Just four days after suffering an open dislocation on one of his fingers, Quinton Dunbar was back at practice Thursday with a splint on as he tries to fight through the injury.
Washington Redskins rookie cornerback Quinton Dunbar had the game of his life on Sunday afternoon against the New York Giants, intercepting Eli Manning in the end zone of a 20-14 victory.
But later on in the game, in the fourth quarter to be specific, Dunbar made a pass deflection on a second down play.
The rookie out of Florida would get up and celebrate, but as he did, something was clearly wrong.
"I made the play and then I celebrated a little bit and I didn't feel it, then a second later I looked down and my finger was leaning all the way to the left and I'm like, 'Oh, Lord,'" Dunbar told CSN Mid-Atlantic. "I ran off to the sideline and showed them my finger and that was that."
Redskins head coach Jay Gruden would confirm on Monday that he had an open dislocation on his finger, but that surgery wouldn't be needed.
On Thursday afternoon, Dunbar was back on the practice field.
"It was a little sore," Dunbar said of his finger following practice. "I'm just going to keep pushing it during the week and see how I feel."
Dunbar had a splint on his finger, aided by extra tape over his glove to help support his finger.
While he was limited, Dunbar participated in individual drills.
"Most definitely," Dunbar said of when asked if he could feel the ball hit his finger. "But I mean today I didn't really contact players with my jammed hand or anything. I was mostly mirroring them. Still trying to let it heal and rest."
Although he is just in his first season in the NFL, Dunbar said he can feel a difference in the team's mindset heading into a crucial Monday Night Football matchup with the Cowboys at FedExField.
Depending on what happens during Sunday's action for Giants and Eagles, and if the Redskins win on Monday, they could be one game ahead of New York, two games ahead of Philadelphia and three games ahead of Dallas with just four games remaining on the season.
"Definitely can feel a difference," Dunbar said of the locker room. "But I've been feeling different. I feel everybody been trying to come together and hang out with each other outside of football and just be a family. So yes, I do see a difference."
Dunbar was placed into a sink-or-swim situation against the Giants last Sunday, as he was asked not only to play more following the season-ending injury to Chris Culliver, but he went one-on-one against Odell Beckham Jr. some, too.
This week, he could be in a similar situation with either Dez Bryant or Terrance Williams.
"Dez Bryant, he's a magnificent receiver. Terrance Williams, he's an up and coming receiver. So that means it's going to be a great challenge on defense," Dunbar said.
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