ASHBURN — Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden named 15 players in his Thursday injury report.
It’s not an ideal situation by any means, but it’s somewhat better than what the Redskins were dealing with last week against the New York Jets. Six starters were held out of the game, along with running back Matt Jones and defensive end Stephen Paea.
On Thursday, four players did not participate in practice: cornerback DeAngelo Hall (sprained toe), center Kory Lichtensteiger (pinched nerve), wide receiver DeSean Jackson (torn left hamstring) and running back Chris Thompson (bruised lower back).
Gruden’s hope is that left tackle Trent Williams and tight end Jordan Reed, both in the concussion protocol, will be able to play. Williams sat out on Sunday and Reed has missed the last two games.
The two are allowed to participate in individual drills and team meetings, but have not yet been cleared for contact.
“I don’t even begin to to guess on this concussion protocol thing,” Gruden said. “They have certain tests they have to go though and if they pass them, they’ll be good. If not, we’ll have to wait another week or two.”
Thompson’s status also remains uncertain after he fell on his lower back trying to make a catch near the sideline last Sunday.
“The swelling has gone down a little but there is still significant swelling in his back,” Gruden said. “We’ll see how much of that gets out of there tomorrow.”
If Thompson cannot play, the Redskins have options in practice squad running backs Trey Williams and Mack Brown, who was signed to the practice squad on Tuesday.
Inside linebacker Keenan Robinson was limited with a heel injury, though he said he expects to play on Sunday. He worked with equipment managers to fit his left cleat with a heel cushion before practicing.
Paea, who bruised his lower back, and defensive ends Jason Hatcher, who is battling a lingering knee injury, were each limited on Thursday as well.
Hatcher, 33, sat out Wednesday’s session, and the Redskins plan is to give him days off periodically as they monitor his status.
“A little bit of it is wear and tear,” Gruden said. “He’s played a lot of football in his day. It’s becoming a nagging-type deal for him and we’ve rested him pretty well yesterday and today. Hopefully he’ll feel a lot better come game day.”
Jones, cornerback Bashaud Breeland, left tackle Ty Nsekhe, strong safety Trenton Robinson and wide receiver Andre Roberts were all full participants.
• Anthony Gulizia can be reached at agulizia@washingtontimes.com.
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