RICHMOND, VA. -- A daily review of the hot topics coming out of the Washington Redskins training camp:
The Redskins made their first cut of camp, releasing second-year linebacker Brandon Jenkins after a rugged start to camp. He had a particularly tough day, getting chewed out a couple times by his position coach Brian Baker for his pass rushes. Though Rob Jackson is a veteran it’s not a lock that he’ll automatically be the fourth outside linebacker. Adrian Robinson looked good Sunday, for example. “We like the play of the guys behind him,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said of the release. “We thought the earlier we make that move to give Brandon a chance to go somewhere else would be beneficial to him.” The Redskins still have a roster spot available and will bring in some free agents Monday, including defensive end Everette Brown (as first reported by NBC-Channel 4).
Along with releasing Jenkins, the Redskins took offensive lineman Maurice Hurt off the physically unable to perform list. Hurt failed his physical and at the time Gruden said Hurt was out of shape, but said after further review “something wasn’t right and we wanted to make sure he was healthy.” But he declined to say what wasn’t right, but did say Hurt’s weight was fine. Hurt will have a tough time making the roster regardless.
Redskins owner Dan Snyder made his first appearance at training camp Sunday morning, a departure from last season when he was more present. Snyder used to be a staple at training camp practices. On a dreary day, the Redskins drew 6,668 fans in attendance on Military Appreciation Day.
Not sure what will get the players more jacked up: Going in full pads with more live hitting Monday morning or the fact that the walk-through that afternoon was cancelled. The Redskins never had live drills where there “might be some tackling involved,” Gruden said. As for giving the players the afternoon off, with an off day Tuesday, Gruden said, “I’m tired of looking at them and I want them out of the building for a few hours.”
Quarterback Robert Griffin III had one of his better throws in camp Sunday morning, tossing a deep out over corner E.J. Biggers to receiver Ryan Grant. Griffin got away with a couple passes that should have been intercepted, but were dropped. Griffin has cut down on the number of times he’s taken off from the pocket as camp has progressed (and it’s not always on him as to why he runs). He did take off one time and showed good speed getting around the edge, with linebacker Brian Orakpo in pursuit, but did not have room to do much other than get out of bounds. Also liked when Griffin whipped a pass underneath to tight end Jordan Reed, showing torque that he didn’t always display in 2013.
