Could Redskins cut Johnson and Parker?

Jason Reid of the Washington Post says that a source told him during the offseason that the Washington Redskins had concerns about their running back depth behind Clinton Portis. You are probably thinking, “yeah, duh. That’s why they signed Larry Johnson and Willie Parker.”

No, this was after they had already signed those two.

During their last preseason game against the Ravens, Johnson struggled in his “showcase” game. He gained four yards on eight carries, was bad in blitz pickup and couldn’t come up with a short pass from Donovan McNabb.

That same source called Reid shortly after the debacle.

“That’s what I was talking about,” he said.

Head coach Mike Shanahan is the complete opposite of former Redskins coach Steve Spurrier (probably in a lot of ways) when it comes to protecting the QB. Spurrier gave the QB minimal – if any – protection and let guys like Patrick Ramsey get their heads blown off. Shanahan preaches QB protection and he expects his backs to chip and pick up blitzes. Larry stinks at this.

As for Parker, he’s scheduled to have his “showcase” game against the New York Jets this Friday. He’s been listed as third on the depth chart behind Portis and Johnson, but don’t be surprised if he’s axed too. As in, axed to leave the facility and turn in his playbook. The team is pretty high on Ryan Torain and Keiland Williams, and they might prefer to keep the young legs vs. the guy with minimal tread on the tires.

In other words, avoid Johnson and Parker in your fantasy draft.