BY ZAC BOYER

The Redskins announced Friday they have signed cornerback David Amerson, whom they took out of N.C. State with the 51st pick – their first of the draft – back in April.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Amerson intercepted 13 passes as a junior at N.C. State in 2011, one shy of the Football Bowl Subdivision record, but had just five last season with 61 tackles.

Terms of Amerson’s contract was not disclosed, though the wage scale instituted in the collective bargaining agreement in 2011 hints that he earned a four-year contract worth a total value of roughly $3.8 million and an approximate $1.1 million signing bonus.

Washington signed safety Phillip Thomas, its fourth-round draft pick, earlier in the day, leaving third-round tight end Jordan Reed as the only player who has yet to sign a contract.

BY ZAC BOYER

Phillip Thomas, the Redskins’ fourth-round draft pick, has signed his rookie contract, the team announced Friday morning.

A 6-foot, 210-pound safety from Fresno State, Thomas was taken with the 119th overall pick last month.

He led the Football Bowl Subdivision with eight interceptions last season and was named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year.

Only N.C. State cornerback David Amerson and Florida tight end Jordan Reed, the team’s first two selections, remain unsigned.

BY ZAC BOYER

The Redskins announced Thursday they have signed running back Jawan Jamison to his rookie contract.

The 5-foot-8, 203-pound Jamison was taken by the Redskins with the 228th overall pick last month. He left Rutgers after his redshirt sophomore season, when he ran for 1,075 yards and four touchdowns.

Mike Shanahan said when the Redskins drafted Jamison that they were not specifically looking to add another running back after drafting Chris Thompson out of Florida State in the fifth round, but that they had a higher draft grade on him than the seventh round.

The only three drafted players who the Redskins have left to sign are cornerback David Amerson, tight end Jordan Reed and safety Phillip Thomas<

BY ZAC BOYER

The Redskins have signed running back Chris Thompson, whom they took out of Florida State with the 154th pick, the 21st of the fifth round, in the NFL draft last month.

The 5-foot-7, 192-pound Thompson may be an asset for the Redskins as a change-of-pace back in their pistol-based option offense. He ran for 1,735 yards and 14 touchdowns in 38 games with the Seminoles, though he broke two vertebrae during his junior season and tore the ACL in his left knee during his senior season.

Thompson said at the Redskins’ rookie minicamp earlier this month that he has been told he will be able to play when training camp opens in late July.

“It’s meant a lot that the organization believed in me being injured when they could have easily picked me up as a free agent,” Thompson said. “For me, that just pushes me even more, and to get back on the field healthy and doing the best that I can.”

Thompson became the third drafted rookie to sign a contract after safety Bacarri Rambo and outside linebacker Brandon Jenkins did so on Monday.

BY ZAC BOYER

The Redskins have signed Lance Lewis, who was with the team through the offseason and part of training camp last year before being released because of an injury.

Lewis, a 6-foot-2, 207-pound receiver out of East Carolina, was not taken in the NFL draft last year and subsequently signed with the Redskins. He sustained a groin injury a week into training camp and was among the first players cut by the team, but returned earlier this month for a tryout during rookie minicamp.

Washington waived Jason Thompson, an undrafted receiver out of New Haven, on Monday and he cleared waivers Tuesday.

BY ZAC BOYER

The Redskins announced they have signed linebacker Brandon Jenkins and safety Bacarri Rambo – the first two players they drafted last month to sign a contract.

Jenkins, a 6-foot-5, 251-pound defensive end at Florida State, was the second of two players taken in the fifth round by the Redskins. He’ll convert to outside linebacker in Washington’s 3-4 scheme.

The 6-foot, 215-pound Rambo was taken in the sixth round by the Redskins and has a chance to start either free safety or strong safety. Rambo played both positions at Georgia and spent time at both during the team’s rookie minicamp the first weekend of May.

The 162nd overall pick, Jenkins will count for roughly $450,000 against the salary cap and will earn a signing bonus of approximately $169,000, per the rookie wage scale. Rambo, the 191st pick, will have a salary cap hit of around $430,500 and a $102,000 signing bonus.

Jason Thompson, an undrafted receiver out of New Haven, was also released by the Redskins in a concurrent move.

BY ZAC BOYER

Dan Snyder said he would not even entertain the thought of changing the Washington Redskins’ nickname as long as he remains the owner of the team.

“We’ll never change the name,” Snyder told USA Today for a story the newspaper is preparing on the history behind the name. “It’s that simple. Never – you can use caps.”

The topic has resurfaced in recent months because of a legal challenge to the trademark on the name, which is considered offensive to Native Americans. An Associated Press-GfK poll, conducted last month, said 79 percent of Americans think the team should keep the name while 11 percent think it should be changed.

BY ZAC BOYER

The Redskins announced Tuesday they have signed former Titans center Kevin Matthews and released center Kyle Wilborn.

The 6-foot-3, 302-pound Matthews has played in 17 games over three seasons with Tennessee before the team decided not to bring retain him as a restricted free agent. He went undrafted out of USC after the 2010 season and spent much of his first year on the practice squad.

He is the son of Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews, now the Titans’ offensive line coach, and the cousin of Packers linebacker Clay Matthews and Eagles linebacker Casey Matthews.

Wilborn, an undrafted free agent out of Troy, was signed by the Redskins last week.

Terms of Matthews’ contract were not immediately available.

BY ZAC BOYER

STERLING – Brian Orakpo said Monday that he has fully recovered from the pectoral tear that cost him much of last season, and as he enters the final year of his rookie contract, said he would like to be “a Redskin for life.”

Orakpo spoke before the start of his annual golf fundraiser, the Brian Orakpo Leukemia Golf Classic, which benefits The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and was held at Trump National Golf Course.

“It means a lot,” Orakpo said. “I’m very privileged to be a part of this foundation. The LLS has done a lot, raised a lot of money for this particular blood cancer, and it especially means a lot this year because we had one of our sponsors, one of the kids that we sponsor [Brendan Kelly], pass away last Tuesday.”

Roughly 35 players showed up to play in the event, which has been sponsored by a player from the team for much of the past decade. Orakpo would like to continue hosting it, but that would require he remain with the team. His five-year rookie contract is set to expire after this season, though he has not yet had talks with team management about a new contract.

The outside linebacker had more than 50 tackles during his first three seasons and has 29.5 sacks in his career. He played in only two games last season after tearing his left pectoral in a Week 2 loss to St. Louis, but has been cleared to participate in the team’s voluntary offseason workouts.

“Obviously when I talked to [team owner Dan] Snyder, he said that’s his goal. [Head coach Mike] Shanahan said that’s his goal. I mean, as long as both sides take care of business, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Orakpo also tore the pectoral in the final game of the season in 2011, though each tear occurred in a different place on the muscle.

“It feels differently because I’m not having any aches, I’m not having any pains,” Orakpo said. “I’m not having any sort of discomfort once you’re post-injury or post-surgery, you know?

“A lot of times when you come back from injury you can have some setbacks. You can have some discomfort, but you try to play through it. This time around, it’s reallt been beneficial for me as far as not really feeling any pain, and it’s great so far.”

BY ZAC BOYER

ASHBURN – Xavier Nixon was bothered that he was not chosen in the NFL draft last weekend, but on Sunday, the final day of the Redskins’ rookie minicamp, the offensive tackle from Florida chose not to show it.

“I mean, all that to this point is really irrelevant,” Nixon said. “All I can do is worry about the future and where my work ethic will take me. This is a new beginning for me, so I have to start fresh.”

Pegged by some analysts as a potential mid-round pick, the 6-foot-6, 321-pound Nixon instead waited through three days to find out he wasn’t selected.

The Redskins called him after they made their seventh-round selection, Rutgers running back Jawan Jamison, and told him that if nobody else chose him, they’d like to have him sign a contract as an undrafted free agent.

Nixon was receptive to the idea, and he signed a contract within the next few days. When he reported to rookie minicamp on Friday, all he could focus on was getting an opportunity.

“Regardless if I would have went first pick or not picked at all, the situation I’m in, I’ve got to stay hungry,” Nixon said. “I’m going to stay true to myself. I know where I came from and I know the people and I know what I’m working for. I’m always gonna stay hungry.”

A high school all-American, Nixon was the first true freshman to start at left tackle for Florida since 1992 when he did so five years ago. He moved to right tackle his sophomore year, moved back to the left side as a junior and ended his career with 46 games played and 33 starts.

Somewhat familiar with zone blocking from his time in college, Nixon said he adapted quickly to what he was asked to do for the Redskins this past weekend. He said the coaches praised his athleticism, his footwork, his speed and his agility, which gives him the confidence that he can succeed with the team.

“Everything happens for a reason, and I’m glad I ended up in a place where I fit the system and I have the ability to work hard and get better,” Nixon said.