Tag: ferrod gardner

Commanders sign XFL linebacker

If Ferrod Gardner sounds familiar, he was a part of Washington’s roster in 2022.

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For the second time in a week, the Washington Commanders are adding a player from the XFL to their 90-man roster. Last week, Washington signed offensive tackle Jaryd Jones-Smith, who had spent the spring with the St. Louis Battlehawks and was an All-XFL performer.

On Monday, the XFL Communications Department’s official Twitter account revealed another signing for the Commanders.

D.C. Defenders linebacker/safety Ferrod Gardner.

Does Gardner sound familiar to you?

An undrafted free agent out of Louisiana, Gardner signed with the Commanders after the 2022 NFL draft, where he joined former college teammate Percy Butler.

Gardner spent training camp with Washington, but he was waived last summer. The Commanders re-signed Gardner to the practice squad, where he spent time last season.

At 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, Gardner is a hybrid safety/linebacker, which the Commanders like. Gardner was selected in the 10th round of the XFL draft, and he spent the 2023 season with the Defenders.

The Commanders have yet to announce Gardner’s signing, so we don’t have of a corresponding move as of this time.

Commanders make a pair of roster moves Tuesday

The Commanders added another defensive tackle Tuesday, this time to the practice squad.

Losing defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis Sunday has resulted in two more transactions Tuesday by the Washington Commanders.

Washington signed DT Benning Potoa’e to the practice squad. To make room for Potoa’e, Washington released S Ferrod Gardner from the practice squad.

Mathis was the Commanders’ second-round draft choice in April’s draft. A former member of the Alabama Crimson Tide, Mathis was excited to be drafted by Washington and to learn from Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne.

Mathis went down Sunday on the first play of Jacksonville’s second possession, having torn his meniscus and, after an MRI Monday, was ruled out for the remainder of the 2022 season.

Losing Mathis so early in the contest, inside tackles Payne and Allen were in on 55 and 54 defensive snaps respectively. Daniel Wise (6-3,279) played on 30 defensive snaps inside, and the Commanders were forced to use Efe Obada (6-6, 265) inside as well.

The Commanders brass fully aware they need more size have now obtained Potoa’e (6-3, 290) Tuesday and Donovan Jeter (6-3, 325) Monday. Potoa’e played his college ball at the University of Washington. He appeared in one game for Tampa Bay in 2020 and then again in 2021. Jeter went undrafted out of Michigan, was signed by the Steelers, and played in all three preseason games before being cut.

Gardner (age 25) at 6’1”, 215 pounds, played linebacker at Louisiana. The Commanders were hoping to develop him as a strong safety. Perhaps with the size, they were hoping to see if he could develop into a Buffalo nickel role such as Landon Collins did in 2021.

 

9 players the Commanders should re-sign to the practice squad

How many of the players the Commanders released will re-sign to the practice squad? Here are nine they should bring back.

The Washington Commanders finalized their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday with some mild surprises. Washington didn’t cut any former stars or high draft picks, but the Commanders left some positions a bit thin on the initial roster.

Not to worry, says head coach Ron Rivera, who said Tuesday, “we are not done.”

While the Commanders will likely be monitoring the waiver wire and inquiring about potential trades to upgrade the roster main roster, they will also be busy filling out their 16-man practice squad.

The Commanders cut 25 players on Tuesday. Last season, Washington’s initial practice squad was made up primarily of players it released and could follow the same theme in 2022. After all, keeping players familiar with your system, who have spent the offseason and training camp practicing with your team, makes sense.

Here are nine recently released players who the Commanders should re-sign to the practice squad if they clear waivers.

 

Predicting Commanders’ first 5 cuts ahead of Tuesday’s deadline

The Commanders have to trim their roster to 85 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. These 5 players could be their first cuts of the summer.

The first preseason game is in the books, and that means it’s decision time for all 32 NFL teams. Per the NFL rules, every team must cut five players by Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET to trim their roster from 90 players down to 85.

The Washington Commanders opened the preseason with a 23-21 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Several young Commanders made their NFL debuts in the loss, including rookie quarterback Sam Howell, who almost led Washington to a comeback win.

With multiple injuries in training camp, there will be tough decisions to make for head coach Ron Rivera and general manager Martin Mayhew.

Here are five players we predict the Commanders to release ahead of the first cut deadline.