HEADLINES

Ferrod Gardner

Commanders Release 12, Place OL Braeden Daniels On IR

August 28th, 2023 at 5:36pm CST by Adam La Rose

With roster cuts in full swing, the Commanders are among the teams to unveil their latest list of players who will not be on their initial 53-man roster. The team announced the release of the following 12 players:

Kalu and Kemp have the most NFL experience amongst the group. The former has made 44 appearances since 2020, all with the Titans. After primarily playing on special teams, the 28-year-old saw a signficant jump in playing time last season with a 44% defensive snap share. Kalu signed with the Commanders earlier this month, but he will now have the chance to find another opportunity as a depth option in the secondary.

Kemp, meanwhile, is a veteran of the Chiefs over most of the past five years. He has been used sparingly on offense, but the defending champions relied on him early and often with respect to special teams contributions. The Commanders have a well-established pecking order amongst their pass-catchers on offense, but Kemp would have provided a known commodity in the third phase if retained. He still could do so, of course, if he winds up being retained via the practice squad.

Patterson has played in 20 games in Washington since joining the team as a UDFA. He saw more opportunities as a rookie in 2021 than he did last year, but the Buffalo alum still showcased an ability to contribute on offense and special teams. The 23-year-old operated briefly as a kicker returner in 2022, and with the top of the RB depth chart accounted for in Washington, that may represent a path to playing time moving forward if Patterson is to remain in the nation’s capital.

In addition to the above cuts, the Commanders placed fourth-round rookie Braeden Daniels on IR, meaning he will be sidelined for the entire campaign. Daniels suffered a torn rotator cuff in the team’s preseason finale, reports ESPN’s John Keim.

Commanders Release LB Nate Gerry

May 23rd, 2023 at 7:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Joining the likes of Cedric Ogbuehi and Germain Ifedi, Nate Gerry signed a free agent deal in March only to be released in May. The Commanders cut ties with the veteran linebacker Tuesday.

The Gerry release will open a roster spot for recent XFL linebacker Ferrod Gardner. Playing for the D.C. Defenders in the XFL’s third go-round, Gardner saw action in 10 games. The Commanders are giving Gardner another chance, after the 2022 UDFA spent a few months with the team over the past year. The Commanders recently signed XFL O-lineman Jaryd Jones-Smith as well.

Gerry, 28, initially signed with the Commanders last summer. The former Eagles starter played a reserve role in Washington but was not a gameday roster regular. Failing to make the team out of training camp, Gerry rejoined the Commanders on a practice squad deal. He ended up playing in just four games with the team, regularly making the Saturday-afternoon climb from the P-squad to Washington’s active roster. When active, Gerry played exclusively on special teams for the Commanders.

Nevertheless, Washington brought the Nebraska alum back on a league-minimum deal in March. Gerry has 22 career starts on his resume. A converted safety, he was part of Philadelphia’s 2017 Super Bowl-winning team as a backup and special-teamer. After the Eagles cut costs at linebacker, moving on from Mychal Kendricks and Jordan Hicks, Gerry ascended to a starting position. He started 12 games for Philly’s 2019 division-winning team, totaling 78 tackles, 2.5 sacks and two interceptions. With the Eagles parting ways with Nigel Bradham in 2020, Gerry started all seven games he played. He spent part of the 2021 season on the 49ers’ practice squad.

The Commanders made some changes at linebacker this offseason, letting Cole Holcomb walk in free agency and signing ex-Seahawk Cody Barton. Two years remain on former first-rounder Jamin Davis‘ contract, and the team re-signed David Mayo in February.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/4/23

January 4th, 2023 at 6:36pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Dallas Cowboys

  • Placed on IR: S Juanyeh Thomas

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: OL George Moore, TE Hunter Thedford

Kansas City Chiefs

New Orleans Saints

Washington Commanders

  • Signed: LB Ferrod Gardner
  • Activated from IR: G Nolan Laufenberg

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/13/22

September 13th, 2022 at 6:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad additions and subtractions:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

  • Signed: DB BoPete Keyes

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

  • Released: WR Dai’Jean Dixon

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC East

August 31st, 2022 at 2:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Commanders, Cowboys, Eagles and Giants moves are noted below.

Here are Wednesday’s NFC East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.

Dallas Cowboys

Signed to practice squad:

New York Giants

Signed:

Released:

Claimed:

Placed on IR:

Signed to practice squad:

Philadelphia Eagles

Claimed: 

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Washington Commanders

Released:

Claimed:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

Signed to practice squad:

Commanders Move Down To 53, Keep RB Brian Robinson On Active Roster

August 30th, 2022 at 11:54am CST by Sam Robinson

Teams have until 3pm CT to trim their rosters to the regular-season 53-man limit. The Commanders have done so but did it without moving Brian Robinson off the roster.

Shot twice in the lower body Sunday, Robinson underwent surgery. Ron Rivera also expressed optimism the third-round rookie could play this season. Washington is following through on these hopes, keeping the rookie running back on its active roster. Here are the moves the Commanders made to reach the 53-man max Tuesday:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

By keeping Robinson on their active roster, the Commanders opened the door to him not only playing in 2022. The team needed to carry the Alabama product through to its 53-man roster today in order to place him on short-term IR. An IR placement today would have ended Robinson’s season.

One of the gunshot wounds Robinson sustained hit his knee, but the bullet did not seriously damage ligaments, tendons or bone, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reports (video link). It is not a lock Robinson returns this season, per Garafolo, but the team is keeping its options open.

Robinson playing as a rookie would be obviously be a remarkable development. Prior to being shot, the Day 2 draftee had made a serious charge at the Commanders’ starting running back role. The team’s primary starter over the past two seasons, Antonio Gibson, remains on the roster, as do J.D. McKissic and Jonathan Williams. Robinson being moved to IR later this week will sideline him for at least four games — likely much longer, in this case — but allow him to return later this season, should he be cleared to do so.

The Chiefs, per ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter), also submitted a claim for Blanton recently, when the Rams waived him. It will be interesting to see if the young tight end generates any interest this week. Martin has generated consistent interest on the wire. The Commanders, who drafted the guard during the Bruce Allen regime, have made two waiver attempts to land him. The second one, earlier this month after the Jaguars cut Martin, was successful. It would not surprise if Martin is brought back via the practice squad — as several of Tuesday’s cuts will be — but he could also bring more interest on the wire.

Commanders Sign 13 Undrafted Free Agents

May 2nd, 2022 at 8:13pm CST by Ben Levine

The Commanders added eight rookies in the draft, and they added another 13 first-year players today. Washington announced the signing of 13 undrafted free agents:

Arizona State tight end Curtis Hodges got a chunk of money to join Washington, earning a $25K signing bonus and a guaranteed $100K base salary, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). The 6-7 prospect showed some ability in the receiving game during the 2021 season, hauling in 20 receptions for 374 yards and two touchdowns.

Considering his position, Cole Kelley is another notable UDFA joining the Commanders. While he’s a long shot, Kelley will be one of several QBs (along with fellow rookie Sam Howell) competing for Washington’s starting nod. Kelley finished this past season having completed 73.55 percent of his passes for 5,124 yards, 44 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.