Washington Redskins begin the trimming process

The Washington Redskins initiated the process of cutting down their roster Monday, getting rid of 6 players and putting 4 more on injured reserve. WR Donte Stallworth, DB Quan Sturdivant, K John Potter, LB Ricky Elmore, WR Chip Reeves, and FB Eric Kettani were the unfortunate ones who got let go. CB Richard Crawford and LB Jeremy Kimbrough both cleared waivers and will be placed on IR, therefore not counting against the 53-man roster limit. LB Keenan Robinson and S Phillip Thomas, alternatively, were put directly on IR and as a result will count against the limit. Skye Dawson (16) has made quite an impact on his teammates with his thrilling speed. Will he stick around to hone his receiving skills? (Photo: John McDonnell / The Washington Post) None of the cuts come as a huge surprise, with the potential exception of Kettani, if only because the Redskins lone FB remaining, Darrel Young, will not play in the Redskins’ final preseason game, thus leaving a hole in the roster for a game. Skins head coach Mike Shanahan has a history of releasing veteran players early, so they have a fair chance of latching on somewhere else, and he did just that with Stallworth. The wideout even admitted that he saw his release coming, so he was able to prepare for it. Redskins beat reporters Chris Russell (ESPN Radio 980) and John Keim (ESPN.com) also noted that LB Roddrick Muckelroy and OT Jeremy Trueblood had empty lockers, but the team did not mention either of them in their press release announcing the day’s transactions. Washington will have to trim their roster once again after their preseason finale against Tampa Bay on Thursday (7:30 PM ET). Normally, there are one or two surprise cuts per team, but due to the Redskins lack of depth at certain positions, I highly doubt they will let any big name players walk. One guy who could surprise by making the team, however, is WR/PR Skye Dawson, who has earned the respect of teammates Brian Orakpo and Stephen Bowen, according to NBC’s Dianna Russini. Dawson has electric agility and speed galore. He could prove to be a dynamic punt returner in time, but he does have to work on his receiving skills, where he is still a little raw. A lot could depend on how he plays on Thursday, when all of the young players will finally get their chance to shine, and some will capitalize on the opportunity. Keep your fingers crossed that none of them get hurt in the process.