As expected, the Commanders made multiple roster moves on Saturday.
The Commanders activated DE Deatrich Wise Jr. off the PUP list and removed him from the injury report. Once his practice window opened this week, the Commanders had 21 days to activate Wise to the 53-man roster. If they chose not to activate Wise within those 21 days, Wise would have been forced to remain on the Reserve/PUP for the rest of the season.
Secondly, the Commanders signed linebacker Austin Keys from their practice squad. The 6-foot-2, 244-pound linebacker played 11 games for the Vikings in 2025. After being waived by the Vikings, the Cardinals then signed Keys. Keys, however, was waived August 25 during this year’s preseason. The Commanders entered the picture when
they signed Keys to their practice squad on September 16.
The Commanders also elevated two other players from the practice squad: safety Darren Hall and wide receiver Van Jefferson. Safety Nick Cross is still out, and with S Percy Butler also out this week, it is understandable to elevate a safety for Sunday’s game against the Giants.
Elevating Jefferson was also quite expected because the Commanders are without Stefon Diggs this week, and Terry McLaurin is certainly not 100 percent. As of Friday, head coach Dan Quinn didn’t rule out or confirm that McLaurin would be playing either. So, if McLaurin can’t go, they’ll add Jefferson, who would then be active and ready to go.
Finally, the other two players whose 21-day window opened this week were cornerback Trey Amos (ankle) and running back Jeremy McNichols (quad). The Commanders downgraded both to out for Sunday’s game against the Giants. They still have two more weeks in their window to activate them or leave them on injured reserve for the rest of the season.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders make multiple roster moves ahead of Week 5 vs Giants
