Perry Riley downplays wrist injury, doesn’t expect to miss any additional time

RICHMOND — Perry Riley said Sunday morning that he missed the Washington Redskins’ practice the day before after experiencing soreness in his surgically repaired left wrist.

Riley said he underwent surgery in January to correct issues related to the injury, which has bothered him for several years. He did not believe any irritation resulted from playing in the preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday.

“I’ve been dealing with it for a while now,” Riley said, suggesting that he originally injured the wrist in 2011, his second season.

“It’s the course of camp, going in pads seven, eight days [so far]. That’s not normal for even us football players. We’re usually in pads on game day and maybe a Wednesday or Thursday practice and that’s it, so it’s just every day, going back to back to back.”

Riley said he didn’t know the specifics of the injury and couldn’t remember the exact nature of the procedure. He felt fine enough afterward to believe that it had been corrected.

Entering his sixth season with the Redskins and his fourth as a full-time starter, Riley had 93 tackles and forced one fumble last season, missing two games after spraining the MCL in his left knee in the Week 5 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

He expected to be able to practice later Sunday afternoon on the Redskins’ second-to-last day in Richmond and didn’t figure the irritation would hold him out at any point in the coming days.

Adam Hayward stepped in for Riley with the first-team defense during practice on Saturday.

“Riley has really done a great job mentally with this new system,” coach Jay Gruden said last week. “We’re asking him to do a few different things, but he’s playing with his eyes very well. He’s getting himself into position. He can cover anybody out of the backfield, any tight end because he can run, and obviously, his presence is felt out there. Perry and Keenan [Robinson] both, the inside ’backers are doing great.”