Jay Gruden: ‘Without a doubt, everybody’s disappointed’

ASHBURN — Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden saw all the signs of his team playing with effort during Thursday’s 38-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. He pointed to the Redskins forcing four consecutive three-and-outs to begin the game. He saw players on defense flying to the ball and making tackles.

As frustrating as the loss was — the Redskins are all but eliminated from the playoffs — Gruden thought his team came ready to play in what was a must-win game.

But for another year, that wasn’t good enough.

“Without a doubt, everybody’s disappointed, there’s no question,” Gruden said. “You know, we didn’t play very well against Dallas, that’s disappointing.”

So where to do the Redskins go from here? There are still four games left in the season, and there are still areas to evaluate. The Redskins have also stressed the importance of finishing with a winning record, even if it doesn’t get them into the playoffs.

One thing they won’t do, however, is shut down players with nagging injuries. Gruden said players like Trent Williams (knee), Jordan Reed (hamstring) and Morgan Moses (ankles) will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, but all were “trying like heck” to get back into the lineup.

With Williams specifically, the Redskins left tackle will need surgery at some point to repair a torn ligament in his right knee. Gruden said Friday that the team needs to find out how long the recovery process will be before making a decision.

Williams, who has been hurt since Week 4, previously said the surgery would take six to nine months to recover from, which means he could miss time in training camp if he elects to have it done after the season.

After Thursday’s loss to Dallas, Williams said he would talk with his agent before making a decision.

“I feel like there’s some merits to sticking with it and trying to finish the season,” Williams said. “Obviously, the surgery is imminent. But I fought through it this long, hopefully I can get another four games out of it.”

There are evaluations the Redskins’ front office needs to make, too. The Redskins will have 19 players who will be unrestricted free agents at the end of the season.

Washington, according to a report from CBS Sports, has already expressed interest in negotiating an extension with linebacker Zach Brown, who signed a one-year deal as a free agent in the offseason. Kirk Cousins’ future will be the team’s No.1 offseason storyline.

Gruden said Eric Schaffer, the team’s vice president of football operations, is “working on [extending contracts] as we speak.”

In the meantime, the Redskins will prepare for a Sunday matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers, who have won three straight and are tied for first in the AFC West.

This will be the Redskins’ second straight year of missing the playoffs, and the third time in Gruden’s four-year tenure. Unlike last year, where the Redskins were eliminated in a Week 17 loss to the New York Giants, Washington has to deal with the disappointment sooner.

Still, Redskins tight end Vernon Davis said his teammates have to play for each other.

“Of course you want to make it to the playoffs and you want to make it to the Super Bowl, that’s the goal,” Davis said. “That’s why we play this game. But then there’s the speed bumps that get in the way of that, and the position that we’re in right now, we put ourselves in a tough spot.”

Technically, the Redskins’ playoff hopes are still alive — but their odds are less than 1 percent. They will be officially eliminated if they lose to the Chargers and both Seattle and Carolina win.

Cornerback Bashaud Breeland sees a small sliver of hope.

“I don’t feel like it’s over,” Breeland said. “We’ve still got other teams that really can help us.”