts, according to The Philly Voice. The average age of players in Washington is 25.8 years old, which is the lowest they’ve had in the past four years. For reference, the Jacksonville Jaguars lead the league in youth with an average age of 24.9.

Though they may not be the youngest team in the NFL, the need for production from their youth is as high as any, with Washington relying on many inexperienced players without much of a sample size (see Steven Sims, Antonio Gibson, Chase Young, etc.)

Coach Ron Rivera is said to be a molder of young men, and he will definitely have his chance to do so this year in Washington.

[vertical-gallery id=40876]

Ron Rivera says Alex Smith is ‘ready to play’ should the opportunity arise

After being named to the 53-man roster, Alex Smith has the confidence of the coaching staff that he could play in a game when called upon.

It was a long shot for Smith to ever play football again, and he blew all expectations out of the water this offseason by officially making the 53-man roster in Washington.

When talking to the media after the deadline on Saturday, coach Ron Rivera explained that it was Smith’s passion to play again that cause him to decide to keep the QB on the roster, and Rivera now believes that, should the need arise, Smith will be ready to step into a game.

Rivera also revealed that Smith has taken part in 11 vs. 11 drills in practice this past week, which was the final hurdle in his recovery — seeing live-action with bodies flying around him. Rivera stated that this was a big mental step for Smith, who is now riding high.

We don’t know if Washington will ever need Smith to step in under center, with Dwayne Haskins winning the QB1 job, but we know that Rivera has the utmost confidence if he needs to.

[vertical-gallery id=40876]

Alex Smith caps remarkable recovery by making Washington’s 53-man roster

After being counted out a number of times and being told his career was over, Smith has capped off his remarkable recovery in Washington.

The amazing comeback story just keeps getting better for Washington quarterback Alex Smith.

It was announced on Saturday afternoon that Washington will officially keep Smith on the 53-man roster without sending him to the IR, meaning that he will have a real shot to play this upcoming season. After a gruesome leg injury that led to 17 surgeries and was surely thought to end his career, Smith has now taken the biggest step by making the active roster in Washington.

He may not ever step foot on the field during a game, with Dwayne Haskins holding the QB1 role, but everything from here on out is icing on the cake.

Smith’s goal was to come back from his injury and play football again, and now being on the active roster, he gets to do that. Congratulations Alex.

[vertical-gallery id=40881]

 

Report: Landon Collins to take No. 26 jersey number; Jimmy Moreland takes No. 20

With final cuts trickling in, keep an eye out for players in Washington who will grab up the newly available jersey numbers.

One of the fun things to watch after rosters are cut down in the NFL is different players scrambling to snatch up the new jersey number what are available now that there are fewer players in the locker room.

For the Washington Football Team, the first two players we know of that are switching come in the defensive secondary, where safety Landon Collins is going back to his college days and taking the number 26, which was formerly held by running back Adrian Peterson, who was cut on Friday.

In accordance to this move, cornerback Jimmy Moreland will be taking the No. 20 jersey that Collins had, which holds some major significance in Washington, being the number that the late, great Sean Taylor once wore.

As final cuts continue to come in, keep an eye on players switching numbers and grabbing the jerseys they want.

[vertical-gallery id=40881]

Report: Washington releases WR Cam Sims during roster cut-down

Washington is releasing WR Cam Sims, who will likely be added to the practice squad if he isn’t picked from waivers.

Washington is letting WR Cam Sims go as part of the 53-man roster cut on Saturday, which comes as somewhat of a surprise move after they already released fellow receiver Trey Quinn earlier in the day.

Sims has been one of the bubble players throughout training camp, and it appears that he landed just on the outside of the final list. With him gone, Washington will likely keep Terry McLaurin, Steven Sims, Dontrell Inman, Antonio Gandy-Golden, and Isaiah Wright on the roster.

Don’t be surprised to see Sims stick around on the practice squad this season, though, and potentially be moved up at some point. The team obviously likes what he brings to the table, but just needed that roster spot somewhere else on the field.

[vertical-gallery id=40881]

Washington moves LB Reuben Foster to Injured Reserve list

Washington is holding onto LB Reuben Foster, but moving him to the injured reserve list, where he can be brought back after eight weeks.

For all of those people who were worried about the Washington Football Team cutting linebacker Reuben Foster on Saturday, you can rest easy at the moment — he is being placed on the injured reserve to start the season.

This of course means that he will be forced to sit out the first half of the season without practicing with the team, though he can still be involved in team meetings. If Washington decides that he is healthy enough to play after Week 8, they can designate him for return.

Throughout camp, Foster took a big step by being on the field in the first place, but he was not close to looking like his old self, thanks to a knee injury that has some lingering effects still. If he can’t make it back in time to return during this season, there is always still a chance that Washington keeps him around in the future.

[vertical-gallery id=40881]

Antonio Gibson is a low-risk, high-reward player who could help win your fantasy league

With the rookie Antonio Gibson now slotting into the RB1 spot in Washington, he is a low-risk, high-reward player who could pay dividends.

With the news about Washington releasing running back Adrian Peterson on Friday aside, the ramifications are potentially big when it comes to Antonio Gibson and your fantasy team. The rookie was already flying under the radar as a sleeper in some deeper leagues, with many hoping that his usage rate in Scott Turner’s offense was going to grow as time went on. But now that he is the de facto No. 1 back in Washington, things could get a bit interesting.

[lawrence-related id=40856]

This is where we have to work to calibrate our expectations. Any starting running back in the NFL is worthy of being rostered in fantasy football, but just because Gibson is the RB1 in Washington doesn’t mean that he is someone you’ll be starting each and every week. However, he is absolutely someone that you should be picking up off of your waiver wire if he’s available, and there is a high-ceiling for what he can do if all goes right.

We also need to be ready for the possibility that Gibson is a bit underwhelming, considering the high expectations that are now on him to perform. As a rookie running back who only has 33 career carries out of the backfield, there’s definitely a big chance that he gets overwhelmed in his rookie season and struggles to make much of a difference. Of course, we hope the opposite is true, but it’s smart to prepare for either.

What it boils down to, for fantasy purposes at least, is taking advantage of a low-risk, high-reward player that could potentially pay dividends for you down the road. If you are able to grab Gibson off of the waiver wire, or if you haven’t drafted yet and you add him to your team in the middle-to-late rounds, how much will it hurt you if he busts in his rookie season?

[vertical-gallery id=40823]

Report: Washington plans to keep QB Alex Smith on 53-man roster

It appears that Alex Smith will be a part of the Washington roster going forward, which is another incredible step in his road to recovery.

One of the biggest questions for the Washington Football Team heading into this weekend’s roster cut-down is surrounding quarterback Alex Smith, who has incredibly battled his way back from a gruesome leg injury that threatened both his career and his life over the past year.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Washington’s plan is to keep Smith on the 53-man roster, rather than sending him to the injured reserve for at least 8 weeks, which would be the other option. It was unexpected that the team would cut Smith, especially after all that he’s been through with his recovery thus far.

Keeping Smith on the 53-man roster complicates things a bit for Washington, as they will be struggling to decide on the last few roster spots between the offensive line, linebacker, and cornerback.

For Smith, though, this is a great achievement and one of many that he’s had over the past year. If he can step foot on the field at any point this season, that Comeback Player of the Year award is his for the taking.

[vertical-gallery id=40823]