--On Aug. 25, the Redskins waived/injured LB Matt Sinclair (back), who played in four games last season after spending most of the year on the practice squad. Washington also cut WR Burl Toler, who was also on the 2007 practice squad.

--The Redskins waived former Bears DE Babatunde Oshinowo and rookie free agent DE Dorian Smith on Aug. 24 along with S Vernon Fox, who had been with Washington since September 2006. Fox, mostly a special-teamer, started the final six games of 2006.

PLAYER TO WATCH: S Kareem Moore - The sixth-round pick from Nicholls State played just one season of high school ball and then spent a year at two Mississippi JCs before moving on to Nicholls State. Moore also missed this spring following knee surgery, but he showed a nose for the ball and hitting ability this summer and with veterans Stuart Schweigert and Vernon Fox cut, he's the top reserve behind young starters LaRon Landry and Reed Doughty.

DRAFT PICKS TO STICK

Rd. 2/34, WR Devin Thomas, Michigan State -- Slowed early in camp by a hamstring, Thomas needs to put his good size and speed to use on a consistent basis to play regularly.

Rd. 2/48, TE Fred Davis, Southern California -- Unlike Thomas, Davis stayed healthy this summer but he doesn't figure to have much of an impact with Pro Bowl TE Chris Cooley ahead of him.

Rd. 2/51, WR Malcolm Kelly, Oklahoma -- Injuries pretty much washed out his summer, but Kelly's 6-4 size could make him a factor in the red zone as the season progresses.

Rd. 3/96, G/T Chad Rinehart, Northern Iowa -- He won't play as a rookie if the vets stay healthy, but Rinehart should be the best homegrown Redskins lineman in at least five years.

Rd. 4/124, CB Justin Tryon, Arizona State -- He bragged in April about what he would do as a rookie, but if the 5-9 Tryon wasn't a draft pick, he wouldn't have made the team.

Rd. 6/168, P Durant Brooks, Georgia Tech -- Brooks can boom the ball but needs work on his directional kicks and pooch punting which is why he could lose out to vet Derrick Frost.

Rd. 6/180, S Kareem Moore, Nicholls State -- After missing the spring following a scope, Moore flew all over the field in preseason. With better technique, he could start some day.

Rd. 6/186, QB Colt Brennan, Hawaii -- A record-breaker in a pass-happy college offense, Brennan showed a flair for the dramatic in preseason to win the No. 3 job going away.

Rd. 7/249, S Chris Horton, UCLA -- A strong preseason opener and his special teams work helped Horton beat out vets Stuart Schweigert and Vernon Fox for the final safety spot.

UNIT-BY-UNIT ANALYSIS

QUARTERBACKS: Starter - Jason Campbell. Backups - Todd Collins, Colt Brennan.

The strong-armed Campbell has shown flashes of greatness in his 20 starts but has yet to develop consistency. Not naturally vocal, Campbell is still also developing as a leader. Still, Campbell is well ahead of where Matt Hasselbeck was when Zorn began working with Seattle's star quarterback in 2001 and had a solid camp. After hardly playing for a decade, Collins stepped in when Campbell dislocated a knee and was the NFC Offensive Player of The Month in December in leading Washington to a 4-0 record. Sixth-rounder Brennan, who put up huge numbers at Hawaii, had some big moments in preseason.

RUNNING BACKS: Starters - HB Clinton Portis, FB Mike Sellers. Backups - Ladell Betts, Rock Cartwright, Marcus Mason.

The shifty Portis, a three-time, 1,500-yard runner, rebounded from an injury-shortened 2006 and from missing the 2007 preseason with a sprained knee to finish third in the NFC in rushing and catch a career-high 47 passes. However, Portis, who's about to be 27, also slipped to a career-low 3.9 yards per carry with all that work and wasn't that effective this preseason. The more physical Betts was a revelation after Portis was hurt midway through 2006 but an afterthought in 2007. Sellers is athletic despite his 278 pounds and can be effective in short yardage. The squatty Cartwright is a special teams standout. Mason is also undersized, but his strong preseason earned the 2007 practice squad member a spot.

TIGHT ENDS: Starter - Chris Cooley. Backups - Todd Yoder, Fred Davis.

Cooley, who turned 26 this month, led the Redskins with 66 catches, eight for touchdowns while being chosen for his first Pro Bowl last season. Davis was the nation's top tight end as a senior at USC but the West Coast offense isn't usually tight end-centric so it's hard to understand why the Redskins used a second-round pick on him instead of on a defensive lineman or a linebacker. Yoder is a reliable blocking tight end.

WIDE RECEIVERS: Starters - Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle El. Backups - James Thrash, Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly, Billy McMullen.

The speedy Moss, a Pro Bowl pick during his record-setting Redskins debut in 2005, has been nagged by muscle pulls since. The jitterbug-like Randle El set career highs in catches and yards last season but only scored one touchdown, had a knee scoped in June and had some nagging ailments this summer. Since Moss and Randle El are both just 5-foot-10, the Redskins drafted the 6-2 Thomas, who had a monster 2007 season at Michigan State, and fellow second-rounder Kelly (6-4). Thomas missed a couple of weeks of camp with a hamstring. Kelly missed almost the entire preseason with a hamstring and then a scope. In their absences, veteran Thrash solidified his No. 3 receiver spot. Former Eagle McMullen, Washington's leading receiver this summer, could stick until Kelly shows he's ready to contribute.

OFFENSIVE LINE: Starters - LT Chris Samuels, LG Pete Kendall, C Casey Rabach, RG Randy Thomas, RT Jon Jansen. Backups - T Stephon Heyer, G/T Jason Fabini, G/T Chad Rinehart, C/G Justin Geisinger.

Samuels missed the 2006 preseason with a sprained knee but rebounded to make his fifth Pro Bowl in eight years. He was beaten badly by Carolina's Julius Peppers during preseason. Kendall filled the left guard void after being acquired from the Jets last August. He's 35 but didn't miss a practice this summer despite bad knees. Rabach remains the line's glue. Thomas, coming off a torn triceps, and Jansen, coming off a broken leg, hardly played in 2007 and are both 32. Thomas is back, but Jansen sprained his right foot against the Panthers. He should be back for the opener, but this is the fifth straight year he's been hurt. Veterans Fabini, who started most of 2007 in place of Thomas, 2007 rookie free agent surprise Heyer and third-rounder Rinehart provide depth. Former Titan Geisinger's shift to center from guard might sneak him onto the roster ahead of veteran tackle Todd Wade.

DEFENSIVE LINE: Starters - LDE Jason Taylor, LDT Cornelius Griffin, RDT Kedric Golston, RDE Andre Carter. Backups - DT Anthony Montgomery, DE Demetric Evans, DE Erasmus James, DT Lorenzo Alexander, DE Chris Wilson.

The Redskins traded for six-time Pro Bowl pick Taylor almost as soon as defensive end Phillip Daniels was lost for the season with a torn ACL on the first day of camp. Taylor gave his new team a scare with his own knee injury on Aug. 23 at Carolina but it was only a sprain and he should return by Week 2. Taylor (11 sacks in 2007) and Carter (10.5) could give the Redskins their top bookends since the Dexter Manley-Charles Mann partnership broke up in 1989. The negative is that neither Taylor or Carter is much of a run-stopper. That's where the veteran Griffin, who's the healthiest he's been since his career year of 2004, and Golston, who wrested back the job he had in 2006 from 2007 starter Montgomery, need to excel. Evans is reliable outside and will play inside on passing downs. Montgomery is more of a specimen than Golston and will play a lot. Former Vikings first-round pick James needs to prove he can stay healthy after major knee surgeries the past two years. Alexander, who played both sides of the ball in 2007, had a good camp. Wilson's four sacks in limited duty in 2007 might just be enough for him to remain ahead of seventh-round pick Rob Jackson despite a nearly invisible summer.

LINEBACKERS: Starters - SLB Marcus Washington, MLB London Fletcher, WLB Rocky McIntosh. Backups - Khary Campbell, H.B. Blades.

The athletic Washington was the Redskins' best defensive player until his body began to betray him in December 2006. Injuries plagued him again throughout 2007 and his hip flexor briefly flared again this summer. Fletcher is just 5-10 and has turned 33, but he was an instant leader on and off the field in his first season in Washington. McIntosh has recovered from the torn ACL that ended his first year as a starter last December. If healthy, the starters are fine. Depth is a question mark with only top special teams tackler Campbell and vertically challenged 2007 rookie Blades, sure to make the team. The sixth linebacker might well not have been on Washington's roster yet.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: Starters - LCB Shawn Springs, RCB Carlos Rogers, SS Reed Doughty, FS LaRon Landry. Backups - CB Fred Smoot, S Kareem Moore, CB Leigh Torrence, S Chris Horton, CB Justin Tryon.

This group survived the murder of Pro Bowl FS Sean Taylor and the season-ending knee injury to Rogers to have a solid 2007. Landry, who moved from SS to replace Taylor as a rookie, missed almost all of camp and preseason with a hamstring but can cover a lot of ground and hit like a truck. Doughty, who became a starter after Taylor was lost, needs to rely on his smarts. Springs remains an elite corner at 33 and showed this summer that he can play safety if necessary. Rogers made a remarkable recovery and will start ahead of former starter Smoot, giving the Redskins three strong corners. Torrence is fast but needs to work on his technique. Moore flashed playmaking ability while starting for Landry in preseason. The hard-hitting Horton will be a presence on teams. The short but cocky Tryon likely won the battle for the final spot because he was a draft pick.

SPECIAL TEAMS: K Shaun Suisham, P Durant Brooks, LS Ethan Albright, KR Cartwright, PR Randle El, KR Thomas, Betts, PR Moss.

In his first full NFL season, Suisham gave the Redskins their most accurate kicking since Gibbs' first tenure ended in 1992. The punting battle between inconsistent incumbent Derrick Frost and sixth-rounder Brooks went to the wire, but the big-legged rookie entered as the favorite and is the one with the signing bonus. Albright went to his first Pro Bowl in 2007 while the coverage teams, led by Khary Campbell and Cartwright, remained top-notch. After setting team records in 2006, Cartwright upped his average 1.7 yards in 2007. Randle El has been a bust on punt returns after excelling in that area with Pittsburgh.