By Rich Tandler
The Redskins placed Chris Cooley on the injured reserve list. It seems that both his knee, which has been bothering him all year, and the broken index finger he suffered in the Eagles game on Oct. 16, led to the decision to end his season.
That news was somewhat unexpected. The Redskins also announced today that Tim Hightower is now on injured reserve, a move that was anticipated as Mike Shanahan said yesterday that he had suffered a torn ACL against the Panthers on Sunday.
The team did not announce any replacements being signed to the roster so they now have the “help wanted” sign out at Redskins Park. They almost certainly will have the two roster spots filled by the time practice starts tomorrow afternoon.
But who will they sign? They may not need another tight end as they have Fred Davis, Logan Paulsen and Mike Sellers, who can play both tight end and fullback. If they do decide they need one, veteran choices include ex-Falcon Algae Crumpler, 10-year veteran Brandon Manumaleuna who last played for the Bears last year, and Chris Baker, formerly of the Jets, Patriots, and Seahawks.
The Redskins could use the spot to shore up another position. Perhaps offensive tackle Ryan Harris, who played for Mike Shanahan in Denver, would be of interest. He has been banged up and the Vikings seem to be close to brining him in but he still is available. That would push rookie free agent Willie Smith back to a developmental role rather than being one play away from being a starter.
It is likely that another running back will be brought in to take Hightower’s spot. Shanahan likes to have three on the roster so the question is, who will back up Ryan Torain and Roy Helu?
Most thought that the obvious move would be to move draft pick Evan Royster up from the practice squad but that move has not been made yet. They could get a veteran off of the street but, as is the case a tight end, the pickings are slim. Some of the free agents are ex-Redskins Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts, LenDale White, who ate himself out of a couple of NFL jobs, and ex-Cowboy Julius Jones.
There could be a running back on another team’s practice squad that the Redskins might want to poach. It is hard to see how such a back would be preferable to Royster, who has been with the team all year.
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