ASHBURN — Trenton Robinson could hardly contain his excitement.
“The swag is back,” the Washington Redskins’ strong safety screamed.
Cornerback Chris Culliver was talking trash to practice squad wide receiver Corey Washington after a one-on-one drill. When another wide receiver piped up, Culliver shot back, “You want some? You can go too.”
Culliver was his fiery self during Wednesday’s practice, an encouraging sign for the Redskins as he continues to recover from a left knee injury that forced him to miss the last three games. The hope is that he will be available to play this Sunday against the New England Patriots.
“I’m always hopeful,” Gruden said on Wednesday. “He looked good out there, man. We’ll just have to see how he feels tomorrow when he practices a full day on it.
“We missed him out there, that’s the way he is. He brings a competitive fire to practice and it rubs off on everybody. He’s got a great competitive spirit about him and when he’s out there he plays hard. It’s good to have him back out there as a welcomed addition to practice for the limited time he was out there.”
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Along with Culliver, cornerback DeAngelo Hall, outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan and wide receiver DeSean Jackson were all limited in practice. Cornerback Bashaud Breeland, center Kory Lichtensteiger, defensive end Jason Hatcher and tight end Anthony McCoy did not participate. McCoy was absent for personal reasons, Gruden said, and Hatcher was given a rest day.
Kerrigan, who had surgery on his broken right hand on Oct. 26, will see a specialist on Thursday and hopes to play with a cast. Breeland participated in conditioning drills to test the strength of his right hamstring, which he injured against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Lichtensteiger, who has missed the last two games because of a disc-related that has weakened his shoulder and neck, could be in jeopardy of missing Sunday’s game.
“I don’t know where he’s at exactly,” Gruden said. “He’s working really hard. This is a sensitive issue that he has right now. He’s doing everything he can to get strength back, but it’s just not quite there yet.”
Gruden also said that Hall will ultimately determine if he is ready to return from a sprained right foot that has kept him out the last four games. Gruden said he was hopeful, but added that Hall is still playing with pain.
For the second time this week, Jackson said he feels certain he will return against New England.
• Anthony Gulizia can be reached at agulizia@washingtontimes.com.
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