In the final roster cut-downs, new Redskins receiver Dezmon Briscoe got the nod over fan favorites Terrence Austin and Anthony Armstrong.
After the 53-man roster was announced, head coach Mike Shanahan explained that this decision was based on what the offense needed most at receiver.
"You look at who you're going to dress on [gameday]," he said. "How many receivers can be up? Who's going to be on special teams? Who's going to be backup X, backup Z?"
For the first time in Washington, Shanahan liked his options at starting receiver, having added Pierre Garçon and Joshua Morgan to a group that already included Santana Moss and Leonard Hankerson.
Adding Briscoe late in the process only makes this group stronger.
"Briscoe is a little bit bigger guy. 6-2, 220 range, a very physical receiver," Shanahan said. "Whereas Anthony [Armstrong] is more of that X guy, where he's got that great speed, very similar to [Pierre] Garçon and [Aldrick] Robinson and even [Brandon] Banks.
"We thought we were a little deeper at that X position than we were that Z position, so that's why we went that direction."
Briscoe out-performed Armstrong this preseason, after the latter was limited with a right shoulder injury.
In two games, Armstrong, 30, had three catches for 76 yards, including a 46-yard reception against the Buccaneers. Briscoe, 7 years his junior, finished with six receptions for 117 yards and two touchdowns in four games.
"Over the course of my career, you can see that I've been a red zone threat," Briscoe said of his touchdown targets. "I can take the tighter coverage and use my body to make a play."
Already stocked with young, speedy receivers, Shanahan cited Briscoe's skillset as a reason to move on from Armstrong.
"Armstrong probably was not going to dress when you take a look at a guy like Aldrick Robinson and Pierre Garçon," Shanahan said. "I loved Anthony; he's a great guy. Very smart – knew all three positions. It really was a tough decision to pick one of those guys.
"But we're going to make decisions which we think is best for our football team, and I think you guys will like Briscoe in the future."
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