Yesterday, I tried to forecast how the 25-man offensive roster would pan out for the Week 1 game against the New York Giants. Now it's time to give a guess on the 25-person defensive roster plus the three specialists for the Redskins.

Defensive line (9)
Set: Phillip Daniels, Cornelius Griffin, Andre Carter, Anthony Montgomery, Kedric Golston, Demetric Evans and Lorenzo Alexander.
Competition: A bunch of players for two spots -- Chris Wilson, Erasmus James or Alex Buzbee as an athletic pass rusher? Does Ryan Boschetti continue to be a survivor at tackle due to his work ethic?
Prediction: Injuries could play into how many linemen are kept for Week 1. If Rocky McIntosh and/or Carlos Rogers aren't ready, that's bad news for the D-line. James is a wild card because he's coming off knee surgery. I really like the flash Wilson showed as a third-down pass rusher so he makes the team. James will get a shot on the final roster.

Linebackers (6)
Set: London Fletcher, Marcus Washington, Rocky McIntosh, H.B. Blades and Khary Campbell.
Competition: Matt Sinclair vs. the field or a veteran that is signed during training camp.
Prediction: Blades is safe because he showed he belonged while learning the system last year at MLB. Campbell stays because of his worth on special teams. I'll go with Sinclair for the final spot unless Randall Godfrey is brought back after no other team signs him.

Cornerback (5)
Set: Shawn Springs, Fred Smoot, Carlos Rogers and Leigh Torrence.
Competition: Justin Tryon vs. John Eubanks vs. Cedrick Holt vs. Matteral Richardson vs. Byron Westbrook ... all for one spot.
Prediction: Tryon gets the nod because he's a draft pick. Westbrook is a candidate to return to the practice squad. The sixth corner will be an important decision for Greg Blache and Jerry Gray since it's seems likely Rogers won't be ready for the regular season.

Safety (5)
Set: LaRon Landry, Reed Doughty and Stuart Schweigert.
Competition: Vernon Fox vs. draft picks Chris Horton and Kareem Moore for two and possibly one spot depending on whether Rogers starts the season on the physically unable to perform list, meaning another corner will stay.
Prediction: Fox was limited to special teams last year (after starting games late in 2006) so his spot is up for grabs. But I'll guess he and Horton survive the final cut. Moore missed all of OTAs because of injury.

Special teams (3)
Set: Ethan Albright and Shaun Suisham
Competition:Derrick Frost vs. Durant Brooks. This will be the competition to watch during camp. I didn't think Frost was all that bad last year -- there was never a game where I thought or wrote, "The punter stunk, which helped the Redskins lose." Yet, Brooks was drafted.
Prediction: Long snapper Albright and kicker Suisham are set. If Frost-Brooks is an even-up competition, Frost gets the edge. If the Redskins want to justify the draft pick, Brooks gets the edge. I'll go with Frost.

Where have I screwed up? Is there an under-the-radar guy who will make the team? Email thoughts to rohalloran@washingtontimes.com

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