Washington Commanders

Redskins Release DT A.J. Francis To Add Kory Lichtensteiger To Active Roster

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Washington Redskins had to part ways with a player in order to add Kory Lichtensteiger to the active roster. They did that by parting ways with A.J. Francis.

In what was a widely expected move, the Washington Redskins activated former starting center Kory Lichtensteiger off of the injured reserve Saturday afternoon. The team had designated Lichtensteiger as their player to return earlier in the week, and with Spencer Long battling a concussion, it was widely assumed that Lichtensteiger would be back to provide depth.

However, what was unknown was the corresponding roster move that would take place once Lichtensteiger was officially activated. That question was answered when they elected to part ways with defensive tackle A.J. Francis. The move should not be a surprise, considering the overall state of the team.

Francis had joined the Redskins from their practice squad a couple weeks prior to his release. The Maryland product never saw the field with the team, and was firmly entrenched as the seventh defensive lineman on the roster (out of seven). He was essentially just there for depth purposes. Nothing more.

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The only question coming into the week was about whether or not the Redskins would be comfortable keeping just six defensive linemen. Anthony Lanier has been dealing with a leg injury, so that brings their total of healthy players to five. That could pose an issue for the team, as the defensive front had already been somewhat of a problem for them. Still, Francis was the man to go, and that has often been the case for the Redskins this season.

The Skins have brought in a few different defensive linemen throughout the year, including Jordan Hill, but they only last a couple of weeks at a time. The team is just trying to find a diamond in the rough. Because the defensive line is so weak for them, this is a good strategy.

Moving forward, the only question for the Redskins is how they will handle the offensive line. They now will have 10 players in the unit, and I cannot see that lasting long term. This week, Long and Shawn Lauvao seem unlikely to suit up, so that could make life easier for the coaching staff this week. However, the team may have to make a decision at some point about which of the players they want to keep. It seems foolish for them to keep 10 offensive linemen throughout the rest of the season, but that may be their plan.

At the end of the day, this was a necessary move for the Redskins. They needed Lichtensteiger for this week, but his future is murky at the best. We shall see next week if the team elects to move any linemen.

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