The Redskins cut rookie free agent defensive end Dorian Smith on July 14.

--DE Erasmus James was placed on the active-physically unable to perform list to open training camp. James continues to rehab his twice-repaired left knee.

When the Vikings traded for NFL sacks leader Jared Allen in April, James, whom Minnesota had chosen 18th overall in the 2005 draft, became an afterthought. He was traded to Washington on May 30 for a conditional seventh-round pick.

"I had a decent first year," said the 25-year-old James who had four sacks as a rookie. "I haven't really been able to get in a rhythm at all (since)."

DRAFT CHOICES SIGNED

--WR Devin Thomas (2/34): $4.83M/4yrs.

--TE Fred Davis (2/48): 4yrs, $1.655M signing bonus.

--WR Malcolm Kelly (2/51): $3.375M/4 yrs, $1.655M SB; 2008 cap: $708,750.

--T/G Chad Rinehart (3/96): $2.331M/4 yrs, $611,350 SB; 2008 cap: $447,838.

--CB Justin Tryon (4/124): $1.584M/3 yrs, $429,000 SB; 2008 cap: $428,000.

--P Durant Brooks (6/168): $1.836M/4 yrs, $116,450 SB; 2008 cap: $324,113.

--S Kareem Moore (6/180): Terms unknown.

--QB Colt Brennan (6/186): 4 yrs, terms unknown.

--DE Rob Jackson (7/242): Terms unknown.

--S Chris Horton (7/249): $1.191M/3 yrs, $36,000 SB; 2008 cap: $307,000.

DRAFT CHOICES UNSIGNED

None.

UNIT-BY-UNIT ANALYSIS

QUARTERBACKS: Starter -- Jason Campbell. Backups -- Todd Collins, Colt Brennan, Derek Devine.

The strong-armed Campbell has shown flashes of greatness in his 20 starts but has yet to develop consistency. Not naturally vocal, Campbell is still also developing as a leader. Still, Campbell is well ahead of where Matt Hasselbeck was when Zorn began working with Seattle's star quarterback in 2001. After hardly playing for a decade, Collins stepped in when Campbell dislocated a knee and was the NFC Offensive Player of The Month in December in leading Washington to a 4-0 record. Sixth-rounder Brennan, who put up huge numbers at Hawaii, could beat out Devine, in Seattle's 2007 camp, for the No. 3 job if he's fully recovered from hip surgery.

RUNNING BACKS: Starters -- RB Clinton Portis, FB Mike Sellers. Backups -- Ladell Betts, Rock Cartwright, Marcus Mason, Nehemiah Broughton, Eric Shelton.

The shifty Portis, a three-time 1,500-yard runner, rebounded from an injury-shortened 2006 and from missing the 2007 preseason with a sprained knee to finish third in the NFC in rushing and catch a career-high 47 passes. However, Portis, who'll be 27 in September, also slipped to a career-low 3.9 yards per carry with all that work. So Zorn would be smart to give Betts, a revelation after Portis was hurt midway through 2006 but an afterthought in 2007, more work in 2008. Sellers is athletic despite his 278 pounds and can be effective in short yardage. The vertically challenged Cartwright is a special team demon. Everyone else can only hope to make the practice squad.

TIGHT ENDS: Starter -- Chris Cooley. Backups -- Todd Yoder, Fred Davis, Tyler Ecker, Jason Goode.

Cooley, who turned 26 this month, led the Redskins with 66 catches, eight for touchdowns while being chosen for his first Pro Bowl last season. Davis was the nation's top tight end as a senior at Southern California but the West Coast offense isn't usually tight end-centric, so it's hard to understand why the Redskins used a second-round pick on him instead of on a defensive lineman or a linebacker. Yoder is a reliable blocking tight end. Ecker, a seventh-rounder in 2007, is always hurt so he could be cut leaving a practice squad job for Goode or Schmitt.

WIDE RECEIVERS: Starters -- Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle El. Backups -- James Thrash, Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly, Anthony Mix, Billy McMullen, Maurice Mann, Burl Toler, Horace Gant.

The speedy Moss, a Pro Bowl pick during his record-setting Redskins debut in 2005, has been nagged by muscle pulls since. The jitterbug-like Randle El set career highs in catches and yards last season but only scored one touchdown and had a knee scoped in June. Since Moss and Randle El are both just 5-foot-10, the 6-2 Thomas, who had a monster 2007 season at Michigan State, and fellow second-rounder Kelly (6-4) or even holdover Mix (6-5) or McMullen (6-4) can be the big receivers that the Redskins have lacked for years in the red zone. Veteran Thrash remains in the mix because of his reliable hands, good routes and fine special teams play.

OFFENSIVE LINE: Starters -- LT Chris Samuels, LG Pete Kendall, C Casey Rabach, RG Randy Thomas, RT Jon Jansen. Backups -- T Stephon Heyer, G Jason Fabini, T Todd Wade, G Chad Rinehart, C Justin Geisinger, G Andrew Crummey, OL Kerry Brown, OL Devin Clark, OL Tavares Washington.

Samuels missed the 2006 preseason with a sprained knee but rebounded to make his fifth Pro Bowl in eight years. He had elbow surgery in June but is expected to be fine for camp. Kendall filled the left guard void after being acquired from the Jets last August but will be 35 in September and has bad knees. Rabach remains the line's glue. Thomas, coming off a torn triceps, and Jansen, coming off a broken leg, hardly played in 2007 but are on course to return to the lineup this summer. Veterans Fabini and Wade, who started most of 2007 in place of Thomas and Jansen, respectively, 2007 rookie free agent surprise Heyer and third-rounder Rinehart provide depth. Jansen could play center in a pinch.

DEFENSIVE LINE: Starters -- LE Jason Taylor, LT Cornelius Griffin, RT Anthony Montgomery, RE Andre Carter. Backups -- DT Kedric Golston, DE Demetric Evans, DE Erasmus James, DT Lorenzo Alexander, DE Chris Wilson, DT Ryan Boschetti, DT Matthias Askew, DE Alex Buzbee, DE Rob Jackson, DE Kevin Huntley.

The quick-footed Carter isn't strong against the run but his 10.5 sacks were the most by a Redskins lineman since 2000. The massive Montgomery wrested the right tackle job from fellow 2006 draft pick Golston but was merely functional in 2007. Griffin played every game for the first time in seven years but wasn't the force he was during his Redskins debut in 2004. Neither is Taylor, who will be asked to man the left side after primarily attacking from the right side in Miami. At 255 pounds, he is a far superior pass rusher to injured Phillip Daniels, but the Redskins will suffer a drop-off in run defense. Evans is a reliable reserve. The swift Wilson had four sacks in limited duty in his NFL debut last year. Seventh-rounder Jackson will battle to win a job.

LINEBACKERS: Starters -- SLB Marcus Washington, MLB London Fletcher, WLB Rocky McIntosh. Backups -- Khary Campbell, H.B. Blades, Matt Sinclair, Danny Verdun-Wheeler, Curtis Gatewood, Rian Wallace.

The athletic Washington was the Redskins' best defensive player until his body began to betray him in December 2006. Injuries plagued him again throughout 2007 but he was healthy this offseason. His return to form would be a boon for new coordinator Greg Blache. Fletcher is just 5-10 and has turned 33, but he was an instant leader on and off the field in his first season in Washington. If McIntosh shows no ill effects from the knee injury that ended his season in December, the Redskins will be fine here despite the lack of proven backups other than special-teamer Campbell. They should have drafted a linebacker or signed a reliable reserve in early free agency.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: Starters -- LCB Shawn Springs, RCB Fred Smoot, SS Reed Doughty, FS LaRon Landry. Backups -- CB Carlos Rogers, FS Stuart Schweigert, CB Leigh Torrence, S Vernon Fox, CB J.T Tyron, S Kareem Moore, S Chris Horton, CB Byron Westbrook, CB Cedrick Holt, CB Matteral Richardson.

The Redskins lost Pro Bowl safety Sean Taylor to a knee injury in November and then to a tragic shooting death two weeks later. Veteran Smoot will fill in until the inconsistent Rogers returns from major knee surgery, perhaps in October. Springs rebounded from an injury-riddled 2006 to prove he was still an elite corner at 32. The fast and hard-hitting Landry, the sixth choice in the 2007 draft, had a fine rookie year and will carry a bigger load in Taylor's absence. The overachieving Doughty, a sixth-rounder in 2006, was solid in December, but he'll have to fight off former Oakland starter Schweigert to remain in the lineup since Landry can play both safety spots. Undersized fourth-rounder Tyron has the confidence to push Torrence for the third corner job until Rogers returns. Rookies Moore and Horton will try to push special-teamer Fox off the roster.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Starters -- K Shaun Suisham, P Derrick Frost, LS Ethan Albright, KR Rock Cartwright, PR Antwaan Randle El, P Durant Brooks, KR Ladell Betts, PR Santana Moss.

In his first full NFL season, Suisham gave the Redskins their most accurate kicking since Gibbs' first tenure ended in 1992 and won't be challenged this summer. That's not the case for Frost, who followed a career year in 2006 with a hot start before tailing off dramatically. The Redskins drafted a punter, fifth-rounder Brooks, for the first time in 15 years and the rookie's big leg could win him the job. Albright went to his first Pro Bowl at 36. The coverage teams, led by Khary Campbell and Cartwright, remained top-notch. After setting team records in 2006, Cartwright upped his average 1.7 yards in 2007. Randle El has been a bust on punt returns after excelling in that area with Pittsburgh.

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