ASHBURN, Va. -- You probably won't need a program to keep track of the Washington Redskins this year.
With the deadline for cutting down to the 47-man roster set for Monday, it appears that the 1992 Redskins roster will resemble 1991's.
That's not surprising since the Redskins are a veteran-dominated Super Bowl championship team that has lost only three of last year's players -- linebacker Matt Millen, who retired; quarterback Stan Humphries, who was traded; and running back Gerald Riggs, who was waived.
That has opened spots for at least three newcomers, but that's about all who will make this year's active roster even though the Redskins drafted 11 players and signed four Plan B players.
Desmond Howard, of course, was their big investment with a $2.8 million signing bonus. He will make the club even though he missed training camp in a holdout. He's supposed to be one of their stars of the future.
Coach Joe Gibbs said yesterday that he is "leaning" toward letting Howard make his debut tomorrow night against the Minnesota Vikings even though he has had just three days of practice and has gotten a crash course in the Redskins' system.
The other 10 draft picks cost them $885,500 in signing bonuses, and they invested $463,000 in signing bonuses in their four Plan B players.
Of those 14 players, the only one who definitely will make the active roster is second-round draft pick Shane Collins, a defensive lineman.
Only one other draft choice, offensive lineman Matt Elliott, the final player selected in this year's draft, has a shot to make it.
But it's still early to judge this year's draft. Chris Hakel, the quarterback drafted on the fourth round, will go on the injured reserve list as part of the Redskins' quarterback development program. It'll take another year or so to determine if he has potential.
Two offensive linemen, Paul Siever, picked in the third round, and Darryl Moore, selected in the eighth round, were injured at the start of camp and placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list.
Two other players, tight end Ray Rowe, who was drafted on the sixth round, and cornerback Calvin Holmes, who was drafted on the seventh round and has been waived, showed enough potential that they'll be offered spots on the practice squad.
That means that only three of the 11 draft picks -- linebacker
Boone Powell, who's been waived, linebacker Tony Barker and wide receiver Terry Smith, who are still on the roster -- appear to have no future with the team.
