Oft-injured receiver Malcolm Kelly’s tenure with the Washington Redskins reached its expected conclusion Tuesday when the club waived him at the league deadline for reducing its roster to 80 players.
Kelly, a second-round (51st overall) draft pick in 2008, had not practiced with the team since Aug. 4. His right foot was sore, but two rounds of X-rays and MRIs did not show significant structural damage.
It was the latest in a string of injuries that limited him to 21 of 48 possible games since he was drafted.
“That’s a situation where you train and train and do as much as you can and then you just come out and - I don’t know,” Kelly said after practice. “When I hurt my foot, I think it was almost like, ’All right, whatever.’ I got upset about it a little bit, but it’s like, shoot, maybe it just is what it is.”
Kelly, 24, played only five games as a rookie because of knee issues, and he had microfracture surgery after that season.
He missed all of last season on injured reserve because of a hamstring injury he aggravated on the first day of training camp. Coach Mike Shanahan later lamented not starting camp with Kelly on the physically unable to perform list.
Shanahan brought Kelly back this season to see if he could stay healthy. At 6-4, 226 pounds, his size would have been an asset if he could stay on the field.
“It’s really a shame that Malcolm wasn’t able to stay healthy,” Shanahan said.
Kelly had 28 catches for 365 yards and no touchdowns as a Redskin. He wants his foot to heal before he decides his next move, but he might consider retiring.
“As much as I love this thing, I’m not going to go out here and kill myself,” he said. “It’s one thing to have one injury, man, but to have as many as I’ve had, it’s to the point where it is what it is.”
Kelly’s departure leaves only four of the Redskins’ 10 draft picks from 2008 still on the team: tight end Fred Davis (second round), safeties Kareem Moore (sixth) and Chris Horton (seventh) and linebacker Rob Jackson (seventh).
The Redskins also waived quarterback Ben Chappell, linebacker Eric McBride, kicker Clint Stitser, offensive linemen Xavier Fulton and Corey O’Daniel, tight end Joe Torchia (Virginia) and defensive backs Tyrone Grant and Dante Barnes.
Washington placed rookie defensive end Jarvis Jenkins on the season-ending injured reserve list Monday, Shanahan said. That leaves the Redskins with 79 active players.
Big move for Bowen family
The end of the preseason brings good news for defensive end Stephen Bowen. His wife, 1-year-old daughter and hospitalized newborn son are soon relocating from Dallas to Northern Virginia.
Bowen’s wife, Tiffany, gave birth to twins, Skyler and Stephen III, on June 28 at only 24 weeks. Skyler lived for only 10 days. Stephen III has been hospitalized while he grows stronger and bigger.
Bowen left home and came to Northern Virginia after the Redskins signed the former Cowboy as a free agent in late July. He hasn’t seen his family since.
“I’ve been looking forward to it for the whole month,” Bowen said. “Just to see him, I’ve only seen pictures of him. My wife always tells me he’s changed a lot.”
Bowen said he held Stephen III only once before he left. Bowen guessed his son will spend about two more weeks in the hospital now that his weight is up to 4[1/2] pounds.
“I’m worried about him every day,” Bowen said. “Just him being premature, some days were good, some days were bad. Now he’s starting to stabilize, so it takes a lot off.”
Extra points
• Free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe did not practice because his ailing hamstring tightened in Thursday’s loss to Baltimore.
“Just being cautious,” he said. “Not overworking it, giving it time to rest and continue to heal.”
His status is uncertain for Thursday’s preseason finale against Tampa Bay.
• Coach Mike Shanahan would not say which quarterback will start Thursday.
• Tight end Chris Cooley (left knee) did not participate in practice, but he did catch passes after it was over.
• Return specialist Brandon Banks’ ailing left knee did not swell after practices this week, and he is expected to play Thursday, Shanahan said.
• Rich Campbell can be reached at rcampbell@washingtontimes.com.
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