National Football League

Lynden Trail Added To Redskins Active Roster; Team Waives Nick Moody

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:56 p.m. ET

Fansided, Jacob Camenker/FanSided via Riggo's Rag

The Washington Redskins made a move that could impact their defense ahead of Saturday’s game. They added rush linebacker Lynden Trail to the activate roster.

For two years, former Norfolk State University star Lynden Trail has waited. Trail, a former pass rushing specialist with a 6-foot-6 frame, has bounced around from practice squad to practice squad since he came into the league in 2015. Now, he will have a chance to change that with the Washington Redskins.

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According to the Redskins Twitter, Trail will be joining the team’s active roster ahead of the team’s important Week 16 matchup with the Chicago Bears. To make room for him, the team released linebacker Nick Moody, who had been added to the 53-man roster last week in wake of the Will Compton and Su’a Cravens injuries. At this point, adding Trail makes sense for a multitude of reasons.

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The first is that the team was going to be shorthanded at the rush linebacker position thanks to an injury to Houston Bates. Bates, a core special teamer and depth rusher, tore his ACL in the loss to the Panthers. That left the Redskins with only three edge rushers. Further complicating matters was the gimpy elbow of Ryan Kerrigan, who suffered a sprain in the loss. The team had to make sure that they had extra depth. Trail will give them that.

Another factor working against Moody was the fact that the team had claimed Zach Vigil off of waivers from the Dolphins earlier in the week. Vigil is primarily a special teams player who will take over for Bates on the unit and provide depth at middle linebacker. With Compton likely returning, they did not need six middle linebackers, so Moody was the logical choice to release.

Finally, this two game run is a good chance to get a look at some players with upside. At this point in time, Trail is someone who has a lot of it. If he gets a chance to suit up, he could show teams what he has learned on the practice squad. If he impresses, his athleticism will allow him to have a solid career as either a rotational player or a depth guy. The Redskins are giving him a chance, and there is much to like about this idea.