RICHMOND — As early as last Saturday, Jay Gruden mentioned that Washington Redskins rookie wide receiver Josh Doctson, who has been out since organized team activities because of a left Achilles tendon injury, had been using a walking boot.
“You know, I think this thing is a sensitive issue for him and he’s the one that’s got to ultimately say he feels good,” Gruden said then. “He said he’s walking around without the boot right now. I think it’s just a matter of as we gradually push him, how he responds, and I think that’s the biggest issue we have to deal with. Hopefully this tendonitis or whatever it is doesn’t reoccur.”
For the first time at training camp, Doctson was seen wearing the walking boot during the team’s morning walk-through on Wednesday, but a team spokesman said that it was not indicative of a setback.
“Good day yesterday [in training room],” Gruden said Wednesday. “Trying to work him hard one day, rest next day and keeping him in the boot is the best option.”
Doctson sustained the injury in rookie minicamp in May and then aggravated it in the first week of OTAs. The Redskins held him out with the hope that he’d be ready for training camp, but Doctson instead was placed on the physically unable to perform list. The team wants to avoid a situation where Doctson re-injures himself, so Gruden said they are keeping him out until he is 100 percent.
The biggest uncertainty is when exactly that will be.
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“He’s frustrated; he wants to be out there,” Gruden said last week. “He’s a great competitor. He wants to compete like the rest of the receivers are, but we have to be patient. That’s the way it is with these injuries, whether it’s hamstring, Achilles, a shoulder, whatever it is. Injuries play a major part in this game. We need him for 16 games. We’ve got to get him ready and being patient right now is the way to go.”
Notes: Defensive end Trent Murphy, who missed Tuesday’s practice because of an illness, had strep throat and is fine. Nose tackle Jerrell Powe is undergoing a procedure to correct heart arrhythmia and is expected to be out seven to 10 days. The Redskins also signed offensive tackle Isaiah Williams, an undrafted free agent from Akron.
• Anthony Gulizia can be reached at agulizia@washingtontimes.com.
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