The Washington Commanders continued to reshape their roster following the 53-man roster cutdown by finalizing a trade involving defensive tackle John Ridgeway. After efforts to move Ridgeway before the roster deadline fell short, Washington ultimately struck a deal with the New Orleans Saints to send the former fifth-round pick in a pick-swap agreement, as reported by NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero, and Mike Garafolo.
Ridgeway, drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 2022, was initially claimed by the Commanders off waivers in September of the same year. He worked as a rotational defensive tackle for Washington last season, seeing a career-high 356 defensive snaps. Despite his role behind entrenched starters Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, Pro Football Focus graded the Illinois State product as one of the bottom-10 D-tackles among regulars.
Under Washington’s new regime, Ridgeway became another recent draftee to be shown the door. Following the Commanders’ surprising decision to cut five of their 2023 draft picks on Tuesday and the trade of 2022 first-round wide receiver Jahan Dotson last week, Ridgeway is the second 2022 draftee to be dealt.
The trade with New Orleans will see Washington receive a 2025 sixth-round pick in exchange for Ridgeway and a 2025 seventh-rounder, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Saints, looking to bolster their defensive line depth, will add Ridgeway to a group that already features Khalen Saunders, Nathan Shepherd, 2023 first-round pick Bryan Bresee, and sixth-round rookie Khristian Boyd. New Orleans also placed rookie UDFA DT Sincere Haynesworth on injured reserve last week, opening up the need for additional depth.
Ridgeway, still just 25, remains on his rookie contract for two more seasons and will look for a fresh start in New Orleans. The Saints are betting on the young defensive lineman’s potential to contribute to a unit that underwent significant changes this offseason. For the Commanders, the move marks yet another signal of a shift in direction as they continue to part ways with players from the previous regime while forging ahead under new leadership.
