The Washington Redskins started the painful process Friday of trimming their 90-man preseason roster down to just 53 players. This year the NFL removed the 75-man roster cut that would have taken place after the Redskins third preseason game and instead decided on just one major mandatory cut per team on or before Saturday, September 2, 2017, at 4:00 pm.

With that in mind, the team finished up their preseason last night with a 13-10 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Both teams kept their starters off the field as third-string quarterback Nate Sudfeld played the entire game for Washington.

Redskins start cutting players

While 31 players sat out Thursday night's game in Tampa Bay, 58 others knew they were still battling for what was essentially 22 spots as the NFL's preseason came to a conclusion. This year the Redskins had a very competitive training camp that included roster battles all over the team's locker room and practice fields. Many of those battles were shifted due to injuries, but Washington's coaches still have some tough decisions ahead of them.

Before the team can fully focus on their opening day game against the Philadelphia Eagles, they will need to finalize their opening day roster. Friday afternoon the team started making transactions in accordance with Saturday's deadline.

The Redskins first cuts came from their undrafted college free-agents/players in their second year who haven't been in the league yet list as the team parted with cornerbacks Tevin Homer (FAU, UDFA rookie) and Jeremiah McKinnon (FIU, UDFA rookie), defensive lineman Ondre Pipkins (Texas Tech, UDFA rookie) and running back Kenny Hilliard (LSU, 2nd-year pickup).

We will post other cuts below as they come in via Twitter:

Names that stand out

The three big names on the list are obviously running back Matt Jones, third-string quarterback Nate Sudfeld, and cornerback/safety Will Blackmon.

It should also be noted that Washington traded tight-end Derek Carrier to the Los Angeles Rams for a seventh-round draft pick. Carrier was expected to be cut by the team Saturday, but the Redskins were smartly able to get something out of the trade rather than just cutting him and getting nothing in return.

The team also placed nose tackle Phil Taylor on injured reserve, which was an expected move. With the cutting of A.J. Francis and Joey Mbu, the team now does not have a natural nose tackle on the roster which likely means they will have their eye's open watching other team's waiver-wire in hopes of finding what they're looking for. If the team can't find anyone that way, they could just decide to slide Stacy McGee or one of the other defensive ends over to nose in the 10-20 percent of snaps the position may see in new Redskins defensive coordinator Greg Manusky's scheme this season. The Redskins run out of the nickel formation approximately 60-65 percent of the time, meaning the need for a nose tackle is diminished more than in a conventional 3-4 defense.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED