Linebacker says release stings
Marcus Washington understood the situation: high cap number; too many injuries; a change in his role. So he understood what came next: his release.
That doesn’t mean it didn’t sting a bit when the Redskins released their five-year linebacker Friday, saving $4 million against the salary cap.
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“It wasn’t unexpected, but it was tough,” he said Monday in his first public comments since the release. “It’s like I was a Redskin from the word ‘Go.’ The toughest part is leaving the guys, the camaraderie. With everything we’ve been through the last few years, we have a closer bond than a lot of other organizations.”
Washington, who previously played four years with Indianapolis, was visiting his family in Alabama this past weekend and eventually turned off his phone because, as he said, “it was going crazy.” He said he had not yet talked with any other teams.
He also knows he must stay healthy. Washington missed a combined 12 games the past three years with various ailments.
“I had nothing that was a major injury but something you can’t play on, like a hamstring or high ankle sprain,” he said. “That was the most frustrating part of it.”
“I know if I’m healthy, I will make some plays. … I’m trying to stay away from those nagging little injuries. Those are the worst.”
Meanwhile, Redskins safety Reed Doughty said the team told him he won’t be tendered and will become a free agent Feb. 27. If Doughty, coming off back surgery, signs elsewhere Washington would not get compensation or the right of first refusal.
“I was disappointed and a little surprised because I knew they considered my back injury to be serious, but I feel better than I did going into last season,” said Doughty, who has been medically cleared to resume full activity. “I want to be back in Washington. This definitely forces me to look at other places. I can start and I feel like I have a lot to offer.”
