The Washington Commanders waived 25-year-old defensive tackle Ricky Barber on Thursday, opening a 53-man roster spot they immediately filled by promoting cornerback Isaac Yiadom from the practice squad, via the NFL transaction wire.
The move comes days after Washington’s 2026 season opener, a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in which Barber did not play.
The Commanders face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2 and have been looking to shore up a secondary that drew criticism after the Eagles game.
Barber, listed at 6-foot-3 and 295 pounds, signed with Washington as an undrafted free agent after the 2025 NFL Draft.
He spent most of his rookie year on the practice squad, then was elevated late in the season. In two appearances he recorded five tackles and a sack, including a notable debut against Dallas in Week 17 of 2025. He later signed a reserve/futures contract in January 2026.
Before the NFL, Barber played at Doss High School in Louisville, Kentucky, then at Western Kentucky and UCF. At UCF he earned All-AAC recognition and built a reputation as a quick interior rusher.
That skill showed in limited NFL snaps, but Washington’s defensive line is deeper than its cornerback group, and the team chose veteran experience at the latter position.
Yiadom, who spent last season with the New Orleans Saints, posted 26 tackles in 14 games before landing on Washington’s practice squad after late-August cuts.
Promoting him gives the Commanders another body who has started NFL games and can contribute immediately in the secondary.
For Barber, the next step is the waiver wire. A team needing interior line depth could claim him; if he clears, Washington could re-sign him to the practice squad.
At 25, with a sack already on his résumé and little guaranteed money attached to his deal, he remains a developmental option rather than a finished product.
Roster churn this early in the season is routine. The Commanders are 0-1 and heading into a division game in Dallas.
Trading a young tackle who was not in the Week 1 rotation for a corner with recent regular-season snaps is a straightforward numbers play: help the unit that is leaking, keep the unit that is stocked.
Whether Barber lands elsewhere or returns to Ashburn on the practice squad, Thursday’s transaction is less a referendum on his talent than a snapshot of how Washington is trying to patch Week 1 problems before they become a Week 2 trend.
