The Redskins dodged a couple of bullets on Saturday night when injuries to linebacker Brian Orakpo and safety Brandon Meriweather turned out to be minor.
They aren’t going to take any more chances with either player getting hurt in preseason action, though. At his Monday press conference, coach Mike Shanahan said that neither Orakpo nor Meriweather will play in the final two preseason games. The expectation is that both players will be able to play in Week One.
Orakpo’s injury raised fear that he reinjured the pectoral muscle that he had surgically repaired this offseason, but Shanahan said that the injury only involved scar tissue in the chest and shoulder. Meriweather’s knee is swollen, but, as reported on Sunday, there won’t be any need for surgery to fix the problem. Meriweather has been working as a starting safety throughout camp, a status that shouldn’t change as long as he’s able to avoid any setbacks with his knee.
The news on running back Roy Helu was not as good. He remained out of practice with pain in both of his Achilles tendons, giving more ground to Evan Royster and Alfred Morris in the battle for carries in Washington. Tim Hightower was able to practice on Monday and his return to full health could push Helu even further down the depth chart by the time the start of the season rolls around.