Troy Apke is back in Washington. The defensive back is one of 15 players the Washington Commanders signed to their practice squad on Wednesday. Apke was released by the team on Aug. 16. The early release appeared to signal the end of Apke’s run in Washington after four seasons.
A fourth-round draft pick in 2018 out of Penn State, Apke has been a training camp and preseason gem in previous years. However, he has not been able to translate that magic into the regular season.
His best chance was in 2020, Ron Rivera’s first as head coach. Apke started the season as starting free safety. But, he was benched for poor play. Last season, the team moved him to cornerback, but he was buried on the depth chart.
Instead, Apke has been counted on for his special teams. All 356 of his snaps in 2021 were on special teams.
Given the NFL’s practice squad rules, it will be interesting to see if Apke makes his way onto the game day roster at some point during the regular season. He can contribute on special teams, and may have the edge there over Commanders recently added cornerbacks Tariq Castro-Fields and Rachad Wildgoose.
