The Redskins have released 30-year old RB/KR Rock Cartwright.  Cartwright played in all 16 games for the Redskins last season in which he carried the ball 64 times for 228 yards (3.6 ypc) and he also caught 27 passes for 242 yards (9.9 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Cartwright also returned 39 kickoffs for 868 yards (22.3 avg) last season.  Cartwright played in 123 games in his 8 years with the Redskins in which he carried the ball 215 times for 889 yards (4.1 ypc) with 6 TD runs and he also caught 59 passes for 555 yards (9.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Cartwright also returned 222 kickoffs for 5,332 yards (24.0 avg) with 1 TD return for the Redskins.  With his dual role at RB and on special teams, Cartwright might be hard to replace.

The Washington Redskins have released 34-year old offensive guard Randy Thomas.  Thomas played in only 2 games (both starts) for the Redskins last season as he was injured most of the year.  Thomas played in 82 games (all starts) in his 7 years with the Redskins.  The Redskins are going in a new direction on the O-Line likely installing a new zone blocking scheme and Thomas didn’t fit into their plans.

The Redskins have released 30-year old WR/PR Antwaan Randle El.  Randle El played in all 16 games for the Redskins last season and he caught 50 passes for 530 yards (10.6 avg).  He also returned 17 punts for 102 yards (6.0 avg) for the Redskins last year.  Randle El played in 63 games in his four years with the Redskins and he caught 186 passes for 2,202 yards (11.8 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 24 times for 120 yards (5.0 ypc) with the Redskins.  Randle El returned 109 punts for 907 yards (7.0 avg) with 1 TD return and he also completed 6 of 9 passes (66.7%) for 153 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  The Redskins wanted to go in a new direction at WR and they didn’t want to pay him anymore and that’s why he is looking for a new job.

The Redskins have released 30-year old CB Fred Smoot.  Smoot played in 15 games for the Redskins last season and he made 28 tackles and defensed 6 passes.  Smoot played in 104 games in 7 years with the Redskins in which he made 342 tackles, defensed 71 passes, forced 3 fumbles and he intercepted 18 passes.  Smoot started to look his age last season so the Redskins decided to cut ties with him before he became a liability.

The Redskins have released 33-year old DT Cornelius Griffin.  Griffin played in 14 games for the Redskins last season and he made 34 tackles, had 2 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble and he defensed 1 pass.  Griffin played in 86 games in his six years with the Redskins and he made 258 tackles, defensed 12 passes, had 16.5 sacks, forced 3 fumbles and he had 2 interceptions.  The Redskins figure to spend a lot of money in free agency starting today and that was one of the big reasons for this move.