Angry Orchard returns to Washington
Ron Rivera mentioned on his weekly radio interview with the Junkies that the Washington Football Team would be announcing some roster moves today. They are dealing with a number of injuries along with a big list of players that have been added to the Reserve/COVID list. The defense has been hit particularly hard with the COVID wave.
Nate Orchard was an outside linebacker Washington signed during the 2019 season. His first game with the team was against the Carolina Panthers, a game that ended up being Ron Rivera’s last as their head coach. Orchard made a big impact, registering 4 tackles, a sack, and a fumble recovery.
He re-signed last year, and was on the practice squad, before getting another short stint on the active roster. He was claimed by the Texans after being released last year, then spent time on a few practice squads. Orchard was signed to the Packers practice squad less than 3 weeks ago, and now he is on Washington’s 53-man roster again.
Washington needs help on defense with several defensive linemen and linebackers on the reserve list. Vaccinated players like Jonathan Allen who tested positive can be cleared to return after 2 negative COVID tests 24 hours apart. As of this morning, none of them have been cleared, so a move was needed as Washington prepares for a big road game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Washington brings back Nate Orchard with all of its DL issues. The irony here is that his best game with WFT in 2019 was the win at Carolina, also known as Ron Rivera’s final game as the Panthers’ head coach. https://t.co/5crmuGwOzw
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) December 14, 2021
Washington makes the Orchard signing official. They also announced that DT Hercules Mata’afa has been signed to the practice squad.
We have made the following roster moves:
-Signed DE Nate Orchard from Green Bay’s practice squad
-Signed DT Hercules Mata’afa to our practice squad pic.twitter.com/GkQcdWrJAf— Washington Football Team (@WashingtonNFL) December 14, 2021