Written by Matt Jones and Master Tesfatsion at Washington Post.com
The Washington Redskins moved on from two defensive veterans as they trimmed the roster to 75 players Tuesday. Defensive end Stephen Paea and inside linebacker Perry Riley Jr. were among the five cuts Washington needed to make to meet the league-wide deadline by 4 p.m.
Washington also waived wide receiver Reggie Diggs, placed tight end Derek Carrier on the physically unable to perform list and put running back Keith Marshall on the reserve/injured list to meet the roster requirement.
Both Riley and Paea were viewed as prominent pieces on defense last year, but despite entering last season as starters, neither seemed to have a long-term future with the team based on the preseason.
“I think we’ve got some guys at linebacker who have played extremely well, and we’ve got some guys on the defensive line who are competing and doing a good job,” Redskins Coach Jay Gruden said. “Those two guys are excellent football players. I imagine they’ll latch on somewhere else and do well. They have a lot of football left in their career. They’re both great guys that worked hard, and it’s just part of the decision process.”
Riley, a starter for Washington the past five seasons and its leading tackler in 2012 and 2013, missed the final five games of last season with a broken bone in his right foot and spent the offseason rehabilitating. He returned to action on the second day of training camp and initially seemed in line to contend with Mason Foster for his old job next to Will Compton, but Foster locked up the starting spot last week in his preseason performance against the Buffalo Bills.
The Redskins will save $4 million by cutting Riley, who was set to make $5 million this year, and they have younger, cheaper options on the roster to fill out the depth chart. Second-round pick Su’a Cravens was used on third downs in nickel situations, given his athleticism and versatility in coverage, and fourth-year veteran Terence Garvin has value as a special teams contributor.
“It’s definitely strange, man,” linebacker Will Compton said. “Perry was definitely one of the core guys in this locker room, and I know as far as linebackers go that he was part of the group. He was one of those guys that took me under his wing when I got here. He’s a good dude, man, and he’s good people. That’s for sure. I know all of us are going to miss him.”
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