Commanders release Boogie Basham, DJ Johnson and Nicholas Petit-Frere

Washington's 90-to-53 roster crunch claimed three names Saturday night, and the timing on one of them is downright brutal. Ian Rapoport broke the news that the Commanders are moving on from edge rusher Boogie Basham, and John Keim confirmed it moments later, crediting Ben Standig with the original report.

Ian Rapoport

@RapSheet

The #Commanders are releasing edge Boogie Basham, as their cuts continue.

What makes the Basham move sting is how fast it happened. He'd only signed with Washington on Tuesday after impressing in a tryout, and he logged 36 snaps -- 2 stops, 2 missed tackles -- in Friday's preseason loss to the Ravens before getting cut 4 days later. It's been a rough run since Buffalo took him in the second round back in 2021: he never started a game in 43 career appearances, bounced from the Bills to the Giants to Carolina, and now adds Washington to that list without ever suiting up in the regular season.

Tom Pelissero added the second domino, reporting the Commanders are also waiving offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere.

Tom Pelissero

@TomPelissero

The Commanders are waiving OT Nicholas Petit-Frere, per source.

Petit-Frere, 26, arrived with a real pedigree -- a two-year starter at Ohio State who earned first-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten honors back in 2021 -- but that resume wasn't enough to survive a crowded tackle room in Washington.

The last move hit the linebacker room. Keim reported Washington is also releasing LB DJ Johnson, with Standig again first to the story.

John Keim

@john_keim

Washington is releasing LB DJ Johnson as @BenStandig first reported

None of this is really about any one player being bad -- it's the annual bloodbath every roster goes through before the league's official cutdown deadline, Sunday at 6 p.m. ET, when all 32 teams have to trim from 90 down to 53. Basham, Johnson and Petit-Frere are now eligible to be claimed off waivers or sign elsewhere as practice-squad candidates, and for a fringe player like Basham, four days on and off a roster is just the reality of late August in the NFL.