According to Redskins HC Jay Gruden, first-round rookie WR Josh Doctson may play in the Redskins preseason finale against Tampa Bay next week.
Doctson’s been on the PUP list with an Achilles injury since training camp began. Here’s what Gruden had to say Tuesday:
He did the route tree today, which is very positive – not 100 percent yet obviously – he’s not running full-speed but he’s doing a lot more now than he did a week ago, which the progress that we see is a very, very good sign for us. I have total expectation that he’s going to be ready Week 1, possibly the fourth preseason game, but we’ll still see. Like I said, it’s a new injury to me. The progress that we see is a very good sign for us. I have total expectation he's going to be ready Week 1, possibly by the fourth preseason game.
He also said he’s not sure but doesn’t think that Doctson will begin the season on the PUP (which would cause him to miss the first six weeks).
He’s getting all of the mental reps he can. He’s been working in the meeting rooms and he is studying the game and he is a very bright kid. He understands football, which is good.
The Redskins will have to decide if Doctson will begin the season on the PUP list by September 3rd (final cut-down day).
You know, the timing and the routes and the definition and the depths and all of that where you have to actually run them with your footwork. That’s the one thing that we have to work through, so how much he plays early in the season, I don’t know yet but I do know that the little bit we did see of him in the OTAs and rookie minicamp, I think that he’s got the ability to do whatever we ask him to do. Obviously, we wouldn’t take him in the first round if he didn’t have the skillset that we could find something for him to do somewhere on the field.
Additionally, WR Jamison Crowder missed practice on Tuesday because his knee is sore from the NYJ game and it’s undecided if he’ll play against Buffalo or not.