The Troy Apke experiment is over in Washington. The Commanders released veteran defensive back Troy Apke on Tuesday to complete this round of moves to trim their roster to 85 players.
The Commanders drafted Apke in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Penn State. However, his pro journey was less than stellar.
After two seasons playing primarily special teams with the Commanders, Apke earned a starting role at safety in 2020, beating out Sean Davis in the process. Apke was benched five games into the season for poor play.
Last season, he was moved to cornerback. But, made the 53-man roster solely for special teams. He didn’t play a single snap on defense.
He re-signed with Washington on a one-year deal this offseason. However, his roster spot wasn’t certain. An unspecified injury hampered him throughout training camp and kept him off the practice field.
The Commanders drafted safety Percy Butler this year in the fourth round. Butler was a superb special teams player in college at Louisiana. His ability to contribute on defense as well at the pro level made Apke expendable.
Apke played in 50 games in four seasons with the Commanders. He made nine starts. He had 68 tackles with one interception and a fumble recovery.
