The Washington Commanders will build a statue to honor their late former safety, Sean Taylor, two years after unveiling a memorial installation that was criticized by their fans — and has already been permanently removed.

Taylor, whose No. 21 was retired in 2022, becomes the organization’s first former player to be memorialized with a statue. Taylor’s daughter, Jackie, will be involved in helping design the statue. She was 18 months old when he was murdered in November 2007.

“I’m just thankful for the whole process,” said Taylor, a freshman volleyball player at North Carolina who wears her father’s former number. “I think the fans will really enjoy what they’re going to see and getting the second opportunity, you don’t really get many second opportunities. The fact that we’re able to get a second opportunity is nice … There’s a lot of excitement.”

Taylor made it clear that her family was appreciative of the previous memorial installation, which was displayed inside the stadium.

“Any opportunity we get to honor my dad, we’re going to take it positively,” she said in a video conference call.

But many fans felt different, pointing out that the initial installation failed to include the proper jersey (Reebok instead of Nike) and that they didn’t apply pieces of tape all over his facemask — as Taylor did while playing. The organization soon altered the installation to include these changes, as well as using the proper style of socks and cleats.

The Commanders informed the Taylor family that the installation has been removed. Washington hosts New England in the final preseason game Sunday night.

“After careful consideration, we have decided as an organization to remove the Sean Taylor installation from Commanders Field,” a team spokesperson said in a statement. “We realize that the installation fell short in honoring one of our franchise’s most iconic players. Together with the Taylor family, we are working on a plan, which includes unveiling a statue that will rightfully celebrate the legacy and impact that Sean had on our organization, fanbase and community. The Washington Commanders are committed to honoring our legends in a first-class manner.”

There is no set date to unveil the statue; the team will soon meet with the sculptor, according to a team source. The source also said they plan to “honor our legends” in future years, including whenever they move to a new stadium. The team has not yet settled on a new site but have targeted 2030 as to when they’d like to open their next stadium.

Taylor also said in a statement that she was “filled with gratitude that my dad will forever be a part of the burgundy and golf family.”

Washington will retire Hall of Famer Darrell Green’s No. 28 at halftime of a Week 7 game vs. Carolina. The organization also has retired the jersey numbers of Sammy Baugh (33), Bobby Mitchell (49) and Sonny Jurgensen (9).

A group led by Josh Harris bought the team from Dan Snyder in July 2023; Snyder had been close with the Taylor family.

Taylor played for Washington from 2004 to 2007, becoming one of the organization’s most popular players for a new generation.

Numerous NFL safeties have worn his No. 21 since his death — including former Washington safety Landon Collins while he was with the New York Giants — often citing his style of play as the reason.

At 6-foot-2, 230 pounds Taylor was an intimidating presence in the middle of the field. He was considered a hard-hitting safety capable of big plays. He intercepted five passes in nine games of the 2007 season.

The Washington Commanders final preseason game is on Sunday night against the New England Patriots. Cut-down day is two days later.

This has been a fun training camp to monitor as there has been plenty of competition and new faces for this staff to evaluate. The areas I have been watching most this preseason have been wide receiver, offensive line, cornerback and safety.

As the offseason comes to an end, and the start of the regular season approaches, there still remains a few spots that are up for grabs. I have to imagine that Adam Peters and Dan Quinn have a pretty good idea of what the beef of this 53-man roster is going to look like, but questions still remain – who will claim WR6 (if they do indeed opt to keep six), whether they keep nine or ten offensive linemen, if three tight ends will be adequate, who will get the final two cornerback spots and will they opt for five or six safeties.

Below is my 53-man roster prediction. I do believe we’ll see more movement after teams cut down their rosters, so I expect this to remain pretty fluid until the end of next week.

Offense: 24

Quarterback:

Jayden Daniels

Marcus Mariota

Running Back:

Brian Robinson

Austin Ekeler

Michael Wiley

Wide Receiver:

Terry Mclaurin

Dyami Brown

Olamide Zaccheaus

Luke McCaffrey

Jamison Crowder

Brycen Tremayne

Tight End:

Zach Ertz

John Bates

Ben Sinnott

Offensive Line:

Brandon Coleman (LT)

Nick Allegretti (LG)

Tyler Biadasz (C)

Sam Cosmi (RG)

Andrew Wylie (RT)

Cornelius Lucas (T)

Chris Paul (T/G)

Braeden Daniels (T/G)

Ricky Stromberg (G/C)

Michael Deiter (G/G)

Defense: 26

Defensive Tackle:

Jonathan Allen

Daron Payne

Jer’Zhan Newton

John Ridgeway

Phidarian Mathis

EDGE:

Dorance Armstrong

Clelin Ferrell

Dante Fowler Jr

K.J. Henry

Jamin Davis

Linebacker:

Bobby Wagner

Frankie Luvu

Jordan Magee

Anthony Pittman

Dominique Hampton

Cornerback:

Emmanuel Forbes

Benjamine St-Juste

Michael Davis

Mike Sainristil

Noah Igbinoghene

Tariq Castro-Fields

Safety:

Quan Martin

Jeremy Chinn

Darrick Forrest

Percy Butler

Tyler Owens

Special Teams:

Cade York (K)

Tress Way (P)

Tyler Ott (LS)

Possible Practice Squad Candidates:

Sam Hartman

Cole Turner

Chris Rodriguez

Austin Jones

Kaz Allen

Mitchell Tinsley

Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint

Armani Taylor-Prioleau

David Nwaogwugwu

Norell Pollard

Javontae Jean-Baptiste

Andre Jones Jr.

Chigozie Anusiem

Kyu Blu-Kelly

As Denzel Washington continues to flirt with onscreen retirement, an old friend recently got him to serve at least one more performance.

The Academy Award winner said he was “tremendously inspired” by director Ridley Scott‘s upcoming sequel Gladiator II, which premieres Nov. 22 in theaters, while hinting that he’s nearing the end of his acting career.

“There are very few films left for me to make that I’m interested in, and I have to be inspired by the filmmaker, and I was tremendously inspired by Ridley,” he told Empire after last working with Scott on 2007’s American Gangster.

“We had a great go-round the first go-round and here we are. He’s engaged. He’s excited about life and his next film. He’s an inspiration,” added Washington. “We should all want to feel like that at 86.”

Scott said the long-awaited sequel to his Oscar-winning 2000 movie is “the best thing I’ve ever made,” before clarifying, “One of the best things. I’ve made a few good ‘uns… it’s full-bore, brutal action.”

In Gladiator II, Paul Mescal stars as Lucius, who enters the Coliseum years after witnessing Maximus (played in the original by Russell Crowe) die at the hands of his uncle, Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix).

After making his onscreen debut more than 40 years ago, Washington has added directing and producing to his resumé with such titles as Antwone Fisher (2002), The Great Debaters (2007), Fences (2016) and A Journal for Jordan (2021).

Washington previously hinted at his retirement from acting as he appeared at the American Black Film Festival in Miami Beach, Florida in June.

“The things that are going on for me professionally behind the camera are as important to me now as in front of the camera,” said Washington. “I think there’s less and less time I’ll be spending in front of the camera.”