In or out: A look at those on the bubble for Washington

ASHBURN — For coach Ron Rivera, there are some positions harder to figure out than others.

Preparing for Saturday’s preseason finale against the Baltimore Ravens, Rivera admitted Thursday that there are a final few spots on the roster still up for grabs before the team has to cut from 80 to 53 players next week.

The deadline to trim down is Tuesday, meaning this weekend’s contest is vital for those looking to make one last impression. 

“When you get to the bottom part of that (roster) depth and it’s a battle, you want to be right,” Rivera said. “And that’s been the hard part the last few days.”

Here’s a look at who’s on the bubble — plus a guess as to whether they’ll stick or be cut:

Dax Milne, wide receiver (prediction: cut). The seventh-rounder from BYU got a shout out Thursday from offensive coordinator Scott Turner, who said he was pleased with the 22-year-old’s progress in camp. Milne has come on lately, displaying impressive hands from the slot and also contributing as a punt returner on special teams. But Washington has depth at wide receiver — and keeping seven on the roster is a rarity. Milne is likely competing with 2020 fourth-rounder Antonio Gandy-Golden and veteran DeAndre Carter for the sixth spot. Gandy-Golden’s potential could win out, though who serves as the punt returner then is anyone’s guess. In any case, there should be room for Milne on the practice squad. 

Sammis Reyes, tight end (prediction: stick). Like most NFL coaches, Rivera talks about balancing the present and future. There’s no player on Washington’s roster who better captures that conundrum than Reyes, the former college basketball player now attempting to make it in the NFL. If Reyes makes the roster, he likely won’t be much of a contributor in 2021. But Reyes’ skill set and potential are intriguing, as is his 6-foot-7 frame. 

Washington could possibly carry four tight ends, but the more logical scenario — because of depth elsewhere —is it keeps three. That means Reyes beats out veteran Ricky Seals-Jones, who had a nice camp after coming in as a free agent. Remember, Turner loves to deploy 11 personnel — a formation with only one tight end on the field, which he ran 67% of the time in 2020 — and so that makes it less necessary to keep four. 

Troy Apke, cornerback (prediction: stick). To the hardcore fan, this might be the most surprising inclusion on Washington’s roster. The fan base has, to put it kindly, taken issue with Apke due to the 2018 fourth-rounder’s struggles as a safety. Apke’s issues resulted in Washington moving him to cornerback this offseason — an experiment that’s had its ups and downs. 

That said, two words explain why he can make this roster: special teams. Apke serves as the “gunner” on punt returns and has been on the opening kickoff units. 

“Special teams will be a big, big factor,” Rivera said. “First of all, he’s a core, an ace and guys like that are hard to find. He’s got a terrific skill set with his quickness and speed.”

Jeremy Reaves, safety (prediction: cut) Last year, Reaves was among Washington’s toughest cuts. In fact, when Rivera convinced him to join the practice squad, he told the safety that if he believed in him and kept working hard, then he’d get a chance when a spot became available. Sure enough, when Landon Collins got hurt in October, Rivera promoted Reaves instead of reuniting with former Carolina Panther Eric Reid. 

Reaves might be on the outs this year, however. The team drafted Darrick Forrest in the fifth round and veteran Deshazor Everett (also a special teams ace) is ahead of both of them. Washington could very well keep five safeties, but it would be surprising if Reaves was one of them. 

Jaret Patterson, running back (prediction: stick). After his preseason performances, it might not even be fair to put Patterson on the bubble. The undrafted rookie running back has made impact plays and flashed as a kick returner — marked by his 37-yard return last week against the Cincinnati Bengals. 

Washington only kept three running backs last year, but it will have to make an exception for Patterson. Veteran Peyton Barber is still likely to make the roster because of his ability to convert short-yardage situations — starter Antonio Gibson notably failed to convert a fourth-and-1 when tested last week against the Bengals.

“He’s a natural runner,” Turner said of Patterson. “He just knows he has great vision. He’s got a low center of gravity and he’s got strength along with the quickness.”