Commanders sign safety Kendell Brooks and linebacker Chapelle Russell
A little roster shuffle for the Commanders Tuesday ahead of Sunday’s preseason finale: the team has signed safety Kendell Brooks and linebacker Chapelle Russell, and cut safety Ben Nikkel and linebacker Keandre Jones to make roster room.
Brooks was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cardinals in 2023 out of Michigan State but released at the end of camp, and did not play. He spent time on a reserve/futures contract with the Colts this past offseason, but was waived last week.
Russell was a seventh-round pick of the Bucs in 2020 and has appeared in 27 games with the 2020 Bucs and 2021 Jaguars, making 18 total tackles and seeing most of his action on special teams. He spent 2022 on the Steelers’ practice squad and 2023 on injured reserve after suffering a knee injury in preseason.
As corresponding moves, the Commanders cut linebacker Keandre Jones and safety Ben Nikkel.
Nikkel, a former walk-on at Iowa State, was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent this summer.
Jones, a Good Counsel grad who spent his final college season at Maryland, entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and spent three seasons with the Bengals, mostly on the practice squad, but he played in eight games and saw all but a handful of snaps on special teams. He was waived at the end of camp last summer and was out of the NFL before signing with Washington this past winter.
