The Washington Football Team started the day with 70 players on the roster after cutting 10 on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. Quarterback Steven Montez and wide receiver Isaiah Wright highlighted the first set of unsurprising cuts. However, Tuesday started with bigger names with cornerbacks Jimmy Moreland and Danny Johnson being released.
Moreland was a seventh-round draft pick in 2019 under the old regime of Jay Gruden and Bruce Allen. He emerged as one of Washington’s top four corners and started 10 games over the past two seasons. However, his status with the team seemed in jeopardy entering this year’s training camp.
Washington reloaded in the secondary this offseason creating a great deal of competition at both cornerback and safety. William Jackson signed a huge multi-year deal in free agency. Jackson will start opposite of Kendall Fuller, who the team brought back last year after trading him to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018.
But, the addition of third-round pick Benjamin St-Juste and his emergence, stacked the odds against Moreland. St-Juste is taller at 6-foot-3 and more polished than the 5-foot-11 Moreland. Throw in the fact Troy Apke moved to cornerback and is a bigger special teams contributor, Moreland’s release doesn’t appear all that surprising.
Danny Johnson was Washington’s primary kick returner last season
Last season, Danny Johnson was Washington’s primary kick returner. He returned 26 kickoffs for 576 yards.
Undrafted in 2018, Johnson made the 53-man roster each of the past three seasons in large due to his return skills. But just like at cornerback, wide receiver and other positions, Washington revamped it’s special teams, bringing in guys who could return kicks and possibly contribute at their natural positions.
Washington added wide receivers DeAndre Carter and seventh-round pick Dax Milne to the return game mix. Then, undrafted rookie running back Jarett Patterson after he emerged as a possible RB4 option. The additions made Johnson expendable along with his status on the depth chart at cornerback.
