Washington Football Team depth chart 2021: Projected 53-man order after roster cuts

Examining Washington's new depth chart

By Jordan Dajani

Sep 1, 2021 at 6:51 pm ET • 3 min read

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The Washington Football Team has braved cut-down day and has now established their 53-man roster. Even with this last round of cuts, there are still objectives for this franchise. For example, there are open spots on the practice squad and injuries could force the team to make yet another transaction which shakes up the depth chart. Still, Washington's roster is pretty much set as we inch closer to the regular season.

This is a very different franchise from what we are used to seeing out of the football team in Washington, and the reigning NFC East champs are set on making the playoffs again in 2021. Below, we will break down Washington's 2021 depth chart.

Rookies will be denoted with a (*).

Offense

Position	Starter	Backup	Depth	Depth
QB	Ryan Fitzpatrick	Taylor Heinicke	Kyle Allen
RB	Antonio Gibson	JD McKissic	Jaret Patterson*
WR	Terry McLaurin	Cam Sims	Dax Milne*
WR	Curtis Samuel	Dyami Brown*
Slot WR	Adam Humphries	DeAndre Carter
TE	Logan Thomas	John Bates*	Ricky Seals-Jones	Sammis Reyes*
LT	Charles Leno Jr.	Cornelius Lucas
LG	Ereck Flowers	Wes Schweitzer
C	Chase Roullier	Tyler Larsen
RG	Brandon Scherff	Tyler Larsen
RT	Sam Cosmi*	Saahdiq Charles

As we anticipated, Fitzpatrick will be the starter at quarterback. After his impressive performance in the postseason last year and due to Allen's unfortunate injury, Heinicke will be the No. 2. A big shoutout to Patterson, as the hometown kid who went undrafted out of Buffalo made the final roster at running back. He was a candidate for preseason MVP after rushing for 110 yards and one touchdown to go along with 70 receiving yards in three preseason games.

It's no longer McLaurin vs. the world at wide receiver, as Samuel will come in and make an immediate impact on this offense. Washington also has an intriguing receiver in the rookie Brown out of UNC. He was advertised to be just a speedster, but really looks like a well-rounded receiver who can play right away. Washington currently has four tight ends on roster, so that will be a position to watch in terms of future movement.

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The offensive line also was revamped this offseason, as Washington picked up a legitimate left tackle in Leno Jr., and parted ways with Morgan Moses. You also have to be excited about the rookie Cosmi, who has NFL size and should start immediately. Another underrated move Washington made was trading for Flowers, who somewhat shed the "bust" label with Washington in 2019 as a starting offensive guard, but was poached by Miami in free agency -- who had money to spend.

Defense

Position	Starter	Backup	Depth
RE	Montez Sweat	Casey Toohill	Shaka Toney*
DT	DaRon Payne	Matt Ioannidis
DT	Jonathan Allen	Tim Settle
LE	Chase Young	James Smith-Williams
OLB	Jamin Davis*
MLB	Jon Bostic
OLB	Cole Holcomb	Khaleke Hudson
CB	William Jackson III	Darryl Roberts	Torry McTyer
CB	Kendall Fuller	Benjamin St-Juste*	Troy Apke
FS	Kamren Curl	Deshazor Everett
SS	Landon Collins	Bobby McCain	Darrick Forrest*

Washington has the best defensive line in the NFL, but the depth is a bit questionable at defensive end. Sweat and Young are monsters, and Washington hopes they found a steal in the seventh round with Penn State's Toney. The linebacking corps received a big upgrade with No. 19 overall pick Davis. He's an athletic defender who is relentless in his pursuit of ballcarriers, and is capable in coverage, although that is an area many linebackers struggle in when making the jump to the NFL. Still, Davis should be an immediate starter and someone who helps improve this already-loaded front seven.

Washington finished with the No. 2 pass defense in the league last year, although much of the credit can be given to the pass-rush as opposed to those actually patrolling the deep part of the field. This secondary should be much improved in 2021, however, as Washington signed Jackson III to start opposite of Fuller and drafted St-Juste -- who has potential. Another potentially big move Washington made was signing McCain in free agency, who is a versatile defensive back who can wear many hats on defense.