ASHBURN, Va. — Washington Redskins guard Arie Kouandjio injured his quad muscle and the team is seeking a second opinion on the injury, coach Jay Gruden said Friday.
NBC Sports Washington first reported that the left guard had a torn quad that could sideline him for eight months and put his availability for the 2018 season at risk.
“We haven’t gotten the official MRIs back and all that stuff,” Gruden said. “(A tear) was the fear. But anytime you have an injury like that, you’ve got to get it all checked out and make sure that what you think it is is actually a fact. Right now we don’t know for sure.”
Last week, before Kouandjio’s injury, the Redskins re-signed guard Shawn Lauvao. Kouandjio and Lauvao were expected to be the main competitors for Washington’s starting left guard job.
Kouandjio and his brother, NFL tackle Cyrus Kouandjio, starred locally at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland and went on to play at Alabama. The Redskins drafted Arie Kouandjio in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
Kouandjio was cut at the end of 2017 training camp, but re-signed off the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad when Lauvao went to injured reserve. He started at left guard for the last six games of the year.
Lauvao has appeared in 41 games in four years with Washington, but missed time with injuries each of the past three seasons.
Correction: A previous version of this article stated Lauvao appeared in 26 games in the last four years.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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