LaVar Arrington underwent arthroscopic surgery on his injured right knee last week, a procedure that became necessary when the Pro Bowl linebacker felt a tweak while running during a workout.

The surgery was performed by Dr. James Andrews, the team's medical consultant, in Birmingham, Ala. Arrington was back at Redskins Park on Monday, walking with crutches.

Team officials are hopeful that the 26-year-old, three-time Pro Bowl linebacker will be ready by the start of training camp.

"[Dr. Andrews] has mapped out a plan for him to progress at a slow rate," director of sports medicine Bubba Tyer said. "We're going to keep him off his feet for a while. He was on crutches from Wednesday until today. He'll gradually put more weight on it as he gets used to it. We've got a plan and we'll get him ready for training camp."

Asked if he thought the injury might jeopardize Arrington's 2005 season, Tyer replied: "Absolutely not. I feel better about it today than I did two weeks ago."

The surgery is the latest setback for Arrington, who expressed frustration with the lingering injury. Up until last week, his rehabilitation from the injury, first diagnosed last August, had been going well.

Early in the 2004 campaign, Arrington was diagnosed with a lateral meniscus injury in the knee. He underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Sept. 24, sidelining him for 11 games.

Arrington returned to play in two games late in the season, serving as a backup to Lemar Marshall. But Arrington was placed on injured reserve prior to the season finale due to the development of tendonitis in the knee.

Regarding the latest surgery, Tyer said: "We had been concerned about the cartilage toward the end of his knees. [Dr. Andrews] examined all the inside of his knee and the good thing is that all of the cartilage on the inside of his knee looks good. There's some minor wear and tear at different points, but it gives us great encouragement that he'll be ready by July."