By Dan Ryans
WASHINGTON–The Washington Football team finished the preseason last night and lost big to the Baltimore Ravens by a final of 37-3. In a game that surprisingly didn’t feature any starters for WFT, this was expected. Many of Washington’s young players, who are still vying for a spot on the team, did have a chance to play. Again, it wasn’t great overall, but a learning experience nonetheless. It was a great opportunity for the coaching staff to fully evaluate the rest of the team as they prepare to cut down the rosters to 53 men by Tuesday afternoon.
Coach Ron Rivera knew it would be risky to throw out the starters in the final preseason game, so he took the conservative route. “It was something we decided on a few days back,” said Rivera after the game. “We didn’t want to get anybody hurt…we have a lot of people we feel really comfortable and confident in who they are for us, and we just felt that exposing [them] was not the thing to do.” Rivera did talk about the players that he threw out. As a team, he wasn’t pleased with the performance. But what was most important at this point in the preseason is the quality of individual play. “Some things came through that made it even more clear for us…we got some really good battles going on, and we got some guys that we have to take a real good look at. So they got a lot of extended play.”
One such individual performance came from defensive lineman David Bada, who comes from Germany and is a product of the NFL’s International Pathway Program. He signed with Washington last year but spent the year on the practice squad to learn and grow in the game of football. Quietly, he has had a strong summer and what we saw last night only betters his chances of making the final roster. He sacked Lamar Jackson early in the game in addition to his four total tackles on the night (three of them on his own). Bada has done his job. Now it’s up to Ron Rivera and the coaches to see if he’s fit for this squad on Week 1.
By Tuesday night, we will know which players have made the 53-man roster. The next time Washington plays a game, it’ll be for real. WFT will be home against the Chargers on Sunday, September 12th, at 1pm.
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