After sustaining a number of injuries in the team's preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans, head coach Mike Shanahan was grateful that the schedule allows for a significant break ahead of next Monday's second preseason game.

The team got a further, unexpected boost when Mother Nature coordinated for a rained out practice on Saturday.

"We were a little banged up today. I think it worked out for us even though we didn't practice," Shanahan said on Satuday. "The field being a little wet, I thought it was good for our football team to have an extra day to recover.

"Guys got a good workout [Friday]. We'll have practice on Monday like we normally do."

Shanahan said that the missed practice did not adversely affect the return of starting quarterback Robert Griffin III, who remains on the timeline established by the coaching staff and team doctors.

"No, it's the same for everybody. We all missed a practice," Shanahan said. "Like I said, you've got to do the best thing for the team, and you know, we'll deal with it."* *

This extra time off the field allows players like safety Phillip Thomas and tight end Jordan Reed to get healthy before getting back into the swing of things on the field.

Thomas sustained a shoulder and foot injury during the game, the latter of which kept him sidelined for the second half of the game.

"He's a little sore right now – mid-foot," Shanahan said of Thomas. "I can't tell you how long it's going to be, but it'll probably be a few days."

He is joined by Reed in the training room, whom Shanahan said was dealing with a similar type of injury.

"[Reeds]'s got the same thing. He's got that mid-foot [injury], right on the top of the foot. It's sore," Shanahan said. "They took the [walking] boot off. It's feeling better today.

"I'll let you know day-by-day exactly where he's at, but today he could not practice if we did practice today."

Good news is that the team does not believe Thomas or Reed has a Lisfranc injury, which would likely end each rookie season.

Veteran receiver Donte' Stallworth returned to action on Thursday night after missing practice with a hamstring injury, but returned to the sidelines early when it bothered him again.

"He tried to play through it. You can see it was bothering him during the game, both on special teams as well as offense, but he tried to play through it," Shanahan said. "I thought he did a good job, but we've got to make sure that thing heals up, so we're not going to push him too quickly.

Stallworth is battling for a roster spot against 11 other receivers and needs every opportunity to show what he can do.

When healthy, Stallworth can be a speedy, savvy addition to the offense and special teams.

"Once [the hamstring] heals up, then he'll get a chance to play," Shanahan assured. "I don't know if he'll be able to play next week with the proper rest for that hamstring, and then hopefully he'll be ready for Buffalo. That's my guess."

Undrafted rookie linebacker Jeremy Kimbrough suffered a separated shoulder in Thursday night's game, an injury that could seriously hinder his ability to make the roster.

Shanahan sounded optimistic that he would rebound quickly but said the team would not push him until he was ready.

"Any time you have a separation of the shoulder, I've seen guys come back with a couple of days and a few weeks," Shanahan said. " I can't tell you for sure. I think in the next couple of days we'll get a better feel."

Speaking realistically, Shanahan noted that injuries could affect some players' roster status, while others would take longer to find the field after missing out on developmental time.

With 15 days until the first round of roster cuts, the Redskins' coaching staff is hoping for difficult decisions when trimming the roster to 75.

"Well, we're going to play them when they're ready to play. There's nothing you can do about it," he said. "Some guys, unfortunately, are going to be injured.

"They've got to do a great job in rehab and get back as quick as they can if they want to have an opportunity to play going into the first game.

"If they miss a lot of playing time, practice time, the chances of them playing aren't very good."

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