Linebacker Matt Sinclair, six-foot-two, 245 pounds. Two-year veteran of NFL Europa, from the University of Illinois. A free agent who’d been cut by Baltimore and Miami, Sinclair made the Redskins practice squad.

Cornerback Carlos Rogers, six feet, 195 pounds. Third year out of Auburn University. To his friends he’s Carlos. But to the kids in the Augusta, Georgia, neighborhood where he grew up, he’s Mr. Rogers. “It’s a respect thing,” he says of his tattoo.

Cornerback Fred Smoot, five-foot-eleven, 190 pounds. Seventh year out of Mississippi State. “I don’t need the tats or gold teeth, no braids or dreads, to show where I’m from,” says Smoot, back with the Redskins after two seasons in Minnesota. “I could be the prettiest guy in the NFL.”

Defensive End Chris Wilson, six-foot-four, 240 pounds. Two-year Canadian Football League veteran from Northwood University’s Michigan campus. Wilson—who wasn’t drafted when he graduated from Northwood—beat long odds to make the roster.

Quarterback Jason Campbell, six-foot-four, 230 pounds. Third year out of Auburn. Campbell’s an ideal size for a quarterback and is feared for his strong arm; an 87-yard pass he threw is still the school record. But it was his intelligence that attracted Gibbs.

Safety LaRon Landry, six feet, 213 pounds. The Redskins’ number-one draft pick in 2007, from Louisiana State University. In college Landry played with such ferocity that it wasn’t hard for the Redskins to picture him as a rookie starter. “He wasn’t just trying to win his matchup; he was trying to hunt you down,” says Redskins defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.

For even more on the Redskins, click here for a photo slideshow.