Roster Down to 53 Today

With the start of the season only a week away, the Redskins finally have to decide who is coming into the season with them, and who is going to get sent packing.

There were several people fighting for their jobs throughout training camp, but it seems like it's fairly obvious what the team is going to look like. There are always surprises, and I'm by no means an expert on this stuff at all, but this is what I think it's going to look like.

3 Spots: Special Teamers (50 left) The easiest spots to give away are the special teamers. Punter Hunter Smith and long snapper Ethan Albright had their spots locked up when training camp started, but the kickers had to fight for it. The fight was clinched Friday night by Shawn Suisham when he nailed 48 yard field goal against the Jaguars. Hopefully he can keep it up all season.

On the offensive side, I used some detective skills to find out from Jason Reid that Vinny Cerrato plans to keep 25 plays on offense. That makes choosing these guys a little less difficult.

3 Spots: Quarterback (47 left) Jason Campbell will start for his second full year in Jim Zorn's offense, and Todd Collins will be right behind him if anything unfortunate were to happen to him. Colt Brennan and Chase Daniel have been slugging it out all offseason, but with growing concerns over injuries and erratic play in the red zone, Brennan will be on the outside looking in. He may be kept on the team, however, if they decide to put him on the injured reserve list, which would end his season.

4 Spots: Running Back (43 left) Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts are going to have to work together real well for this team to go anywhere, but they're the one-two punch for this team; atleast for now. Marcus Mason should be kept on the team, and could challenge Betts for playing time as the season progresses. Rock Cartwright will be returning as well as a key contributor on special teams.

1 Spot: Full Back (42 left) Mike Sellers, enough said.

5 Spots: Wide Receiver (37 left) It looks like Santana Moss and Malcolm Kelly will be the starters, and with good reason. Moss is a beast, and Kelly has shown that he is determined to get in the starting spot and keep it. Randle El will work the slot, and Devin Thomas should be a big deep threat. The fifth spot goes to my man Marko Mitchell, who I've been watching all offseason. He's shown up in all the preseason games, but he'll have to keep working hard to have it carry over to the regular season.

3 Spots: Tight End (34 left) Chris Cooley should be making another trip to the Pro Bowl this year. Fred Davis has performed well during the preseason, but still makes mental errors. Todd Yoder is a consummate professional and will help this teams a lot on special teams.

9 Spots: Offensive Line (25 left for defense) The starting unit is set (from left to right): Chris Samuels, Derrick Dockery, Casey Rabach, Randy Thomas, Stephon Heyer. There were a lot of questions about this unit entering the season, and they came out and performed above expectations. The big concern now is what happens if any of these guys go down. The primary backup will be Jeremy Bridges, with Chad Rhinehart right behind him. The last two spots I struggled with, but it'll probably be Will Montgomery and Mike Williams. Montgomery has shown the ability to play center and guard, something line coach, Joe Bugel, loves. Williams is on, well, because there's really no one else.

4 Spots: Safety (21 left) The team didn't bring anyone new in to challenge for these spots because they are stacked as it is. Laron Landry and Chris Horton will be the starters, but Reed Doughty and Kareem Moore should see plenty of playing time since the team loves playing three safeties.

5 Spots: Cornerback (16 left) This unit could make or break the defense. DeAngelo Hall and Carlos Rogers will be the starters, but after them there are several big question marks. Fred Smoot isn't getting any younger, but Justin Tryon and rookie Kevin Barnes may be too young. These three will have to step up their games with the season finally here, or pass happy offenses will pick right through them.

9 Spots: Defensive Line (7 Left) The starters upfront will undoubtedly be Phillip Daniels, Albert Haynesworth, Cornelius Griffin and Andre Carter. These guys should be monsters this season, especially since they can stay fresh while defensive coordinator Greg Blatche rotates several proven players off the bench. Renaldo Wynn, Kedric Golston, Anthony Montgomery, Lorenzo Alexander and rookie Jeremy Jarmon make up that list, and should all be ready for plenty of playing time.

2 Spots: DE/LB Hybrid (5 Left) I wasn't sure where to put either of these guys, so they get their own category. Rookie Brian Orakpo is going to dominate from defensive end, and he seems to be making strides at linebacker so expect him to be on the field a lot this season. Chris Wilson also made the switch from defensive end to linebacker, and has made the switch look easy. He's still extremely fast off the edge, and has the speed and agility to stay with players in coverage.

5 Spots: Linebacker (Can I have your playbook?) London Fletcher and Rocky McIntosh will be on the field the most, starting along side Brian Orakpo. H.B. Blades is very reliable, and will be the first guy off the bench if anyone needs a breather. Robert Thomas will stay on the team as a trusted veteran. The last spot will go to a rookie linebacker, and the other the team will try to add to the practice squad, but I think they keep Chris Henson. He's shown up on special teams, and the team needs help there.

Alright, that's what I've got. What does everyone else think?

Positional Analysis: Defensive Tackle

After all the madness with Jason Campbell, it's time to get back to reviewing the roster. Let's start with the big boys up front, the defensive tackles.

Heading in to free agency, the Redskins had been rumored to have interest in what many experts believed was the best player available, Albert Haynesworth. The Redskins signed him in the opening hours of free agency, and he adds to a group that is now arguably the deepest position on the defense.

Starting alongside Haynesworth will be 10-year veteran Cornelious Griffin. Griffin has been solid when healthy, but has his fair share of injuries over the past few years, though he often played through them. With Haynesworth now taking on the double teams, Griffin should be freed up more to be the playmaker he looked like when the 'Skins first signed him.

Backing up the two starters will be youngsters Anthony Montgomery and Kedric Golston, both 25. They both have seen a lot of playing time since being drafted four years ago, and I wouldn't expect to see a large decrease in their playing time with the addition of Haynesworth. Defensive coordinator Greg Blatche loves to rotate his linemen to keep them fresh, and he trusts both players to perform. Both, however, may be battling for a long-term starting position with the team, as Griffin gets in to the last years of his career.

The addition of Haynesworth has made the defensive tackle position better, but should also enhance other positions play. With a great push up the middle, defensive ends will get to the quarterback quicker, causing them to throw the ball sooner. Now, the corners won't have to cover their receivers all day, allowing them to make plays on the ball. The tackles will also eat up blockers on run plays, freeing linebackers to make more plays at the line of scrimmage. The upgrade at tackle was a shrewd move, and shoould prove beneficial right away.

Free Agency Is Looming...And the Redskins Better Get Ready

The National Football League's free agency is right around the corner. It is the time of year for teams to add pieces to their rosters with the hopes of improving for next season. The Redskins have several holes to fill, but are they prepared to make a big splash? Or should they sit back quietly and a make a few shrewd moves?

Among the spots requiring upgrade are both offensive and defensive lines, outside linebacker, running back, as well as adding depth to the secondary. That is several positions to upgrade in one offseason, especially since the Redskins currently find themselves $4 million over the salary cap limit.

This is where members of the front office will have to make the tough decisions. They must decide whether they should continue their annual game of restructuring contracts, or continue with their move towards youth, and cut veterans that are no longer contributing.

There are several big names in this offseason, including DT Albert Haynesworth, OT Jordan Gross, and OLB/DE Terrel Suggs, all of whom could be intriguing to the Redskins. They have been known in the past for their desires for a fantasy football team, and could easily revert to old ways. This would not be wise.

If the Redskins want to improve long term, they better start cutting ties with players that haven't showed up on the field in recent years, either because of injury or performance. Players like Marcus Washington and Cornelius Griffin need to be out the door. Even though they are good players, they have large salaries, and often are on the injured list. Even a player like Ladell Betts could find himself on the outside looking in. He hasn't produced much lately, and the Redskins need a quicker, more elusive back to compliment Clinton Portis.

Depending on how much cap space they can clear and who they cut, the Redskins could have an interesting offseason ahead of them. They have been planning for weeks, and it's about time to put that plan in to action.

Let's just hope the plan doesn't include wasting tons of cap space on old players, or trading draft picks away senselessly. The plan has to be to continue drafting to fit their system. Through free agency they must try to find role players and maybe, maybe go after a big time player. Let's hope they make the right decisions.