The Redskins have released safety Ifeanyi Ohalete, vice president of football operations Vinny Cerrato said on Tuesday morning.
"We felt that since he was a veteran, we should release him now to give him an opportunity to pick up with somebody else," Cerrato said.
Ohalete, entering his fourth NFL season, had worked his way into the starting lineup at safety each of the last two seasons, but the team drafted Sean Taylor with the fifth overall pick in April and second-year player Andre Lott had been playing well in preseason.
"The other players had moved ahead of him," Cerrato said. "You have to give credit to the other guys. Players move themselves up and players move themselves down."
Added Gregg Williams, assistant head coach-defense: "It's really not what he wasn't able to do. It's that right now where we're at with the team, we've got some young guys who are going to get the opportunity to play.
"He'll get a job somewhere else. Instead of letting him get caught in the shuffle at the end of training camp, let's allow him to catch on at another team's camp and get a job."
Ohalete spoke briefly with reporters upon leaving Redskins Park this morning. He said that, throughout his three seasons in Washington, he always took the approach that his job was on the line.
"You can never think things are going your way," Ohalete said. "Even last year, Pro Bowlers got cut. I just wasn't getting the job done according to the coaches this year, so they had to do what they had to do."
Ohalete came to the Redskins out of USC as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2001. He was elevated to a starting job midway through the 2002 season and started 15 games last year. He recorded 105 tackles for the Redskins last season, third best on the defense. He also logged three interceptions and two forced fumbles.
