The Redskins have signed four players to the team's offseason roster, including two who were with the team for parts of last season.
Offensive lineman Ben Nowland, offensive lineman-tight end Dan Goodspeed, defensive back Roosevelt Williams and linebacker Joe Tuipala were officially added to the roster this week.
Tuipala is a three-year NFL vet who has had stints with the Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars. He was a special teams standout for Jacksonville in 2001-02, leading the team in tackles both seasons. He also saw limited duty at linebacker for the Jaguars, recording 17 career tackles (8 solo). Tuipala hails from Honolulu, Hawaii and played collegiate football at San Diego State.
It is expected that the Redskins will assign Tuipala to NFL Europe this spring.
Williams is a 2-year NFL vet who has previously played for the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He was originally a third-round selection by the Bears in the 2002 NFL Draft and as a rookie started two games at cornerback, playing in 11 overall and recording seven tackles. Williams moved on to Cleveland the following season and started three games at cornerback, playing in 14 overall and logging 13 tackles. He attended college at Tuskegee Institute.
Goodspeed was briefly on the Redskins' 53-man roster in December, but did not play in a game. The 6-6, 300-pounder is a two-year NFL veteran who spent 2004 training camp with the Miami Dolphins but was released prior to the start of the regular season. During his career, Goodspeed also spent time with Tampa Bay and the New York Jets after being signed as an undrafted free agent out of Kent State by the San Francisco 49ers in 2000.
Nowland, who spent most of last season on the Redskins' practice squad, recently completed his second year in the NFL. He has mostly played center in his football career, including starting 33 consecutive games at Auburn.
Nowland is expected to be allocated to NFL Europe this spring. Last year, he was assigned by the Redskins to play for the NFL Europe's Frankfurt Galaxy. He helped lead Frankfurt to an appearance in the World Bowl.
