Despite being placed on the Active/Physically Unable To Perform List on the first day of training camp, Redskins head coach Jay Gruden thinks Josh Doctson is close to a return.
Josh Doctson doesn't want his NFL career to start like this, but for now the 2016 first-round pick is being forced to wait.
Doctson, the No. 22-overall pick in April's NFL Draft, was placed on the team's Active/Physically Unable To Perform list on Thursday. That means his injured Achilles just isn't where it needs to be right now and he isn't practicing with the rest of his teammates.
"Yeah, we weren't very satisfied with the way his Achilles was coming along," Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said. "He still had a lot of soreness in the morning when he'd wake up. We just want to try to get another treatment. That's something [Head Athletic Trainer] Larry Hess will have to tell you exactly what it was."
Gruden added that the team is going to hold out the wide receiver until he's 100 percent.
"I don't think he's very far away," Gruden said. "We're being probably more cautious right now because it is a significant deal. The Achilles for a wide receiver with his explosion, we want it to be 100 percent. We don't want it to re-occur, so we're trying to nip it in the bud right now."
Doctson pieced together an All-American year during his senior season at TCU, as he caught a school-record 79 passes for 1,327 yards along with 14 touchdown receptions. The 6-foot-2, 206 pounder also averaged a career-best 16.9 yards per catch.
Even with Pierre Garçon and DeSean Jackson in the fold, the Redskins expect Doctson to be an instant contributor on offense.
"I know he has intangibles to be a great -- young player in this league -- but first of all you've got to stay healthy," Jackson said. "You've got to get healthy. It's unfortunate that he got an injury, but I can't really speak for his situation. Hopefully he gets himself right so when it's time to get on the field he'll be out helping us."
For his part, Doctson – who did not have offseason surgery -- said he's "feeling good," but there's no clear timetable on his return just yet. He doesn't want to step back onto the field too quickly and make matters worse.
"Yeah, everybody wants to play football, but you can't rush it," Doctson said. "I rushed it in OTAs and I did what I did, so I'm going to be patient this time and be 100 percent before I touch the field."
Even with valuable time missed, Doctson believes he's already become more comfortable with being in the NFL while down in Richmond.
"Yeah, (the other receivers) are helping me out when I ask questions," Doctson said. "But, you know, we've got some great coaches here and they walk through all these plays. Day 1, Day 2 all that, so it's really easy to learn and pick up (the offense) fast because of how they teach it."
