Redskins defensive lineman Stephen Bowen watched seven of his teammates contribute to at least one sack Sunday afternoon, and all he could think about was how badly he wished he was out there with them.
“That was a total annihilation,” he said with a smile. “It was crazy, man.”
Barring any setbacks, Bowen said he will rejoin his teammates as soon as he is eligible to come off the physically-unable-to-perform list on Oct. 13. The swelling in his surgically-repaired right knee has vanished and he said he feels completely healthy.
“I’ll just keep working every day, just counting down the weeks until it’s time to join my brothers on the D-line,” Bowen said. “I’m feeling great.”
Bowen injured his right knee in October and underwent microfracture surgery to repair torn cartilage in that knee in December. He spent the entirety of training camp and the preseason doing individual drills with a trainer on an auxiliary field.
Bowen said the absence of swelling marked a turning point in his recovery.
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“The swelling wouldn’t go away,” he said. “I could do everything, there was just a lot of swelling in there. Now, the swelling’s gone and it made it feel even better. They tested me the past two weeks, strenuous workouts, and no swelling’s coming back.”
Bowen said he will shift from change-of-direction drills to more football-specific workouts in the coming weeks. Besides that, all he can do is wait for his time on the PUP list to expire.
“Just appreciate every day that I have playing football,” Bowen said. “A lot of people don’t even come back from the injury that I had. To feel the way I do, it’s a blessing.”
In other injury news, coach Jay Gruden said DeSean Jackson is still day-to-day with an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder. Gruden is not yet sure whether his No. 1 wideout will be able to play in his return to Philadelphia, where he spent the first six seasons of his career.
“Depends on if he can play with the pain,” Gruden said. “We’ll have a better idea probably Thursday or Friday to where he is.”
Left guard Shawn Lauvao said his sore right knee felt better Monday than it did following Sunday’s game. “He’ll be fine,” Gruden added. Meanwhile, running back Roy Helu remains day-to-day with a left knee injury, and fullback Darrel Young said his injured back is okay.
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Gruden also said cornerback Tracy Porter, who has battled a hamstring injury, will “get a little more time” in practice this week. Porter could play against Philadelphia this week or at home against the New York Giants the following Thursday, according to Gruden.
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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