Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said Sunday that quarterback Robert Griffin III, who suffered a concussion Thursday vs. the Lions, was cleared to participate in non-contact drills.*
Three days after being diagnosed with a concussion during a preseason matchup against the Detroit Lions, Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III was back on the practice field running the first-team offense.
Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said Griffin III was "cleared for non-contact activity" Sunday, and will be checked by a neurosurgeon later in the week as part of the league's concussion protocol.
"So far, so good," Gruden said of Griffin III's performance on Sunday. "He didn't have any headaches or anything of that nature. He did a good job of executing the offense today."
Griffin III suffered the concussion during the first half of the Redskins' 2015 Week 2 preseason matchup against the Lions Thursday at FedExField. Although Gruden said Sunday he wasn't sure exactly when the concussion occurred in the game, he said Griffin III progressed quickly through the league's protocol by simply taking the "necessary steps."
"You know, it's been two full days and today is Sunday afternoon so he has had some time to recover and go through the necessary steps," Gruden said. "He hasn't been totally cleared yet. Like I said, he's got to still go to a neurosurgeon. But, we'll wait and see."
By the time he was declared out early in the second quarter of Thursday's game – immediate reports were Griffin III had suffered a shoulder stinger and a possible head injury – the first-team offense to that point had managed just one first down. Griffin III, meanwhile, completed 2-of-5 passes for eight yards, got sacked three times and hit on another three occasions.
Gruden confirmed Sunday that, had Griffin III not left Thursday's game, he probably would've kept the first-team in offense in for at least a fifth and final series against the Lions.
"We absolutely need to work, whether he takes one shot or 10 shots," Gruden said. "We've got to get our offense going. Our right side needs work. Our center, our left guard, our left tackle, they need work. Our tight ends, our receivers together breaking the huddle, calling plays."
If cleared, Griffin III will be back on the field Saturday, when the Redskins take on the Ravens in Baltimore in their third preseason game.
"We need the practice, so we're going to try to get as much as we can – being that he's cleared if he is cleared – against Baltimore, no question about it," Gruden said. "So I anticipate a good football game that first half, a very great challenge from Baltimore, and I know what their defense is all about. It's a physical brand of football over there and hopefully we'll be up to the challenge."
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