2026 53-Man Roster Thread

[SmiffySkins]

Definitely need 9 OL. I guess we should be glad that Keim is not projecting JGJ in his 53!

 

[method man]

If AP is serious about keeping his job, he is adding both Decker and Glasgow and then adding another interior offensive lineman like a Van Pran if he gets cut.

LT: Decker
LG: Coleman
C: Allegretti
RG: Cosmi
RT: Conerly

With Wylie, Glasgow, Van Pran and either Humphries or Scott as backups is a much more serious offensive line

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

Nicki's 53:

Commanders final 53-man roster projection: Tough choice at WR, help needed on O-line

Injuries have altered the calculus for Washington's initial 53-man roster, which is likely to change before the Sept. 13 season opener.

www.nytimes.com

(She writes for the Athletic, I think the link should work.)

I asked my friend Jean Claud to compare them. He did the splits, then came up with this:
Both lists were extracted and cross-checked position by position. The two predicted 53-man rosters agree on 49 of the 53 players — every quarterback, wide receiver, tight end, defensive lineman, safety, and special-teamer matches exactly (WRs are just listed in a different order in each). The four spots where the writers disagree:

Position	Only in Keim's 53	Only in Nicki's 53
Running back	Robert Henry Jr. (Keim keeps 4 RBs)	— (Nicki keeps only 3 RBs)
Offensive line	— (Keim keeps 8 OL)	D.J. Humphries (Nicki keeps 9 OL)
Linebacker	Kain Medrano (Keim's LB group totals 9)	— (Nicki's combined LB/OLB group totals 8)
Cornerback	— (Keim keeps 4 CBs)	Fabian Moreau (Nicki keeps 5 CBs)

A few notes on why the counts still both land at 53: Keim carries an extra running back (Henry) and an extra linebacker (Medrano) instead of the extra offensive lineman (Humphries) and extra cornerback (Moreau) that Nicki carries — the two swap "the same number of bodies" in different position groups.


Also worth flagging: both writers exclude the same fringe/injured names from their actual 53 (Laremy Tunsil and Johnny/Jer'Zhan Newton on IR, Dorance Armstrong on suspension, plus bubble guys like Ale Kaho, Julian Good-Jones, Jeremy McNichols, Jerome Ford, Van Jefferson, Zach Ertz, and Lawrence Cager) — so none of those are true "disagreements," just players correctly left off by both.

** I didn't include Standig because his is on his Substack and is a paid subscription, and I didn't want to post something he hasn't made available. I can say, his is different in one way (this is part of the preview): He only keeps 2 QBs (Daniels and Mariota), and 3 RBs (Bill, White, Allen.) So his definitely would differ more than Nicki and Keim's.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

Updated. Not a ton changed from the last time I did this. A few things did:

• I knocked Luke McCaffery off the roster. Sticking with 6 WRs, I'm going with the 6 who did not play in the final preseason game.
• Johnny Newton is gone due to injury. I also accounted for the absence of Armstrong for week one as well. So Cowart and Tuttle are both on the roster for the DL. Though I don't know a ton about them and don't know if they're any good. I'm guessing one or both of them would be gameday inactives.
• Harris was on my original, he's been released already (bye bye), so Percy Butler takes his place.
• I still think they keep 3 QBs. Though, is it possible they release AK in week 2 to make room for Armstrong and not release another defensive player? It is.

QB (3): Daniels, Mariota, AK
RB (4): Croskey-Merritt, White, Allen, Henry
TE (4): Okonkwo, Bates, Yankoff, Sinnott
WR (6): McLaurin, Diggs, Williams, Lane, Burks, D. Brown
OL: (9): Coleman, Paul, Allegretti, Cosmi, Conerly, Wylie, Gulbin, Scott, Humphries
Offense: 26

DL (6): Payne, Settle, Kinlaw, Omenihu, Cowart, Tuttle
OLB (5): Owe, Chaisson, Josephs, Jean-Baptiste, Josephs
ILB (4): Styles, Luvu, Chenal, Magee
S (5): Cross, Reaves, Martin, Owens, Butler
CB (4): Amos, Sainristil, Douglas, Robertson
Defense: 24

P: Tres Way
K: Stevens
LS: Tyler Ott

** Armstrong will knock somebody off the roster in week 2. But doesn't count for the initial 53.

 

[DWinzit]

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

Hey, let's not put every one of the cuts in this thread.

Put them here:

Cut Down Day - Sunday - Aug 30 - 6:00 PM - Announcements

It's that time folks, cut down day is coming - This can be a place to be reporting the releases as the reporting comes in to get down to the initial 53. Please keep this limited to cuts and moves, and the initial reactions surrounding them. S - Qwuantrezz knight S - Joshua Bledsoe

www.bgobsession.com

 

[burgold]

Updated. Not a ton changed from the last time I did this. A few things did:

• I knocked Luke McCaffery off the roster. Sticking with 6 WRs, I'm going with the 6 who did not play in the final preseason game.
• Johnny Newton is gone due to injury. I also accounted for the absence of Armstrong for week one as well. So Cowart and Tuttle are both on the roster for the DL. Though I don't know a ton about them and don't know if they're any good. I'm guessing one or both of them would be gameday inactives.
• Harris was on my original, he's been released already (bye bye), so Percy Butler takes his place.
• I still think they keep 3 QBs. Though, is it possible they release AK in week 2 to make room for Armstrong and not release another defensive player? It is.

QB (3): Daniels, Mariota, AK
RB (4): Croskey-Merritt, White, Allen, Henry
TE (4): Okonkwo, Bates, Yankoff, Sinnott
WR (6): McLaurin, Diggs, Williams, Lane, Burks, D. Brown
OL: (9): Coleman, Paul, Allegretti, Cosmi, Conerly, Wylie, Gulbin, Scott, Humphries
Offense: 26

DL (6): Payne, Settle, Kinlaw, Omenihu, Cowart, Tuttle
OLB (5): Owe, Chaisson, Josephs, Jean-Baptiste, Josephs
ILB (4): Styles, Luvu, Chenal, Magee
S (5): Cross, Reaves, Martin, Owens, Butler
CB (4): Amos, Sainristil, Douglas, Robertson
Defense: 24

P: Tres Way
K: Stevens
LS: Tyler Ott

** Armstrong will knock somebody off the roster in week 2. But doesn't count for the initial 53.

I still think Henry fell to the Practice Squad. He's been really disappointing as a returner and his production since Miami dropped off a cliff. I don't think anyone is going to poach him. I guess it really depends if they need the roster slot for another position.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

I still think Henry fell to the Practice Squad. He's been really disappointing as a returner and his production since Miami dropped off a cliff. I don't think anyone is going to poach him. I guess it really depends if they need the roster slot for another position.

It's really possible. The question is if they will carry 3 or 4 RB. If they carry 4, I can't see who else gets it other than Henry. If they carry 3, then he'll make it to the PS.

Not for you, but general reminder:
When a player is released, another team can claim them off waivers and put them on their 53 man roster. If they clear waivers, any team can sign them either to the PS or the 53 man roster.

So for one of our players to get picked up elsewhere, they would have to be added to a 53 man roster for another team or choose a different team's PS.

I think both of those are highly unlikely for most of the players we will release.

 

[RWJ]

Not a starter but wonder if Nick Dawkins, OC Ravens, who was released today is on APs radar. He'd still be in the DMV.

 

[DWinzit]

Not a starter but wonder if Nick Dawkins, OC Ravens, who was released today is on APs radar. He'd still be in the DMV.

He was an UDFA this year. We are better off with Gulbin

 

[RWJ]

He was an UDFA this year. We are better off with Gulbin

True but much better competition with the Ravens OL than ours. Gulbin might have had a better camp than Dawkins.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

So, how'd I do?

QB (3): Daniels, Mariota, AK. CHECK, got it!
RB (3): Croskey-Merritt, White, Allen, Henry. They only kept 3.
TE (4): Okonkwo, Bates, Yankoff, Sinnott CHECK, got it!
WR (7): McLaurin, Diggs, Williams, Lane, Burks, D. Brown. Missed McCaffery.
OL: (10): Coleman, Paul, Allegretti, Cosmi, Conerly, Wylie, Gulbin, Scott, Humphries, Tunsil, Togiai. They kept Tunsil on the 53 to IR him tomorrow. And I am shocked they kept Togiai. He might not be long for the 53, we'll see.
Offense: 27!!

DL (6): Payne, Settle, Kinlaw, Omenihu, Cowart, Tuttle. Missed Newton (going to IR) and Ricky Barber.
OLB (4): Oweh, Chaisson, Josephs, Jean-Baptiste. CHECK, Got it!
ILB (5): Styles, Luvu, Chenal, Magee. Missed Medrano
S (5): Cross, Reaves, Martin, Owens, Butler CHECK, Got it!
CB (3): Amos, Sainristil, Douglas, Robertson. Amos to IR. Eeeek.
Defense: 23

I got QB, TE, OLB right. I didn't predict them carrying Tunsil and Newton on the 53. My biggest surprises were Togiai and Barber making the team.

 

[DWinzit]

I'd like to hear an Amos update on his real health status.

Also would love to hear that AP has acquired a viable center and a CB. It feels like really miscalculated on waiting for the waiver wire for a center.