Among a bevy of personnel updates, Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan confirmed Monday that left guard Kory Lichtensteiger tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will miss the rest of the season.
Lichtensteiger injured his knee on the Redskins’ fourth offensive play against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. He hobbled into Redskins Park late Monday afternoon, red-faced, supported by crutches and a bulky black brace on his right knee.
“It’s big,” Shanahan said of Lichtensteiger’s loss. “Kory was playing at a very high level.”
Shanahan didn’t see how Lichtensteiger injured his knee on a play left tackle Trent Williams called “dirty.” The coach also hasn’t been able to find film that showed the injury, either.
Additionally, tight end Chris Cooley will have surgery on his broken left index finger Wednesday. How long he’ll be sidelined is unknown, but Shanahan noted the recovery will need to include progress on Cooley’s troublesome left knee.
And, adding to the offensive line’s woes, Williams is out with a high sprain of his right ankle.
“It’s usually a couple weeks,” Shanahan said.
To replace Lichtensteiger on the 53-man roster, rookie guard Maurice Hurt will be activated from the practice squad. That leaves an inexperienced line, with second-year center Erik Cook thrust into the starting lineup and rookies Willie Smith and Hurt as the backups.
One option Shanahan will consider is shifting right tackle Jamaal Brown to left tackle, where he made two Pro Bowls with the New Orleans Saints. That would allow backup Sean Locklear to shift to his natural right tackle position - where he started 68 games since 2004 - in Williams’ absence.
Shanahan said he’ll address the line’s potential reshuffling Wednesday.
“I’ll do everything they ask me to do,” Brown said.
Extra points
• Shanahan was eager to see a replay of the bizarre postgame confrontation between San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh and Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz, a topic of much conversation among Shanahan’s coaching staff.
• The Redskins are keeping their “ears open” for possible trades in advance of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline, Shanahan said.
• Nathan Fenno can be reached at nfenno@washingtontimes.com.
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