RICHMOND—The Redskins are keeping injured linebacker Trent Murphy on their 90-man preseason roster until the team cuts to 53.

They decided not to expose Murphy, their second-round pick in the 2014 draft, to waivers before putting him on injured reserve. By putting him directly on IR they have to count him against the 90-man offseason limit.

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Had they put Murphy on waivers, another team could have claimed him. However, the chances that anyone would do so were slim. Murphy is out for the year and will be a free agent in 2018. Had another team claimed him, all they would have gained is the obligation to pay his salary and pay for his injury rehab. That would not have been a very smart move.

However, according to a team source, the Redskins decided not to risk that slim chance for two reasons. They wanted to maintain the exclusive negotiating rights they will have with him from now until the league year begins in March. In addition, if they keep Murphy on injured reserve and he signs with another team next year he would be counted into the formula for compensatory draft picks. Washington could get a late-round pick if Murphy signs elsewhere.

The organization figured that holding out one of the 90 roster spots was a small price to pay for the possibility of getting a pick.

Stay up to date on the Redskins. Rich Tandler covers the team 365 days a year. Like his Facebook page Facebook.com/TandlerCSN and follow him on Twitter @Rich_TandlerCSN.