Wide receiver Malcolm Kelly will be shut down for 2-3 weeks to rest and rehab a lingering knee injury, head coach Jim Zorn said.

Kelly, the Redskins' second-round draft pick last April, will test his knee in practice after the team's bye on Nov. 9.

If his knee does not respond and continues to swell after workouts, then the Redskins will place him on injured reserve, Zorn said.

"We're going to hold him out until after the bye week," Zorn said. "We're going to push him hard after the bye week and try to get him up to speed where he can actually participate. If it looks early in that process that his knee continues to swell up, we're going to put him on injured reserve and get another evaluation."

For Kelly, it is the latest setback of a frustrating rookie campaign. He has been available in two games, and has one catch for six yards.

Kelly had arthroscopic knee surgery early in training camp and missed all five preseason games.

He suffered an ankle injury after making his debut in Week 2, sidelining him for another two weeks.

Then his knee started to swell up after practices, forcing the team to send him for an MRI earlier this week.

The results were positive enough that the team decided not to put him on injured reserve for now.

"He has so much potential to give us something this year," Zorn said. "Once you decide to put him on injured reserve, you can't get him back. So I think we should be proactive to try to get that knee to quiet down.

"If we have him toward the end of the season for the stretch run, that gives us more flexibility [at wide receiver], especially with the kind of athlete he is."

Zorn said that Kelly could have surgery on his knee at some point.

Coaches like Kelly's 6-4, 219-pound frame and believe he could be a red zone threat once he is better integrated in the offense.

He needs to get healthy first, though.

"I think it's worth the effort to put in for him," Zorn said. "If he responds well, then we have five receivers that we can use [for the stretch run]."