Kelvin Harmon tears ACL in blow to Redskins

A thin receiving group for the Washington Redskins just got even thinner.

Washington wideout Kelvin Harmon tore his ACL while training and will miss the upcoming season. Entering his second year, Harmon was expected to compete for the starting spot opposite Terry McLaurin.

Harmon’s injury is tough timing as training camp is set to begin in exactly two weeks.

“Surgery went well last week,” Harmon wrote on Twitter. “I’ll be back better than ever.”

The NFL Network was the first to report the injury.

Harmon, a sixth-round pick from 2019 out of North Carolina State, had promising flashes throughout his rookie season. He caught 30 catches for 365 yards and particularly started to perform when quarterback Dwayne Haskins entered the lineup. Twenty-two of Harmon’s 30 passes came in the final six weeks of the season.

This offseason, Harmon had spent part of his time working out with Haskins, McLaurin and Steven Sims to get ready for the 2020 season. Speaking to reporters last month, Haskins praised Harmon and said he was in great shape.

“He’s running like I’ve never seen him before,” Haskins said.

Without Harmon in the fold, fourth-rounder Antonio Gandy-Golden and veteran Cody Latimer figure to be the main candidates vying for a starting spot.

It remains to be seen whether Washington would be interested in signing another receiver to bolster its depth.

Seven-time Pro Bowler Antonio Brown is the most high-profile free agent wideout left unsigned, and Haskins was seen working out with Brown last month in Florida. But Brown still faces an ongoing investigation from the NFL related to sexual assault allegations against the receiver, and could be suspended for that and other off the field incidents. In June, Brown pleaded no contest to a felony burglary with battery charge, stemming from an altercation with a moving truck driver outside his home in Florida.

Asked about Brown this offseason, Washington coach Ron Rivera said the team wanted to see what it had in its younger players first.

“We have a group of young guys that we have to find out whether or not they have the ability to be football players,” Rivera said. “If you bring in a veteran right now, you are going to stunt the growth of someone young. … I know who Antonio Brown is. I know he is a great player and an impact guy. He is also a veteran guy, and we have some guys that we have to find out about. That is the approach.”

ESPN recently ranked Washington’s skill position players as worst in the NFL.