Three Redskins rookies started in the secondary on Thursday night and the night went well enough for cornerback David Amerson. It was a rough welcome to the NFL for the two safeties, however.
Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com reports that safety Phillip Thomas sprained his foot in the first quarter of the game while making a tackle on Titans running back Shonn Greene. Thomas also suffered a shoulder stinger on the play as well, although he said after the game that his shoulder was not a concern. Thomas was in a walking boot when he left the locker room, however, so there will likely be an update on that front after the team returns from Friday’s off day.
Thomas was joined at safety by Bacarri Rambo, who avoided physical injury on Thursday. That didn’t make it a pleasant evening, however. Rambo appeared to take a bad angle on Chris Johnson after Brian Orakpo missed a tackle and Johnson went 58 yards for a touchdown. Rambo was then flagged for unnecessary roughness on another touchdown run by Greene, which should give the coaches plenty to talk to Rambo about when they watch film of the game.
Brandon Meriweather is expected to claim one starting safety job. How Thomas and Rambo move forward from Thursday night will likely play a big role in determining who lines up next to him.