Washington Commanders

Washington Redskins Add Louis Nix, Wes Saxton To Practice Squad

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

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The Washington Redskins added Louis Nix and Wes Saxton to their practice squad. Both players have some upside.

The Washington Redskins officially rounded out their ten man practice squad on Monday afternoon, when they made a couple of roster moves. They released Joe Kerridge from the squad and added a couple of veterans to the group. The players were defensive tackle Louis Nix and tight end Wes Saxton.

Nix is an exciting get for the Redskins team. During the 2013 college season, Nix was one of the best defensive tackles in all of the NCAA. He was a monster run stuffer for Notre Dame, and he was considered by some to be a potential first round pick. However, injuries derailed the draft process for Nix and he fell to the third round where the Houston Texans selected him.

With the Texans, Nix never really got on the field. In his first preseason, he underwent knee surgery that left him out until the opener. Then, he suffered another knee injury at the beginning of the season and never played again. After that, he had trouble getting into shape because of the knee issues, and the Texans released him.

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Since then, Nix has been on the New York Giants in multiple different stints. He signed a contract with them this offseason, but he was waived after a mediocre preseason. The Redskins are probably Nix’s last chance to make it onto an NFL roster.

That said, this could be an excellent fit for Nix. The Redskins have a solid nose tackle in Kedric Golston, but they do not have an obvious backup. If they decide they need one, Nix could be a candidate for a call up. He will have to practice well and get in shape to make sure his knees stay healthy, but he is the type of high upside player that teams like to have on their practice squad.

Elsewhere, the signing of Saxton will likely be a minimal impact move. Saxton spent his rookie season on the New York Jets practice squad with the exception of three games. In those three games, Saxton caught three passes for 24 yards. He is an athletic tight end, but he will have trouble breaking on to the Redskins roster at any point. They already have a talented group led by Jordan Reed, so this is more of an upside move than anything else.

At the end of the day, both of these are respectable moves by the Redskins. They got a couple of high upside young players who could have an impact if they are needed. Still, these moves will probably not be remembered very much in the grand scheme of things.

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