Updated depth chart – 31 August 2021 (6 a.m.)

Getting close to the tough cuts

There have been reports from several media outlets that Washington has released ten players already. Here is the list:

There are no surprises here. These ten players were at the bottom of their respective positions on the last depth chart that I published, 4 days ago.

The depth chart is now at 71 players (33 offense, 35 defense, 3 ST specialists). With the roster exemption for David Bada, they are in compliance with the league’s roster rules, with final cut down to 53 players required by 4 p.m. today, 31 August.

There will surely be some surprises and fan favorites announced today.

I’ll remind you that the initial 53 rarely represents the “final” roster of players that will take the field for Washington in Week 1. There may be some movement of players to IR after the 31 Aug roster, and the team may pick up players cut from other teams, necessitating that players who initially looked ‘safe’ to be cut. The roster ‘tweaking’ often goes on for about a week beyond final cut downs as the coaches and front office position themselves to build the strongest, deepest roster they can ahead of the start of the regular season.

If you are wondering about the numbers on the depth chart, those represent the 2021 cap hits for players over $1m for the season.

As always, the assessment of position, depth, and skill level is mine alone; it does not necessarily reflect the thinking of the coaching staff and no one else was consulted regarding it’s construction.