The Washington Redskins made five roster moves on Tuesday to get the active roster down to 75 players. On Saturday, the team will have to cut the roster to 53 players.
The Redskins' active roster now stands at 75 players, as the team announced on Tuesday that linebacker Perry Riley Jr. and defensive end Stephen Paea have been released.
Additionally, the team has placed tight end Derek Carrier on the Reserve/Physically Unable To Perform list, running back Keith Marshall on the Reserve/Injured list and waived wide receiver Reggie Diggs, designated as injured.
Riley Jr., 28, was a fourth-round pick for the Redskins in the 2010 NFL Draft.
During his six seasons in Washington, Riley Jr. started 63 games, recording 455 tackles with 26 passes defensed, 9.5 sacks, three interceptions and two fumbles forced.
The LSU product started all nine of his appearances last year before a foot injury prematurely ended his season.
The Redskins' current inside linebacker situation has Will Compton and Mason Foster as the starters on the unofficial depth chart, with Martrell Spaight and Su'a Cravens among the backups.
Paea, 28, was signed by the Redskins last offseason after spending his first four NFL seasons with the Chicago Bears.
The Oregon State product appeared in 11 games last season with one start, recording 19 tackles with 1.5 sacks before being placed on Injured Reserve with a turf toe issue.
The Redskins signed 13-year veteran Cullen Jenkins on Monday to join a defensive line group that is highlighted by Chris Baker, Ricky Jean Francois and Ziggy Hood.
Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said on Tuesday both moves were difficult to make, but the team's depth at both positions made the veterans expendable.
"It takes a lot of thought and a lot of times now when you have the depth that we feel like we have, it's not so much about the player we release, it's about the players that we kept," Gruden said. "We'll try to keep it at that. I think we've got some guys at linebacker who have played extremely well and we've got some guys on the defensive line who are competing and doing a good job. Those two guys are excellent football players, I imagine they'll latch on somewhere else and do well. They have a lot of football left in their career. They're both great guys that worked hard, and it's just part of the decision process."
Carrier continues to work his way back from a torn ACL and MCL suffered last December in a victory over the Chicago Bears. He's been trying to stay sharp from the sidelines, watching along as the tight ends engrain themselves into an offensive scheme ripe for tight end production.
"In a way it's been a blessing, it's given me time to reflect and appreciate the position we are in as professional athletes, and just know that it could be over in all of a moment's notice," Carrier recently told Redskins.com. "So just take advantage of the opportunities that are given."
He will be on the list for the first six weeks of the season before a potential return to game action depending on his health.
Marshall, meanwhile, suffered a left elbow injury on his first and only carry during last Friday's preseason game against the Buffalo Bills at FedExField.
The University of Georgia product is the second 2016 seventh-round pick by the Redskins to be placed on Injured Reserve, as linebacker Steven Daniels was added to the list during training camp after suffering a torn labrum.
Diggs was signed as a college free agent on May 6, after spending his college career at Richmond, but a knee injury limited him in practices and he did not play in any of the Redskins' first three preseason games.
