The Washington Commanders got their roster cuts rolling Saturday afternoon, and the first wave was a defensive one.
Washington released four players as the team starts the climb from 90 to the league-mandated 53 by Sunday afternoon: linebackers Boogie Basham and D.J. Johnson, along with safeties Joshuah Bledsoe and Qwuantrezz Knight.
That mix hints at where the early conversations may be happening inside the building. Two linebackers gone, two safeties gone, and the Commanders are clearly beginning to sort through the defensive depth chart.
Knight’s path had a familiar face attached to it. He had a working relationship with Washington GM Adam Peters after the 49ers signed the undrafted free agent following the 2022 NFL Draft.
Knight spent all of that season on the practice squad, then stayed there again in 2023 before the Cardinals claimed him. He played in six Cardinals games that year, was released after the season, and Washington later signed him to a futures contract in January of 2026.
This might be the NFL end for Knight.
Bledsoe, a sixth-round pick of the Patriots in the 2021 Draft, never managed to stick. He played in three games in 2022 and one in 2023 for New England, then went on to sign with the Steelers, Titans and Commanders without landing a spot on a 53-man roster. This might be the end for Bledsoe, too.
Johnson arrived with a more notable draft pedigree. Carolina took him in the third round, No. 80 overall, in the 2023 NFL Draft.
He started three games in 2023 and two more in 2024 for the Panthers, then appeared in four games in 2025 before Carolina waived him in September 2025. The Commanders added him to their practice squad on December 31 and signed him to a futures contract on January 5.
Basham was the highest draft pick in the group, going 61st overall to the Bills in 2021, but he never matched that slot. He spent two seasons in Buffalo from 2021-22, two more with the Giants from 2023-24, then 2025 with the Panthers before finishing the year on the Raiders practice squad. He never started an NFL game, and Washington only added him Tuesday, August 25, four days ago.
The common theme is hard to miss: each player had NFL experience, and Peters was trying to see if Washington could be the place where it all finally clicked. Instead, the early signs point the other way.
The Commanders have until 6:00 p.m. ET on Sunday to get from 90 down to 53.
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