Phillip Thomas injury: Redskins rookie safety out for season with torn lisfranc ligament

Head coach Mike Shanahan told a group of reporters on Wednesday that rookie safety Phillip Thomas will miss his first NFL season due to a torn lisfranc ligament in his left foot.

Thomas sustained the injury in the team's preseason opener versus the Titans on Aug. 8, and the injury was initially ruled a sprain. Thomas visited a specialist for a second opinion on Tuesday, and further analysis confirmed that the injury was more severe. Head coach Mike Shanahan said the torn ligament will require a minimum of  four-to-five months recovery time, and that Thomas will be placed on injured reserve.

Although Thomas has never played in a regular-season NFL game, it's a devastating blow to the defense and its thinnest position is now even thinner. Brandon Meriweather, the man ahead of Thomas on the depth chart, is nine-months removed from a torn ACL, leaving Reed Doughty and DeJon Gomes as the team's only fully-healthy players at the strong safety position.

The Redskins defense has already been depleted an injury to Adam Carriker and suspensions to Rob Jackson, Jarvis Jenkins and Tanard Jackson. Thomas can now be added to an uncomfortably long list.