Five players the Redskins have to keep

[EatSleepRedskin]

Tuesday, the Redskins will have to cut five players to get under the NFL mandated limit of 75.

Since there is still one preseason game to be played, and backups will probably get most of the work, the team will need depth at positions. The team is also going to have to cut another 20 players before the end of the week.

Instead of trying to figure out who the Redskins are going to cut - or who I would cut - here five bubble players who I feel need to make the team, somehow. These are guys whose status with the team is still up in the air.

1. Anthony Alridge, running back. My feeling is that the Redskins need some youth (and speed, more importantly) in their running back corps. No, he's not Marcus Mason. The Redskins don't need another strong runner. They need speed and dynamic ability. Mason is a strong runner, and Alridge is not a full-time runner. But Alridge brings another element to the table that Mason just doesn't have. It will be unpopular, but it's the right thing to do. Will Jim Zorn keep four running backs? Or will Ladell Betts and/or Rock Cartwright go? I just don't see Betts or Cartwright leaving, so the it will come down to whether or not Zorn wants to keep another running back around. I say he has to.

For the other four players the Redskins absolutely need to keep as they trim their roster, follow the link.

 

[The Burgundy Ghost]

Very nice blog btw.....going to add it to my ever expanding blog roll at IIWII.

I agree and disagree with you on the 5.

Agree with #3 and #4.
Mitchell will make the team and Danny Smith hopefully can coach him better on teams, but he's done the things you want to see out of a WR that took Devin Thomas most of last year to fully grasp (ie downfield blocking, running crisp routes).

Rayner to me makes the team b/c his kickoffs have been excellent. I would like to see Rayner kick a long FG though to justify my opinion however.

Semi-agree with #2 and #5
I think you put them on the practice squad and develop them. Dixon could be something really good in a season or so under Blache/Palermo. Daniel could be developed more.

Disagree with #1.
Yep, Aldrige is really, really fast. But injury and fumbles in camp knock him out of the competition. Mason could be a legit starter for the Skins if Portis gets banged up. Mason has already proved to me that he can can that tough yard that I don't think Betts can. Dorsey has been ok as a RB with some nice speed bursts, but he can do what nobody else on this team has been able to do: return punts. I think either Mason or Dorsey battle for a possible spot.

 

[EatSleepRedskin]

Very nice blog btw.....going to add it to my ever expanding blog roll at IIWII.

Much thanks, I'm going to have to unlazify myself and pump up my sidebars, and do similar things.

Rayner to me makes the team b/c his kickoffs have been excellent. I would like to see Rayner kick a long FG though to justify my opinion however.

Me too. But what I would like to see is Rayner being dependable from 50 yards and in. I think modern NFL kickers just need to be accurate from under 50 yards. Especially 45 yards and in. The 52-yarders are nice now and again, but the important thing is that if the offense gets lucky and drives down to where a kicker is setting up from 45 yards, it's almost a gimmie.

I think you put them on the practice squad and develop them. Dixon could be something really good in a season or so under Blache/Palermo. Daniel could be developed more.

I think it would be hard to put Daniel on the practice squad and not expect a QB-needy team not to pick him up. But maybe it would be possible. But if I'm Indianapolis (or another team that has and older, solid starter, but little depth), I'm scouring practice squads for promising developmental players. Not sure we can get away with putting Daniel on the PS.

I do think Dixon could sit on the PS, but I don't like it. To me, he's shown a lot of promise, but not enough to get noticed around the league.

Yep, Aldrige is really, really fast. But injury and fumbles in camp knock him out of the competition. Mason could be a legit starter for the Skins if Portis gets banged up. Mason has already proved to me that he can can that tough yard that I don't think Betts can. Dorsey has been ok as a RB with some nice speed bursts, but he can do what nobody else on this team has been able to do: return punts. I think either Mason or Dorsey battle for a possible spot.

I figured this would be the big divisive one.

I do think that Mason should make the team, but not if Alridge (or possibly Dorsey) don't.

I agree that Mason could start. He's a solid all-around back, with enough speed to be effective and enough power to be a factor in short-yardage situations.

But, do you see the Redskins dumping Ladell Betts? Or Cartwright? Those two are similar backs in terms of style, speed and size. Mason is similar to those.

Alridge (yes, and Dorsey - maybe I haven't given enough credit to Dorsey) is a different kind of back. He's not the type of back who probably will ever be a full time starter. He's a weapon. He's someone who you can design some plays around to take advantage of his speed. The Redskins don't have a running back like that.

You're right though that Dorsey does have a leg-up on Alridge because Dorsey can return punts (and kicks). Not sure if I've seen Alridge back to return kicks.

I do favor Mason over Betts, and maybe the Redskins will make a surprise cut this week. But if the Skins keep Betts (or Cartwright), I don't think they should drop Alridge or Dorsey simply because Mason is a better all-around back. The team needs something that it doesn't already have - speed.

Not more of the same.

 

[The Burgundy Ghost]

I agree about a speedster.

Cards on the table, honest opinion here: personally I think the Skins should dump Betts. I like Ladell. He gave the team a discount when he re-signed he plays teams etc.....

But he can't get that tough yard. Mostly he's just a great RB in pass catching. Plus, he's injury prone.

The Skins should keep four RBs and personally I'd like to see Dorsey and Mason make the team, but I don't see it happening.