Redskins wide receiver Jamison Crowder and running back Matt Jones have been ruled out of the game against the Bills, while Chris Thompson, Chris Baker and Deshazor Everett may not play, too.
The Washington Redskins will be without quite a few of their impact players against the Buffalo Bills for their preseason Week 3 matchup Friday evening, as head coach Jay Gruden said on Wednesday that Jamison Crowder will be sidelined for the game along with Matt Jones.
Chris Thompson may also not suit up.
Crowder has been dealing with a sore knee that kept him out of both Tuesday's and Wednesday's practice sessions.
He did not appear in the Redskins' preseason opener against the Atlanta Falcons on Aug. 11, but returned to game action last Friday, recording three receptions for 38 yards on 28 snaps against the New York Jets. The second-year Duke product had a first quarter touchdown reception called back after Maurice Harris was called for offensive pass interference.
Without Crowder in the lineup and Josh Doctson still on the Active/Physically Unable To Perform list, it opens the door for increased action for the team's crop of undrafted rookie wide receivers.
"Just overall, I think that we've had some guys come in that have really stepped up and really turned our heads, quite frankly," Gruden said. "It's been a great camp and I'm anxious to see these guys continue to grow and see what they can do in another game."
The Redskins announced on Monday that Jones wouldn't play for the rest of the preseason as he recovers from an AC sprain suffered against the Jets.
With Thompson potentially not playing either, the Redskins will get to see how Robert Kelley and Keith Marshall respond to facing a first-team defensive unit.
Check out these photos of the Redskins' offense preparing for their Week 3 Preseason Buffalo Bills Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2016, at the Inova Sports Performance Center at Redskins Park.
"I think both them will get their share of carries so it really doesn't matter," Gruden responded when asked who would have their number called first. "I know Keith and Rob will get plenty of carries. …Kelsey [Young] could get some, obviously Mack Brown will get some."
Defensively, defensive end Chris Baker (knee) and Deshazor Everett (hamstring) could also watch the game from the sideline.
Regardless of Baker's game day status, the Redskins will rotate the defensive linemen throughout the game in an effort to get one more set of game film on everyone before the first day of cuts next Tuesday.
'We've got to see some guys make some plays and we want to see people rush the passer obviously," Gruden said. "If they're running the ball on us, we've got to make sure we're in our gaps and we're stout against the run. There's a lot to look at as far as defensive linemen – pad level, penetration, pass rush, pursuit. All of that stuff is going to be very important for these guys."
