ASHBURN — Josh Doctson is not yet 100 percent recovered from a left Achilles tendon injury that has kept him out since June, but the Washington Redskins’ rookie wide receiver has progressed enough that he could avoid starting the season on the physically unable to perform list.
Doctson, who has Achilles tendon tendonitis, sustained the injury in rookie minicamp and aggravated the injury during the first week of organized team activities. The hope was that he would be ready for training camp, but Doctson was placed on the PUP list.
Having been limited to light conditioning drills, the Redskins’ 22nd overall pick ran the route tree in practice on Tuesday, according to coach Jay Gruden, which was a big improvement.
“He’s not running full speed but he’s doing a lot more now than he did a week ago, which the progress that we see is a very, very good sign for us,” Gruden said. “I have total expectation that he’s going to be ready for Week 1, possibly the fourth preseason game, but we’ll still see.”
To this point, the Redskins have been cautious not to rush Doctson back from the injury until he is fully healed. When Doctson aggravated the injury in OTAs, he was frustrated with himself for trying to play through the pain.
“I should’ve gotten off of it,” Doctson said.
The Redskins will continue to push Doctson in his rehabilitation when they can, but the injury is still difficult to evaluate.
“This is an injury, like I’ve said before, it’s a unique deal,” Gruden said. “I think it’s just something he’s going to have to be honest with trainers, honest with the coaching staff.”
• Anthony Gulizia can be reached at agulizia@washingtontimes.com.
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