Carlos Rogers and Rocky McIntosh are both expected to play in Saturday night's preseason game against the New York Jets.
Both are returning from serious knee ligament injuries suffered last year.
They are expected to be in for just a handful of plays, likely with the first-team defense. They could get just "4-5 plays," according to head coach Jim Zorn.
Rogers is certainly ahead of schedule with his rehab. At the start of training camp, coaches did not expect to have his services until at least the start of regular season.
In recent weeks, Rogers has steadily increased his practice workload.
"He has done everything [the last few weeks of training camp]," Zorn said. "When we put him in these drills, what we do is really watch his knee. How does it respond?
"There has been very little swelling, very little very little that we have had to do except to continue the maintenance program and continue the strengthening.
"Right now everything is looking good. If our athletic trainers and doctors feel like he can go and he has done what he has done in practice, because he does things full speed, he should be fine."
McIntosh was participating in practice early in training camp, but he has yet to see action in preseason games.
Zorn said the return of Rogers and McIntosh gives the defense a lift.
"It also helps us to use some of the packages we wanted to use and play those at the level that we will during the regular season," he said. "These are good times for us because we can have the kind of rehearsal we want in the preseason to be ready for the regular season."
-- TAYLOR'S IN
Despite being slowed by a plantar fasciitis foot soreness this week, Jason Taylor is expected to play in Saturday's preseason game.
"We'll get him in very early in the game," Jim Zorn said.
Taylor has 16.5 career sacks against the Jets. He has sacked current Jets backup quarterback Kellen Clemens twice. Taylor has sacked Brett Favre three times in his career.
Meantime, Taylor's line-mate Erasmus James is not expected to be ready to play yet. James just started practicing after working his way back from a knee ligament injury.
LaRon Landry is not expected to be ready to return from his hamstring injury, either.
"We are going to leave him at home so he can continue to get treatment," Jim Zorn said. "He is starting to come around, but just not quite as fast as we had hoped."
-- PORTIS OUT
Jim Zorn has decided to rest Clinton Portis for this Saturday's preseason game against the New York Jets.
"I'm sure I'll get enough opportunities to play before the regular season, so I'm really not crushed about it," Portis admitted on Thursday.
Rock Cartwright is also not expected to play vs. the Jets as he continues to rest a rib injury.
That means Ladell Betts and Marcus Mason will likely share the load at running back in the Jets game.
-- QB ROTATION
As expected, Jason Campbell will draw the start at quarterback for Saturday's preseason game. He is expected to play just one offensive series, or two at the most.
Campbell will be followed by Todd Collins
Derek Devine is expected to start the third quarter for the Redskins, followed by Colt Brennan in the fourth quarter.
"I want to see what Colt can do at the end of the game with either clock management or a two-minute situation, if we find ourselves behind in the score," Jim Zorn said.
