Washington rookie wide receiver Josh Doctson is still bothered by a lingering injury, and coach Jay Gruden admitted he was “very” concerned about it and may have to shut Doctson down for a few weeks.
“We’ve had all of the tests, and there is really nothing there that we should be concerned about from a long-term problem,” Gruden said, via John Keim of ESPN.com. “It’s just, he is dealing with some pain. We don’t know why it is, but we have to try and figure out what it is and get it fixed.
“It could be a possibility or a time that we put him down for a couple more weeks or a couple more days like we’re taking him off today, probably sit him down tomorrow and see if that helps a little bit.”
Their first-rounder didn’t play last week, after feeling something in his left foot during pregame warmups. He didn’t practice yesterday.
Doctson initially injured his foot during OTAs in May, and didn’t practice again until the start of the regular season, citing Achilles soreness. He played the first two games, catching one pass for 57 yards.
“We keep thinking he’s getting better, and he keeps teasing us running out there, making a great catch and looking good,” Gruden said, “and then the next day he gets sore. . . .
“This is new to everybody, and the key is to get him healthy. We are not trying to rush him. We are just trying to see how he feels each day. If he can go, he goes, and if not, he doesn’t. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring.”
Washington’s fortunate to have a deep enough receiving corps to survive it, but Doctson’s status has become something they constantly have to monitor, which has to be frustrating for any team.