The Washington Redskins waived receiver Rashad Ross on Thursday. Ross had barely played in his third season with the team.
On Thursday afternoon, Rashad Ross was not at the Washington Redskins practice. The receiver had barely seen action for the team this season, but he had provided some decent depth on special teams and in the receiving corps. Still, the Redskins elected to part ways with him. News broke via the Washington Post’s Master Tesfatsion.
#Redskins waived WR Rashad Ross, per source. He’s not at practice. …Team hasn’t announced any roster moves, but LB Lynden Trail is here.
— Master Tesfatsion (@MasterTes) December 22, 2016
Though Trail was at practice, it has not been confirmed whether or not he was signed to the active roster. There is a chance that he could be added to the practice squad if the team adds someone to their roster. If I had to guess, I think that Dashaun Phillips could be on his way back to the active roster due to Quinton Dunbar‘s concussion.
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Anyway, getting back to the Ross move. For the Redskins, this move makes a lot of sense. The team already has five receivers ahead of Ross on the roster, and that does not include Josh Doctson. Ross just simply was not as talented as the guys in front of him. Even undrafted rookie Maurice Harris had beaten him out for playing time.
What ended up happening was that Ross’ primary value came as a returner. However, the emergence of Jamison Crowder as a weapon and the performance of Chris Thompson and Will Blackmon on kick returns rendered Ross redundant. The team did not need to dress a guy simply to return kicks, and they already had an elite corps of special teamers. As a result, Ross only saw limited action in five games this season.
Moving forward, there is a chance that Ross could land with a team. In the past, he has demonstrated a bit of talent and has value because of his special teams ability. Still, it seems more likely that he could land on the practice squad for a team to close the season. After that, he could sign a futures contract and try to catch on with a team next season. I doubt that this is the end of the line for Ross, but it is definitely the end of his Redskins career.
