LANDOVER — Redskins left tackle Trent Williams didn’t play during Washington’s 33-19 loss Sunday to the Dallas Cowboys because doctors wanted him to sit out, to see if his knee injury would start to heal without additional damage.
But Williams admitted he doesn’t know if the approach will help in the long run, classifying the decision to rest as “50-50” on whether it will actually make a difference.
The left tackle will eventually need surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right knee. Williams said he’s visited with four doctors and some have already recommended to undergo the procedure — which would keep Williams out six to nine months.
There’s a chance, Williams acknowledged, he could miss the rest of the season, but added, “it’s a small chance.”
“Having surgery scares the [expletive] out of me,” Williams said. “I’m going to do everything I can do to follow their instructions closely as possible, so I can at least put this thing off.”
If Williams gets the surgery at the end of the year, there’s a chance he wouldn’t be back until the start of the next season, which would force him to miss training camp and the preseason.
Williams was ruled out Sunday, but was told Friday that he would need to miss the Cowboys game. The left tackle initially suffered the injury since the Redskins’ Week 4 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He played in the next two games, often missing most of practice.
But after re-aggravating the injury in Philadelphia, Williams decided to quit fighting his instinct to keep playing and chose to rest. Williams said he’s back at square one with his injury.
“He doesn’t feel like himself,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. “He is trying to get himself right, but he can’t practice. He need to practice to feel alike. The pain is too much for him. We’ll try to get that to calm down.”
As for next week, Williams doesn’t know if he’ll be able to play when the Redskins take on the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. The 29-year-old said he anticipates doctors telling him to rest while he’ll want to play.
“It’s going to be a week-by-week thing, to meet with the doctors and seeing what different treatments and what different things we can do to get it feeling better,” Williams said.
In fact, Williams said, it’s not the fact he needs surgery that’s keeping him off the field. A tear is a tear, he said, but what’s really bothering him is the pain. In addition to the torn ligament, Williams has a “deep” bone bruise on his knee.
“I’ve pushed through it so long, it’s just kind of rubbing the cartilage off in that area,” Williams said. “It’s kind of bone-on-bone where the bruise is located. And every time that kneecap shifts to that certain spot, your body just shuts your leg down.”
Shuts down? Does the the injury make Williams feel numb?
“Hell no,” he said. “Once you hit that bruise, it feels like somebody is stabbing you in the knee.”
The Redskins struggled without Williams. Washington allowed four sacks against the Cowboys, though they were also without right guard Brandon Scherff and center Spencer Long.
Williams said “it’s torture” to see his teammates play without him. He felt helpless.
Williams, however, does plan to test his knee once the bruise goes down again. He wants to play, but somewhat reversed course from a week ago — when after the Eagles game he told reporters that playing was “what my heart is telling me to do right now.”
But the injury sticks with him — especially mentally. The left tackle admitted “there’s not a day that goes by” where his knee is not on his mind.
“At the end of the day, I’ve got to be smart,” Williams said. “I’ve got to listen to advice. At [this] time of my career, I can’t let my heart make a decision. I’ve got to think this thing out.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.