Cut Day

Taking a pass on the future

Coach wants to see you. Bring your playbook.

One of the toughest days in football, final cuts are in, training camp is a wrap and some of the cuts are bizarro. Marcus Mason is out, as is Derrick Frost, the team is going with five receivers, ten defensive linemen and all ten rookies. To go with the five roster cuts to get down to 75, here are the 22 cuts to get the team down to 53:

Mathias Askew, defensive tackle
Ryan Boschetti, defensive tackle
Nehemiah Broughton, fullback
Devin Clark, offensive tackle
Andrew Crummey, offensive tackle
Derek Devine, quarterback
Derrick Frost, punter
Horace Gant, receiver
Curtis Gatewood, linebacker
Patrick Ghee, safety
David Holloway, linebacker
Cedrick Holt, cornerback
Maurice Mann, receiver
Marcus Mason, tailback
Fred Matua, offensive guard
Billy McMullen, receiver
Anthony Mix, receiver
Matteral Richardson, cornerback
Danny Verdun-Wheeler, linebacker
Todd Wade, offensive tackle
Tavares Washington, offensive tackle
Byron Westbrook, cornerback

Ryan Boschetti is s tough loss, he has been with the Redskins four years, he was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent and has been a deep reserve, with the team deciding to keep Chris Wilson, Erasmus James and Rob Jackson at defensive end there was less room for much depth at defensive tackle, Demetric Evans and Lorenzo Alexander aka Scarface will be the deep bench. Ryan has no remaining practice squad eligibility.

Nehemiah Broughton aka Nemo was a seventh round pick by the Redskins in 2005, has seen very little action and tore up his knee in the 2007 offseason and spent 2007 on injured reserve. The team will be going with one fullback, Mike Sellers, this offense will not be premised on great fullback play so Nemo was not needed. He still may have some practice squad eligibility left, I am not certain (see also here).

Derek Devine came over from Seattle with coach Jim Zorn, the Seahawks signed him as an undrafted rookie free agent before the 2007 season. His best chance at making the team was being Jim Zorn's mouthpiece on the sideline, translating his deep (and one year old) knowledge of coach's system to the offensive players. Derek has practice squad eligibility.

Derrick Frost, this was a surprise to me. It seems as though Derrick came out in top at the end even if by just a hair. If rookie sixth round draft pick Durant Brooks was always going to make the team and Derrick was always going to get cut then the team should have cut Derrick early, he has been with the Redskins three seasons. I may have more to say on this one.

Marcus Mason, I am taking this one hard so maybe I am not objective. I really thought Marcus was the right guy for this team, he was cheap and is a great runner. The knock on him will be his blocking and special teams play, that far down the depth chart you cannot afford not to have special teams skills. I may more to say on this one as well.

Billy McMullen and Anthony Mix, this is a bit bizarro to me, the team is going with only five receivers. Anthony was on the team last year and did not get any action, he was Jason Campbell's teammate and roommate at Auburn, he hurt his hamstring in camp and lost ground for the presumed number six spot to Billy. Speaking of Billy McMullen (Wahoowa!), he made the most of his opportunity as Anthony slowed, yes Billy has limitations, there was a role for him on this team, a role that Malcolm Kelly may one day occupy... if his knees get better and he every gets in shape. I may add this to the I want to talk more about this one later list.

Matteral Richardson looked good as an undrafted rookie free agent, he had an interception return for a touchdown in the Hall of Fame preseason game against the Colts and looked a heck of a lot better than rookie fourth round pick Justin Tryon by the end of camp. I think looking at an undrafted rookie free agent versus a fourth round pick is a question of upside versus ability now. If the depth chart puts whoever is kept at this position at number five then better to think upside over right now. Still I thought Matteral did what he needed to do to make the team. Matteral has practice squad eligibility.

Todd Wade was signed before the 2006 season and 2007 was his big year with the team. After Washington lost left guard Derrick Dockery to the Buffalo Bills in the 2007 offseason the team failed in its experiment of putting Todd, a natural tackle, in at guard (see here, here, here and here). After Jon Jansen broke his leg in the first game of last season Todd stepped in and started 11 games. Todd is an eight year veteran and is getting injury prone, at best Todd was a stopgap at tackle, a guy that can get you three or four games when you need it and is not at his best over a full season. With the emergence of second year undrafted free agent Stephon Heyer and the spending a third round draft pick on good looking tackle slash guard Chad Rinehart, Todd became expendable. Thanks for the laughs Todd, we had some good times poking fun at your resemblance to David Puddy.

Byron Westbrook, local Fort Washington Maryland product and brother of the Eagles' tailback slash receiver Brian Westbrook was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent before the 2007 season and spent the 2007 season on the practice squad. The Redskins have a tough depth chart to crack at cornerback and Byron needed to improve his special teams play, the team gave him every opportunity to do so in the Carolina and Jacksonville games. He has practice squad eligibility.


This means linebacker Alfred Fincher, safety Justin Hamilton and center Justin Geisinger made the team, of the three I thought Alfred was on track to make the cut.


Previous cut days: 2006, 2007.



Marcus Mason: Getty Images from here.