Washington Redskins defensive tackle Brandon Noble was held out of practice one day after breaking his right hand in a workout.

Noble was held out after practice because of a break in the third metacarpal, saying that he fell on the hand during a night practice Aug. 3 at a local high school.

"We'll take a few days to let it calm down. He's in great shape. We've got five weeks of camp, so he'll be fine," Washington assistant head coach Gregg Williams said. "That's part of a D-lineman's life."

Williams said there was no definite timetable for Noble's return, and he would not push Noble to play in the team's preseason opener against Denver because the Redskins still have four more preseason games.

Team trainer Bubba Tyer said Noble should be able to return "within four days. We'll make some kind of splint so that he'll be able to practice."

Signed as a free agent before the start of last season to anchor Washington's defensive line, Noble has yet to appear in a regular-season game for the Redskins. The five-year veteran tore his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments and dislocated his left kneecap in a preseason game against New England.

He had recovered well enough to participate in the June minicamp.