Commanders 53-Man Roster Set But 'Fluid' As Deadline Passes

Following the solidification of the Washington Commanders' initial 53-man roster coach Ron Rivera and general manager Martin Mayhew met with the media.

ASHBURN, Va. -- Starting sometime after the Washington Commanders' final win in an undefeated preseason effort Saturday night coach Ron Rivera, general manager Martin Mayhew, and the rest of their staff took on the unpleasant task of releasing more than 30 players and sending five to injured reserve.

In the end, the Commanders end up with 53 men they'll take into the beginning stages of their season preparation with a home contest against the Arizona Cardinals waiting for them in about a week and a half. 

Of course, we all know this initial roster is far from the final version we'll see this season, but with the immediate task completed, Washington coach Ron Rivera and general manager Martin Mayhew took time out to share some thoughts with us just after the NFL deadline passed at 4 P.M. ET.

"It's a very fluid process," Mayhew said. "Big waiver wire out tonight (Tuesday). Our pro department will be scouring that, we'll be looking through that. We're always trying to get better...today is no different than any other day as far as that. And we'll be working toward that goal over the next week or so."

Part of getting better every day - or every season at least - is finding young gems hidden in the giant pool of rookie talent every season. 

This year, one of those players the Commanders found is undrafted free-agent receiver Mitchell Tinsley. 

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"I think the biggest thing with Mitchell is it was from Day 1 you just saw it," Rivera said. "Whether it was when we started back in OTAs...and then we saw it from the beginning of training camp and he just progressed and progressed...he was a young man that we really felt pretty confident about his growth and development."

One of the surprise players retained on the initial roster was tight end Curtis Hodges who appeared to have struggled through the end of the preseason and some practices leading to his being left off many projections leading up to cut day. 

"He really didn't practice last year, that's part of the problem," Rivera said. "So when you look at it for us that's a rookie right there. This is a young man that's got a tremendous skill set. His physical traits are difficult to find."

Of course, it's difficult to make it to the NFL in general, so to all the players making this initial 53-man roster we congratulate them. 

But they know as we do that nothing is ever set in stone, and as Mayhew and Rivera both pointed out this team will remain fluid and react to opportunities and obstacles as they come. 

For the initial 53 Commanders, they've made it through arguably the biggest hurdle for most, landing on an active NFL roster.