Cam

Sims

The leg injury that plagued Beasley during the preseason will now send the veteran wide receiver to the practice squad injured reserve. Beasley had been a candidate to receive the game day call-up but will now be faced with an additional obstacle with his health. The Giants signed former Commanders wide receiver Cam Sims to their practice squad in an associated move.

Sims has played in Washington for all five professional seasons, managing 57 catches for 804 yards and three touchdowns. He should step into a reserve role alongside Philip Dorsett and Keelan Cole and behind Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, and Hunter Renfrow in Las Vegas.

The deal is likely for the veteran minimum after Sims caught eight passes in 17 games (three starts) last year. Sims’ offensive snaps dropped to 28% in 2022 but he’s valued for his blocking and plays on special teams. Sims should return to Washington if he doesn’t get a better offer in free agency.

Washington head coach Ron Rivera said Dotson, who has not played since Week 4, is expected to return in Week 10 against the Eagles. Meanwhile, Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel will remain Washington’s top wideouts this week against the Vikings. Dotson doesn’t need to be rostered in 12-team formats.

Sims served as Washington’s No. 2 wideout with Jahan Dotson (hamstring) once again inactive. Sims logged the second-most routes among Commanders receivers and came down with a 21-yard grab over the middle of the field in the fourth quarter. He can remain on waiver wires.

Sims won’t play in the Commanders’ preseason finale and should be considered week-to-week. With the regular season still a couple weeks away, he should be cleared in time for Week 1. Sims is expected to serve as Washington’s fourth receiver this season.

It’s not a bad deal for a pure role player, one whose 2020 production halved in 2021 despite injury issues in the Commanders’ receiver corps. 6-foot-5 Sims is a load on the boundary, but he is never going to graduate beyond bit player status.

Sims’ lone target was an end zone overthrow from Taylor Heinicke that should have been a touchdown. The 6-foot-5 reserve boundary man saw his production halved from last season, posting a 15/211/2 statline compared to 32/477/1. This, even though Washington was undermanned all year in its receiver corps. He’s a role player who will never command targets on his own, receiving them only after there have been injuries in front of him on the depth chart. Having just turned 26, Sims is headed back to free agency.

Washington also activated defensive end Daniel Wise. Neither player moves the needle much but their returns should point toward more Washington players being activated ahead of the team’s Week 15 matchup with the Eagles. The game was moved to Tuesday after a slew of Washington players tested positive for COVID-19. All eyes are on Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen, who are both currently on the COVID list.

Washington is in the midst of a major Covid cluster, and now has 30 combined players on the injured reserve and Covid lists. They will be extremely shorthanded against an Eagles team that may also be without Jalen Hurts. More positive tests could be on the way. Gardner Minshew could get his second straight start against a team of backups.