Tag: Matt Ioannidis

The Commanders to release defensive lineman Matt Ioannidis

Matt Ioannidis has been with Washington since 2016.

With only hours left until the new NFL league year begins at 4:00 p.m. ET, teams continue making moves to either get under the salary cap or create more room for potential moves.

The Washington Commanders made a big move Wednesday, releasing defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, after attempting to trade him.

Commanders 2022 free agency preview: Tim Settle will have options

Tim Settle is a free agent, and he will have options. Washington should seriously consider retaining him.

The Washington Commanders have arguably one of the best defensive lines in the NFL. Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Montez Sweat and Chase Young are all former first-round picks.

So, it is sometimes easy to forget about Washington’s other defensive linemen. Matt Ioannidis and Tim Settle are Washington’s reserve defensive tackles, and both could start for other teams. Ioannidis remains a part-time starter and key rotation piece for the Commanders.

What about Settle?

After four years in the NFL, Settle is a free agent and will for an opportunity to start somewhere. He should have multiple options after showing flashes during his time with the Commanders.

 

Brandon Scherff is Washington’s latest addition to the reserve/COVID-19 list

Brandon Scherff is the latest addition to the reserve/COVID-19 list.

The Washington Football Team had a good day Sunday when the team added no new players to the reserve/COVID-19 list. Unfortunately for Washington, Monday morning began with some bad news as All-Pro guard Brandon Scherff was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Washington, down to its fourth center of the season, will now be without one of its offensive line anchors ahead of a big NFC East battle vs. Philadelphia Tuesday night.

Wes Schweitzer is Washington’s top backup guard and always starts when Scherff is out, is on injured reserve.

Scherff is a significant loss for Washington at any time, but especially now with so many other starters out. Washington must run the ball to be successful, which becomes more difficult without Scherff.

In more positive news for Washington, defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis is expected to be activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday.

Washington hopes to receive good news on at least one of its quarterbacks, Taylor Heinicke or Kyle Allen, who were both placed on the COVID list last week.

Wednesday injury report for Washington vs. Eagles, Week 15

Remember the “Body Bag Game?” Here’s Wednesday’s injury report where we remember that game from 1990.

Does anyone remember the infamous “Body Bag Game” between Washington and the Philadelphia Eagles back in 1990? That was a Monday night game back on Nov. 12, 1990, at the old Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

Nine Washington players were injured in that game, including both quarterbacks, Jeff Rutledge and Stan Humphries. Washington already entered the game without starting quarterback Mark Rypien. So, Washington had to turn to a rookie running back named Brian Mitchell to finish the game at quarterback.

You’ve probably heard of Mitchell. He is one of the greatest return men in NFL history and a Washington legend. Mitchell played quarterback in college at the University of Southwestern Louisiana — now the University of Lousiana at Lafayette.

The Eagles won the game, 28-14.

Washington’s opponent this week happens to the Eagles — in Philadelphia. Why is this significant? Because this may be a “Body Bag Game” for Washington before the team ever touches down in Philly this weekend. Washington has several key injuries heading into Week 15, including wide receivers Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel.

As the team returned to practice Wednesday, several notable players did not participate, including McLaurin, Samuel, center Keith Ismael and running back J.D. McKissic. Ismael is noteworthy because he’s Washington’s fourth center.

Here’s the full injury report for both Washington and Philadelphia.

Ok, those are just the injuries. Washington has 12 players on the reserve/COVID-19 list. And the names are notable. Jonathan Allen, Matt Ioannidis, Tim Settle, Kendall Fuller, Cornelius Lucas, Cam Sims and Montez Sweat are just some of the names on the COVID list.

Things don’t appear to be getting better anytime soon, as Washington has placed players on the COVID list every day this week.

Kyle Allen, Matt Ioannidis and 5 others are the latest Washington additions to the COVID list

Washington now has 17 players on the reserve/COVID-19 list, in addition to numerous injuries.

As if the injury/COVID news couldn’t get any worse for Washington, it did on Wednesday when backup quarterback Kyle Allen and defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis were the latest additions to the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Washington now has 17 players on the COVID list, 12 of which are on the defensive side of the ball. Allen played for the first time in Week 14 when starting quarterback Taylor Heinicke exited the game with an injury. Allen played well in relief, but if he’s unable to play on Sunday, that would mean Kyle Shurmur will be activated to the main roster.

Heinicke was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice in some rare good news for Washington.

Ioannidis is one of Washington’s top defensive players and typically the WFT’s third defensive tackle behind Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne. However, Allen is currently on the COVID list, meaning Washington was likely to play Ioannidis even more Sunday. Remember, Tim Settle was placed on the COVID list Tuesday.

Ioannidis generally plays close to the same number of snaps as Allen and Payne. Washington likes to rotate its defensive tackles and simultaneously use all three on the field.

Other players added to the COVID list Tuesday were tight end Sammis Reyes, wide receiver Cam Sims, starting right tackle Cornelius Lucas, linebacker Milo Eifler and safety Darrick Forrest.

This week has officially turned into a nightmare for Washington and coach Ron Rivera. At 6-7, Washington currently holds the No. 7 and final NFC playoff spot but faces a Philadelphia team with the same record in Week 15.

 

Washington has 17 players on COVID list as matchup with Eagles looms

#WashingtonFootball places 7 players on COVID list, bringing total to 17 as matchup with Philadelphia #Eagles looms

The Eagles return home to Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday and their NFC East opponent could be depleted from a personnel standpoint before kickoff arrives.

Washington announced that they’ve placed seven more players on the COVID-19 reserve list Wednesday. The team now has 17 players on the list.

The team placed quarterback Kyle Allen, linebacker Milo Eifler, safety Darrick Forrest, defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis, offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas, tight end Sammis Reyes and receiver Cam Sims on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

While starting quarterback Taylor Heinicke is expected to be available, Washington signed quarterback Jordan Ta’amu to its practice squad, joining Kyle Shurmur.

Washington currently has eight available defensive linemen for Sunday’s game against the Eagles, with defensive tackle Daron Payne the only starter that’s available.

Washington signed Nate Orchard off of Green Bay’s practice squad Tuesday and they’ll likely rotate defensive ends Daniel Wise, Shaka Toney, Bunmi Rotimi along with practice squad defensive tackles Gabe Wright, Hercules Mata’afa, and David Bada.

[listicle id=660141]

[listicle id=660230]

[lawrence-related id=660242,660238]

Matt Ioannidis, Montez Sweat receive top scores from Pro Football Focus

As you might expect, PFF wasn’t too kind to Washington’s offense in Sunday’s loss to the Packers.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbykgy681k112p8 player_id=none image=https://washingtonfootballwire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Washington’s defensive line had its best game of the 2021 season on Sunday in a 24-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Washington sacked Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers three times in the first half and held the Packers to seven points until they scored a touchdown with 15 seconds remaining in the half.

Washington went into halftime down 14-7 but would receive the second-half kickoff. Unfortunately for Washington, that’s when its comedy of offensive errors would begin as running back Antonio Gibson tripped on the first play from scrimmage, preventing a possible touchdown. Then, on the next play, Washington turned the ball over.

In such an inconsistent offensive performance, which Washington players stood out?

According to Pro Football Focus, defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis and defensive end Montez Sweat were the stars of the game for Washington.

PFF gave Ioannidis an 81.5 grade for his 27 snaps. Ioannidis was solid against the run and had at least two pressures on Rodgers.

Sweat finished the game with a 76.6 grade, while Jonathan Allen was third on the team with a 73.6 grade. Allen, who had two sacks, was the WFT’s highest-graded pass-rusher with a 78.2 grade.

Chase Young failed to make an impact in the game, and PFF graded him as such. Young earned a 52.5 overall grade, which was No. 17 on Washington’s defense.

Terry McLaurin led Washington’s offense with a grade of 74.3. McLaurin caught seven passes for 122 yards and a touchdown. However, he did drop a touchdown pass. McLaurin rarely drops a pass.

Quarterback Taylor Heinicke had some positive moments, but his mistakes doomed Washington, as he finished with a grade of 56.4.

Washington’s offensive line, which has been outstanding all season, had its worst performance of the season. Center Chase Roullier had the highest grade from Washington’s offensive line.

 

Antonio Gibson and Matt Ioannidis will play vs. Falcons

Antonio Gibson and Matt Ioannidis will play.

The Washington Football Team received some good news on Sunday morning when it was revealed starting running back Antonio Gibson, and defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis will play vs. the Falcons in Week 4.

Both players were listed as questionable on Friday. Gibson injured his shin at some point in last week’s game and is still dealing with the injury. Head coach Ron Rivera expressed confidence on Friday that Gibson would give it a go on Sunday.

Ioannidis injured his knee in the win over the Giants in Week 2. He missed last week’s game at Buffalo.

Through three games, Gibson has rushed for 190 yards on 45 attempts. He is averaging 4.2 yards per attempt. While he hasn’t found the end zone carrying the football, he did have Washington’s highlight of the week against the Bills when he took a screen pass 76 yards to the house.

Atlanta’s defense should offer Washington plenty of opportunities to run the football successfully.

Final injury report for Washington vs. Falcons, Week 4

The final injury report includes some disappointing news for Washington as cornerback Benjamin St-Juste is out for Sunday.

The Washington Football Team and Atlanta Falcons released their final injury reports of the week on Friday ahead of Sunday’s Week 4 meeting at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Check out the final injury reports for both teams below and as well as their designation for Sunday’s game:

Player Injury Participation Designation
CB Benjamin St-Juste Concussion DNP Out
RB Antonio Gibson Shin Limited Questionable
DT Matt Ioannidis Knee Full Questionable
T Charles Leno NIR Full –
G Brandon Scherff Chest Full –
  • Benjamin St-Juste did not practice on Friday and is out of Sunday’s game. This likely means Darryl Roberts will be active. Torry McTyer will see more time at corner.
  • Antonio Gibson was limited on Friday and is questionable. Odds are he plays as head coach Ron Rivera said he felt good about Gibson for Sunday.

  • Matt Ioannidis participated fully but remains questionable.
  • Some positive injury news for Washington is the return of Curtis Samuel, who was activated from injured reserve on Friday.
Player Injury Participation Designation
DT Marlon Davidson Ankle DNP Out
WR Russell Gage Ankle DNP Out
WR Frank Darby Calf Full –
G Colby Gossett Illness Full –
S Erik Harris Back Full –
CB A.J. Terrell Concussion Full –
  • Marlon Davidson and Russell Gage are out for the Falcons on Sunday.
  • Everyone else on Atlanta’s injury reports were full participants and dropped from the injured list.

Second injury report for Washington vs. Falcons, Week 4

The second injury report of the week is out, and Antonio Gibson was added on Thursday.

The Washington Football Team and the Atlanta Falcons released their second injury reports of the week on Thursday, and there was one significant addition for Washington.

Here is a complete look at the injury report for both teams below:

Player Injury Participation
RB Antonio Gibson Shin DNP
DT Matt Ioannidis Knee DNP
CB Benjamin St-Juste Concussion DNP
G Brandon Scherff Chest Full
T Charles Leno NIR (rest) Full
  • Gibson was a new addition to the injury report on Thursday. This should be a concern this late in the week. It will be interesting to see Gibson’s participation on Friday.
  • Ioannidis did not participate after being limited on Thursday.
  • St-Juste remains out. If he misses Friday, he’s out on Sunday.
  • Scherff and Leno were back in full participation on Thursday.
Player Injury Participation
DT Marlon Davidson Ankle DNP
WR Russell Gage Ankle DNP
WR Frank Darby Calf Full
G Colby Gossett Illness Full
S Erik Harris Back Full
CB A.J. Terrell Concussion Full
  • Davidson and Gage remained out on Thursday.
  • On Thursday, everyone else was back to full participation, meaning things look good for A.J. Terrell’s return to action in Week 4.