Can Troy Apke land a spot with Washington

Training camp is a grind, so it’s not surprising when you see missing starters as the days wear on. That means more opportunities for role players, and cornerback Troy Apke has taken full advantage.

Cornerback Kendall Fuller told reporters that the converted safety has turned it on as of late, and head coach Ron Rivera also praised Apke for his improvements on the outside. But if Apke wants to secure his spot on the roster, he must make an impact in the kicking game.

"Special teams will be a big, big factor,” said Rivera. “First of all, he's a core, an ace and guys like that are hard to find. He's got a terrific skillset with his quickness and speed. And as you watch, especially the last two weeks, you've seen the transition start to take root. You see him starting to make plays.”

It hasn’t all been peaches and cream for Apke. It’s been a learning curve for him, but the key is how he bounces back. Rivera noted how important it was to see Apke continue to compete.

"Sometimes if it gets the guy in, it affects the way he plays the rest of the game you gotta be concerned, but he's got to have that cornerback mentality,” said Rivera. “Just move on to the next one. He showed it today. But again, what did he learn? Is he going to take what just happened to him and use it going forward for the next rep? Those are things that we're interested in."

Cornerback Kendall Fuller likes what he's been seeing from Apke. “Yeah, honestly, I think these last couple of practices that we've had he's been showing out a lot, getting his hands on the ball,” said Fuller. “Like I said, production in this league, defensively, production is on the ball. And these last couple of practices, especially, he's been doing a good job of that.”