List of Washington Commanders players

Joe Theismann, quarterback for the Redskins between 1974 and 1985, led the Redskins to a win in Super Bowl XVII and an appearance in Super Bowl XVIII.[1]

This is a list of American football players who have played for the Washington Commanders, as well as its predecessors, the Boston Braves (1932) Boston Redskins (1933–1936), Washington Redskins (1937–2019), and Washington Football Team (2020–2021) in the National Football League (NFL). It includes players that have played at least five games in the NFL regular season.[a] The Washington Redskins franchise was founded in Boston, Massachusetts as the Boston Braves, named after the local baseball franchise.[2] The name was changed the next year to the Redskins. In 1937, the franchise moved to Washington, D.C.[3]

The Redskins played over 1,000 games. In those games, the club won five professional American football championships including two NFL Championships and three Super Bowls.[4] The franchise captured ten NFL divisional titles and six NFL conference championships.[5]

Overall, the Redskins had a total of 23 players and coaches (17 primary, six minor)[b] inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[6] Many Redskins players have also had successful college football careers, including six who were Heisman Trophy winners: Gary Beban, Desmond Howard, Vic Janowicz, George Rogers, Danny Wuerffel, and Robert Griffin III.[7] In addition, the Heisman Trophy sculpture was modeled after Ed Smith in 1934, who became a Redskins player in 1936.[8]

Several former players became head coach of the Redskins, including Turk Edwards, Dick Todd, and Jack Pardee.[9] In addition, former players have become assistant coaches, such as Earnest Byner, Russ Grimm, Greg Manusky, and Keenan McCardell. Other players have also become successful in non-sport activities, like acting (Terry Crews and Jamal Duff) and politics (Tom Osborne and Heath Shuler).[10]

Players on the Commanders have also been related from time to time. In 1957, Redskins end Joe Walton became the first son of an NFL player to play in the league. His father, Frank Walton also played on the Redskins. Joe Krakoski and his son, also named Joe Krakoski, also both played for the Redskins.[11] In addition, four sets of brothers have played with each other while on the Redskins: Chris and Nic Clemons, Cecil and Ray Hare, Ed and Robert Khayat, and Dan and Matt Turk.[12]

  1. ^ "Joe Theismann's Career Statistics". NFL.com. Retrieved March 25, 2008.
  2. ^ "Redskins' History: History by Decades". Washington Redskins. Archived from the original on September 20, 2008. Retrieved December 13, 2009.
  3. ^ "Washington Redskins (1937-present)". Sportsecyclopedia. Retrieved January 11, 2008.
  4. ^ "Washington Redskins Championship History". NFLTeamHistory.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2008. Retrieved January 11, 2008.
  5. ^ "Washington Redskins History". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 13, 2009.
  6. ^ "Breakdown of Hall of Famers by Team". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved January 13, 2008.
  7. ^ "Heisman Winners". Heisman Trophy. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2009.
  8. ^ John D. Lukacs (December 7, 2007). "From the legendary to the little-known, Heisman history is never dull". ESPN. Retrieved April 2, 2008.
  9. ^ "Washington Redskins History". CBS Sports fl/teams/history/WAS. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  10. ^ "Shuler, Swann Try to Be Next Football Stars Turned Politicians". Fox News. April 30, 2006. Retrieved April 4, 2008.
  11. ^ "The NFL's 158 father-son combos". Cold Hard Football Facts. Retrieved February 8, 2009.
  12. ^ "Brothers who Played Pro Football" (PDF). Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 8, 2009.