ASHBURN — Brian de la Puente feels a lot more comfortable in the Washington Redskins’ offense this week than he did when he was signed last Tuesday, but Josh LeRibeus will remain the starting center on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, according to coach Jay Gruden.
After the Redskins placed center Kory Lichtensteiger on injured reserve last week, Washington no longer had a true center on the active roster. LeRibeus has filled in at center the last four games, but he is still adjusting to the intricacies of the position since making the switch from guard during training camp.
Last week, Gruden said it was “conceivable” that de la Puente could get the nod as the starter against the New Orleans Saints, but they ultimately went with LeRibeus, with de la Puente making his first appearance once the 47-14 victory was in hand.
On Thursday, the Redskins’ coach said the team felt inclined to sign another center after LeRibeus was briefly knocked out of the game against the New England Patriots because of a cut to his forehead.
Without LeRibeus, left guard Spencer Long slid over to center.
“I think when Josh went down against New England for the play at the end of the first half, we all kind of panicked a little bit,” Gruden said. “We know we needed another center in the building.”
For LeRibeus, the biggest adjustment has been finding consistency in the accuracy of his snaps, but the Redskins appear willing to let him work through it.
“We’re working on that in practice everyday,” Gruden said. “That’s something that we’ve just got to work through. It’s something that’s new to him. He hasn’t really done it growing up as an offensive lineman. The snap count was better, so he is making progress.”
• Anthony Gulizia can be reached at agulizia@washingtontimes.com.
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