The injuries are mounting for the Washington Redskins. Again.
A team that lost 23 players to injured reserve in 2017 is trending in that direction again. The wide receivers have been decimated by injury to the point the Redskins had to sign veterans Breshad Perriman and Michael Floyd off the street after workouts this week. That’s not ideal heading into this weekend’s game against the Green Bay Packers.
Neither Perriman, cut by the Baltimore Ravens at the end of training camp, nor Floyd, let go by the New Orleans Saints earlier this month, sees much time on special teams. That makes them an odd fit on a team that is missing three rookie wide receivers who do: Robert Davis (knee), Cam Sims (ankle) and Trey Quinn (ankle). All three of those players are on injured reserve.
So how does Washington, a team with Josh Doctson, Jamison Crowder and Paul Richardson Jr. as its top three, plan to use Perriman and Floyd if they aren’t special teamers?
“I don’t know. I just met them yesterday,” Redskins head coach Jay Gruden joked. “They practiced out here limited today just trying to get their feet wet in some individual (drills), got thrown into team (drills) a little bit. (Wide receivers coach) Ike (Hilliard) kind of held their hands, told them what to do, so we’ll see. Hopefully, this week we don’t have to use either one of them, but if we do, we’ll get them ready, give them a crash course here tonight, tomorrow and obviously Friday, and hopefully get them ready for Sunday.”
Washington could get wide receiver Maurice Harris back. He has missed over a month since sustaining a concussion during training camp. He is an excellent special-teams player and was expected to contribute more on offense this season. He saw significant playing time at the end of 2017, though he finished with just two receptions.
The Redskins also re-signed veteran Brian Quick last week after cutting him at the end of training camp. There are options. But losing so many wide receivers through two weeks has left the Redskins scrambling.
Floyd’s weight was an issue for New Orleans. He is listed at 220 pounds. Floyd caught 77 passes as recently as 2015 before legal issues and a serious decline ended his time with the Arizona Cardinals.
Perriman, meanwhile, was a first-round bust by the Baltimore Ravens, who drafted him in 2015 based on his elite speed. Injuries and inconsistency marked his time there. Perriman remained in Baltimore while waiting for another call and made the short drive to Redskins Park on Monday after getting it.
“I feel like I’m still climbing,” Perriman said. “Everybody knows I got released by the Ravens. I’m thankful and grateful to be here. New opportunity. Fresh start. I’m just ready to get it rolling.”
SERIES HISTORY: 34th regular-season meeting. Packers lead series, 18-14-1 and the two teams have met three times in the playoffs, including Jan. 10, 2016 in an NFC wild-card game. Green Bay won 35-18. The Redskins won the last regular-season game in the series later that same year with a 42-24 win at FedEx Field on Nov. 20, 2016.
