We signed Fred Baxter
 

ESPN Bottom Line said that we signed TE Fred Baxter to a 1 year deal. Here is his profile
[url]http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/1355[/url]

why do you guys think we picked him up? We have enough TE/H-Backs, doesnt make sense to me

I don't claim to know much about Fred Baxter, but he is a big guy, height: 6-3, weight: 268
Plus he went to Auburn which was primarily a running offense.
It sounds like he is a run blocking TE. So he could serve as a 2nd or 3rd TE on short yardage/jumbo packages.
Plus be a insurance/back up to recently injury prone Walter Rasby.

Yeah I think Defense is right, Baxter seem like he fits the mold of Rasby and could be insurance for him

I also agree with Defense's assessment. And don't forget, teams like to overstock big time prior to training camp. It makes for more competition, and also provides "fodder" in the early practices. We have more TE's than we will keep, and no way to know yet who will end up being the fodder...

I wonder if someone like Royals could be on the bubble.

I'm sure Gibbs wants as much depth as possible at the tight end, H-back spot since his offense is centered around the run to set up the pass. If this guy is a good run blocker, then I'm sure we need him.

Yes, TE is an important position, but if I count it right, this makes 7 TE's for them now. That means around 4 will not make the final cut. No way they keep 7 TE's no matter how key that position is. In training camp they like to be very deep at all positions, knowing they will trim at every position. Often they do not keep extra depth at K, P, and QB, but expect some guys at every other position to be cut before week 1.

I don't remember the source, but I read that Joe plans to keep 4 TEs on the roster.

Baxter's experience (12 years) likely played a big role in his signing. With Rasby, Koslowski and now Baxter, the Skins now have a trio of veteran TEs with a combined 34 years of NFL experience among them. These three vets will provide leadership and veteran savvy to complement the youth and athleticism of the other four TEs on the roster: Cooley, Ware, Stephens and Royal, who share a combined 5 years of NFL experience.

Though Baxter, Rasby and Koslowski may not be the fastest or most athletic TEs out there, they fit perfectly with Gibbs' specifications for TEs that are smart, tough and hard-working blockers.

Baxter is a good signing.

Joe, it sounds like you are thinking the Redskins could possibly keep all (or almost all) of these TE's. Is that so? I would sure think the absolute max would be 4, with one on the practice squad. Do you have any idea what his roster makeup was in his last go-round here? (Of course, back then his practice squad was the IR LOL).

Any idea how much Baxter costs? He played a year in Chicago; I wonder if that's why we picked him up (given our d-line coach)?

There's a question, I think, about how many TEs we'll keep. Maybe some are really TEs (Rasby, Baxter) but some are H-backs (Cooley, Sellars), and we'll keep 3 (4?) at each of these positions. Only if they're all considered as TEs does this seem like a lot. (Remember, there's no blocking back, really.)

I am psyched about the prospect of having a serious o-line again. I can't wait til Buges has them hitting on all cylinders. We are going to wear down a lot of teams. Also, I bet Gibbs is working very hard to figure out how to combat the "blitz all the time" D's that are so popular now in the NFL. I figure he'll keep these big TEs in, and get Coles/Jacobs/etc. open down field, and really make teams pay for blitzing (the complete opposite of Spurrier). And then we always have the H-back in the flat for a 30-yard RAC gain.

Man, is it September yet?????

Baxter was a key to the Patriots special team last year so I'm sure he'll help bolster the Skins special teams as well.

But has anyone seen any news on this other than Big C seeing it on the ESPN Bottom Line? Big C when did you see it? I haven't seen it all day and I've been checking the wires also

I really hope Royal makes the squad. I've seen flashes out of him that makes me believe he could be an excellent receiving TE, however he's fairly one dimensional and isn't a great blocker. Cooley, Sellars, and Royal I definitely want to see on the "rooster" as some other poster put it!

[QUOTE=smootsmack]Baxter was a key to the Patriots special team last year so I'm sure he'll help bolster the Skins special teams as well.

But has anyone seen any news on this other than Big C seeing it on the ESPN Bottom Line? Big C when did you see it? I haven't seen it all day and I've been checking the wires also[/QUOTE]

I have seen it also on another site, but not on a major sport site. Any how to go with smootsmack, what are the chances that not only Baxter but the other TE's will be used on Special Teams?

Still haven't found any confirmation on the Baxter signing...


On average, Gibbs carried between 5 and 6 TEs/H-backs on his roster during his first run with the Skins.

They'll probably wind up keeing six of these guys, and assuming that Baxter has indeed been signed, this is how I would see the depth chart shaking out in training camp:

TE:
1. Rasby
2. Baxter
3. Kozlowski
4. Ware

H-back:
1. Cooley
2. Sellers
3. Kozlowski/Ware

I know some folks are high on Royal as a receiving TE, but I haven't been impressed with him at all in the past two minicamps; whereas Ware really seemed to be putting forth an excellent effort and looked solid. Ware just looks like more of a Gibbs guy at this point, and seems to fit the blocking TE role better than Royal. But of course, it's early.

That would put Royal and Stephens on the cut list. If Baxter is a mirage, then Royal makes it.

[QUOTE=Hogskin]Joe, it sounds like you are thinking the Redskins could possibly keep all (or almost all) of these TE's. Is that so? I would sure think the absolute max would be 4, with one on the practice squad. Do you have any idea what his roster makeup was in his last go-round here? (Of course, back then his practice squad was the IR LOL).[/QUOTE]


you are forgetting that we have the h-back/ fullback position to fill. so sellers, rock and cooley are more than likely in the running for that. then you have walter, koz, ware, and royal in the running. i like all of them but i do think royals is set to go... i dont like his blocking skills at all. and i like sellers alot but i think we are gonna keep rock and cooley for the h-back, occasionally koz will play there i bet. so IMO, i think royals and sellers get the boot unless baxter doesnt pan out

[QUOTE=jrocx69] so IMO, i think royals and sellers get the boot unless baxter doesnt pan out[/QUOTE]

I could not disagree more with you on Sellers getting the boot. I do not really know much about royals to post an honest opinion but Sellers IMO will be the starting H-Back unless he gets injured or Cooley really steps up to take it from him.
I think that we will keep Rock, but I see him compeating more for the back up spot to Portis more so than the H-Back spot.

[QUOTE=Redskins8588]I could not disagree more with you on Sellers getting the boot. I do not really know much about royals to post an honest opinion but Sellers IMO will be the starting H-Back unless he gets injured or Cooley really steps up to take it from him.
I think that we will keep Rock, but I see him compeating more for the back up spot to Portis more so than the H-Back spot.[/QUOTE]
I agree. Gibbs, Bugel and Rock himself have indicated that Rock isn't being considered for the H-back spot, and will only be competing for the backup runningback spot. Rock has practiced exclusively at runningback in the minicamps so far, and I think that's where he's the best fit.

Sellers seems to have the inside track on the starting H-back role, with Cooley likely to gradually move in as he gains experience and confidence in his assignments. Kozlowski is also in the mix there, and Baxter probably would be as well. Kozlowski and Baxter both have had extensive experience in H-back type roles, and their knowledge of the position will be invaluable to Sellers and Cooley.

Ultimately, I think the athleticism of Cooley and Sellers will earn them the top two spots at H-back, and the two of them will essentially split time this season in that role. Koz and Bax will stay on as veteran backups at both TE and H-back.

That's what my crystal ball says, anyway...;)

Jroc, no, I don't believe I forgot that some of our RB's and TE's are used for the H-back job. There is no H-Back "position" in the NFL. With each team limited to a fixed number of players, you have to decide how many RB's (some of which perform H-Back duties), how many TE's (same thing), how many WR's (even some of these perform H-Back duties for some teams).

OK, so then, take the total number of slots available (what is it these days, Joe?). Then figure the 4 RB's (minimum) we are sure to keep, 3 QB's, probably 5 WR's, etc. Go through all positions, and you will see that it is virtually impossible to keep 6 or 7 TE's. I do not believe any team in the NFL has ever kept even 5 TE's on their active roster.

I remember Fred baxter when he played for the Jets, but am I the only one who thought he retired?

oh there is a h-back "positon" how can you say there isnt? ever heard of a tweener? lol

Way I see it is 4 HB slots 2FB slots and 3 TE slots, on a traditional roster. Thats 9 players altogether.

Definite keepers? Portis for sure. After that, I'd say Cartwright, Betts, Cooley, Rasby and Baxter.

HB - Portis, Betts & Cartwright.
FB/H-back - Cooley & Sellers
TE - Baxter & Rasby

That leaves 2 slots by my reckoning, not allowing for JG to keep an extra man and ignoring the practice squad. Way I see it, those 2 spots got to McCullough and Koslowski or Ware. May see Royal or Stephens on the PS unless they get picked up.

Of course all this assumes Canidate doesn't impress Gibbs. If he does, they may bump Sultan onto the PS again.

[QUOTE=Hogskin]OK, so then, take the total number of slots available (what is it these days, Joe?). Then figure the 4 RB's (minimum) we are sure to keep, 3 QB's, probably 5 WR's, etc. Go through all positions, and you will see that it is virtually impossible to keep 6 or 7 TE's. I do not believe any team in the NFL has ever kept even 5 TE's on their active roster.[/QUOTE]The regular-season roster limit these days is 53. I'm not sure what the roster limit was during Gibbs' first run (I know roster limits have changed a few times, but not sure when and by how much), but there were several seasons where Gibbs kept 6 TEs on his roster. It was actually rare that he had as few as four TEs.

That being said, the Skins have a ton of depth at RB, WR and TE, and like you said, they can only keep so many. Gibbs will probably base his decision on which players have practice squad eligibility, and which players are most likely to contribute to the team on special teams and as reserves. When you consider the fact that guys like Sultan McCullough, Robert Royal, Kevin Ware and Leonard Stephens all should have one year of practice squad eligibility remaining, and combine that with the fact that the practice squad has been expanded to 8 players, it wouldn't surprise me to see up to 3 of those guys on the practice squad.

I think you're right about Gibbs keeping 4 RBs (Portis, Betts, Cartwright and Morton) and 5 WRs (Coles, Gardner, McCants, Thrash, Jacobs), but I think he'll keep at least 5 TEs-- Rasby, Cooley, Baxter, Sellers and Kozlowski-- with Ware or Royal as either a 6th TE, or on the practice squad... most likely the practice squad. The reason I say that, is Gibbs needs at least 3 TEs that he can put on the field at any one time. There are bound to be injuries, and he will also want to be able to rotate guys in and out frequently to keep them fresh. In that scenario, he'd need a minimum of 5 TEs, which he would probably keep on the active roster. The 6th guy he could keep on the practice squad, and activate him if injuries crop up.

I just scanned through the roster... I may be wrong... but if we did indeed sign Baxter, it looks like he'd be the only player on our roster with a Superbowl ring. I see this as a welcome attempt to change the culture of the team.

60 hours later...
This story hasn't shown up on any reliable internet news source. I'm thinking somebody at ESPN jumped the gun on the story.

[QUOTE=EEich]I just scanned through the roster... I may be wrong... but if we did indeed sign Baxter, it looks like he'd be the only player on our roster with a Superbowl ring. I see this as a welcome attempt to change the culture of the team.[/QUOTE]

I think Tupa got a ring with the Bucs right?

Trung might have a ring.

Doh!

its cool, no worries. Perhaps everyone will have a ring on our team next year... :)

Per the WP:

According to two sources familiar with the situation, the Redskins will sign tight end Fred Baxter, a 12-year veteran, to provide depth at blocking tight end. Baxter, who played the previous two seasons with the Patriots, is expected to be officially acquired Thursday after signing a one-year contract for the league minimum. Walter Rasby is projected to start at blocking tight end.

[url]http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4895-2004May31.html[/url]

espn has it on their site now, dont know why it took so long, i saw it a few days back on the bottom line...
[url]http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1813690[/url]

[QUOTE=Big C]espn has it on their site now, dont know why it took so long, i saw it a few days back on the bottom line...
[url]http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1813690[/url][/QUOTE]

Don't me modest, Big C! I think you're just psychic and had a vision. Let me know if you see any Lotto numbers!

7 TE's?
 

In another earlier thread, there was some discussion of how many TE's the Redskins would carry. Some here felt they would keep all 7 that they have. For whatever it's worth, here is the last paragraph in a Washington Post article to be published Thursday morning:

"The Redskins plan to activate four tight ends on game days, while most teams carry only two or three on the active roster. Washington appears likely to release one or two tight ends before the regular season.

-- Nunyo Demasio "

The article had earlier mentioned that the Redskins currently have 7 TE's on their roster.

Of course Nunyo may not know any more than some of our guys here, so this does not really mean a lot. But it will be interesting to see how things shake out.

If they give Sellers and Cooley the Full back title, but use them as h-backs then there you just cut your TE'S from 7 down to 5....

I can assure you, Cooley will not be given a FB designation. But no matter what you call these 7 guys referenced in the article, there is only so much roster space for them - and it is not likely to be 7 spots. The article was indicating that only 4 of the 7 (which included Cooley and Sellers) would be on the active roster in any one week. You can call them a LB or QB if you want to, it will not make an additional roster spot.

So who do you think is going to be released?

No real insight on that, except that I feel sure it won't be Rasby, Cooley or Sellers. Most likely Ware and/or Kozlowski.

They will probably do one of 2 things if the article is correct: Waive 1, practice squad 1, keep 1 inactive, or waive 2 and keep 1 inactive. I believe the active roster limit is still 45. So that means there are 8 inactive slots (if you count the 3rd string QB). They could keep one there, but keeping 2 weekly inactive TE's seems real unlikely.

Who will get cut?
 

With the signing of Fred Baxter, the Redskins now have seven tight ends on the roster. Thats S-E-V-E-N.

Yes, tight end/H-back is an important part of the Joe Gibbs offense and they will need some depth at that position, but it is not likely that there will be seven TE's on the roster on opening day. My guess would be three but it could be four if one of the guys is actually a special team player who never really gets into a game as a TE.

At various times, all of these guys have been gushed over by posters here. So now it's time to forget all the stuff about how each and every one of them might make it to the Hall of Fame; now it's time to predict which ones will make the team and which will be parking cars at the Washington Hilton come September.

Here are the names:

Fred Baxter
Robert Royal
Walter Rasby
Kevin Ware
Mike Sellers
Brian Kozlowski
Chris Cooley

I think Rasby, Baxter and Cooley make the team. Remember, Cooley was one of their few draft picks this year so it might be embarrassing to cut him...

Keep in mind that these guys are filling two different positions, blocking TE and H-back, and some of the H-backs will be using the roster spots normally reserved for fullbacks. So I could see them keeping as many as 6 of them, and no fewer than 4.
I see Rasby and Baxter as the blocking TE's, and Sellers and Cooley as the primary H-backs. The rest will battle for the remaining slot(s).