The Redskins lost safety Brandon Meriweather for the final two preseason games because of a knee injury and now it looks like they’ll be without him for at least the first two weeks of the regular season as well.
Coach Mike Shanahan announced Wednesday that Meriweather sprained his MCL and PCL in practice on Monday. He’ll be sidelined for two to four weeks as a result of the injury, leaving the Redskins without a starter in their secondary for Sunday. That’s never where you want to be, but it is an especially difficult situation to deal with when Drew Brees, Jimmy Graham and the rest of the Saints offense is on the docket.
Shanahan said that DeJon Gomes could get the start alongside Madieu Williams, calling him a “natural football player,” although he declined to actually name a starter for the game. Reed Doughty could also be in the mix for playing time with the Redskins while Meriweather is sidelined. They’d probably like to have Tanard Jackson as an option, but he was suspended last week and won’t be returning any time soon.
Safety was the biggest hole on the Redskins defense last season, a situation they hoped Meriweather would help remedy. For now, help will have to come from somewhere else on the back line of the Washington defense.