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The Washington Football Team desperately needs defensive help for Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Washington currently has 10 players on the reserve/COVID-19 list, nine of which are on the defensive side of the ball.
Remember, Washington is already without numerous injured stars on both sides of the ball for the season.
To get some help on defense, Washington turned to a familiar face on Tuesday, signing linebacker/defensive end Nate Orchard. Orchard spent parts of the 2019 and 2020 seasons with Washington before his release last November. Washington signed Orchard, 28, off Green Bay’s practice squad.
We have made the following roster moves:
-Signed DE Nate Orchard from Green Bay’s practice squad
-Signed DT Hercules Mata’afa to our practice squad pic.twitter.com/GkQcdWrJAf— Washington Football Team (@WashingtonNFL) December 14, 2021
Orchard is best remembered in Washington for his performance in a 2019 win over the Carolina Panthers, where he recorded a sack and recovered a fumble in the game that cost Ron Rivera his job with the Panthers.
A former second-round pick in 2015, Orchard has spent time in 10 different NFL organizations over the course of his seven-year career. Washington is the first organization to employ Orchard twice.
Circumstances are different this time around for Orchard. He has an opportunity to play meaningful snaps on a team competing for a playoff spot. That’s a far cry from where Washington was in 2019.