Byron Pringle remained with the Commanders by taking a deal in July, but he is not in the fold for at least the time being. The veteran receiver was released on Friday, per a team announcement.
Pringle spent the 2023 campaign in Washington under offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy after the pair worked together in Kansas City. The 30-year-old was available for the full season, but he only started one contest and logged an offensive snap share of just 17%. That was balanced out by a notable special teams workload.
Not long after training camp started, Pringle inked a one-year deal worth the veteran minimum to remain with the Commanders. He survived roster cuts, but vested veterans have their base salaries ($1.13MM in this case) become fully guaranteed just before Week 1. For that reason, teams sometime elect to briefly cut such players immediately before the start of the season. It will be interesting to see if Pringle – whose deal does not include any money in the form of a signing bonus – is brought back in short order.
Washington moved on from 2022 first-round pick Jahan Dotson by trading him to the Eagles. That move was one of many which saw players added before the current Josh Harris/Adam Peters/Dan Quinn regime took over find new teams this offseason, and it came after a reported clash with Bieniemy which took place last year. Dotson was set operate as a complementary receiving option in 2024, but his absence has created a vacancy for that role.
Martavis Bryant‘s comeback efforts produced a Commanders contract, but he was let go ahead of the roster cutdown deadline. With Pringle out of the picture (for now, at a minimum), Washington’s receiver room is led by returnees Terry McLaurin, Dyami Brown and Jamison Crowder, free agent addition Olamide Zaccheaus, third-round rookie Luke McCaffrey and recent pickup Noah Brown. The Commanders will save $985K in cap space via the Pringle release.