The Washington Commanders kept four cornerbacks following cutdown day on Tuesday for their initial 53-man roster. The team chose to waive Danny Johnson and Corn Elder, leaving expectations Washington would turn to the waiver wire to add depth.
Those expectations became true, as the Commanders claimed cornerbacks Tariq Castro-Fields off waivers from the San Francisco 49ers and Rachad Wildgoose from the New York Jets.
None of the players the Commanders waived on Tuesday were claimed by another team.
Castro-Fields was selected by the 49ers in the sixth-round of this year’s NFL draft out of Penn State.
Castro-Fields stands at 6-foot-1, 197 pounds. He is from nearby Alexandria, Virginia and attended Riverdale Baptist in Upper Marlboro, Maryland for high school.
The 49ers had hoped Castro-Fields cleared waivers to bring him back to the practice squad. Instead, he’ll head to his hometown team.
Castro-Fields ran a 4.38 in the 40-yard dash ahead of the draft. Here’s Castro-Fields during the preseason on a pass broken up against the Houston Texans.
However, he has some development to do. Here’s a play where he was easily beat during a joint practice against the Minnesota Vikings.
Meanwhile, Wildgoose was a sixth-round selection of the Buffalo Bills in 2021. He was waived last year but signed with the Bills practice squad. The Jets signed him off the practice squad in November. He appeared in five games with the Jets, playing 29 snaps on special teams.
Parting ways with Johnson and Elder to go younger isn’t all that appealing from the outside looking in. But, Castro-Fields has promise and Wildgoose will contribute on special teams.
The Commanders know what they have in Johnson and Elder. The team also knows the ceiling of each. Both Johnson and Elder signed with Washington’s practice squad after clearing waivers. Given the practice squad rules, Ron Rivera and his staff will have options for game day.
