Dealing with a "unique injury," the Redskins will have Josh Doctson receive another opinion on his Achilles from doctors until they make a decision about the rest of his rookie season.
For now, the Washington Redskins will continue to rest rookie wide receiver Josh Doctson until they make a long-term decision involving his injured Achilles.
Doctson has missed the Redskins' last four games and will not practice this week as Washington prepares to face the Detroit Lions with the potential of a five-game winning streak looming. The 23-year-old will likely remain inactive through the Bye Week. If he isn't fully healed by then, Injured Reserve will be an option the team will have to explore.
"I think we'll send him to another doctor, get another opinion and I think the plan right now is to probably immobilize him for a little bit, just to take completely the stress off of it for a little bit of time and then see where that leads us," Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said on Monday. "IR maybe, maybe not, we don't know yet."
Gruden added that Doctson has been upset with how his rookie season has transpired to date, as he's only appeared in two games collecting two receptions for 66 yards on 31 offensive snaps.
After tallying a nine-yard reception in the regular season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Doctson followed it up with a 57-yard reception against the Dallas Cowboys the next week. Sneaking pass Dallas' coverage, Doctson was able to grab a ball lofted by Kirk Cousins and turn it into the longest reception by a Redskins rookie wide receiver since the 2001 season.
But Doctson hasn't been back on the field since, as he was a last-minute scratch just minutes before the Redskins' Week 3 game against the New York Giants on Sept. 25. Doctson was expected to play in the game, but during pregame warmups he couldn't push off his leg the way he would have liked to, replaced in the lineup by Rashad Ross.
"I'm frustrated for him. I feel bad for him. He wants to play in the worst way," Gruden said. "This is the most unique injury that people have seen you know. Can't put a finger on why he's having pain, but he's having pain. And he wants to play. And he's not the same guy when you can't push off because your Achilles is bothering you. So we got to get to the bottom of it and give him a little bit of time hopefully and try to get to the bottom of it, but we're more concerned about longevity right now. We want to make sure he gets well."
With the 22nd pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins selected wide receiver Josh Doctson of TCU. Take a look at his collegiate career in photos.
With Doctson expected to be a key long-term piece in the Redskins' puzzle, the coaching staff also doesn't want to risk any additional damage to Doctson's Achilles. If they have to place him on Injured Reserve, they'll do so and move forward with a still loaded receiving corps.
Through six games, DeSean Jackson leads the team in receiving yards (333), Jamison Crowder has tallied a team best three receiving touchdowns and Pierre Garçon has collected at least 50 receiving yards in four games.
The team also, of course, has tight ends Jordan Reed, Vernon Davis and Niles Paul at its disposal, while Derek Carrier – who has spent the entire season to date on the Reserve/Physically Unable To Perform List – could start practicing again soon.