All training camp, Carlos Rogers bugged the Redskins' athletic trainers to let him increase his practice workload.
He got his wish on Tuesday morning.
Rogers participated in the full practice, getting work in individual drills and competing in 7-on-7 action.
He is coming back from a knee ligament injury that cost him the last nine games of last season.
"It felt pretty good," Rogers said. "I thought I was going to be tired, but actually I'm in better shape than I thought. My knee isn't bothering me. No swelling."
Earlier this offseason, Rogers had targeted the Redskins' regular season opener on Sept. 4 for his return.
Now he thinks he could be available for one or two preseason games.
Even though Rogers appears to be ahead of schedule with his rehab, the team is still cautious with his injury.
"Right now he is just practicing and they're very limited reps," head coach Jim Zorn said. "He is in the mix, but I wouldn't want to see him in a game yet."
Added Rogers: "We're going to see how my knee responds to this. We don't want to push it. They're going to throw me into practice and see how it responds."
-- SCHWEIGERT COMPETING
Stuart Schweigert returned to practice on Tuesday after missing a couple of days due to a mild calf strain.
It's important for Schweigert to make an impression, because it appears he does not have a roster spot locked down.
Asked about competition between Reed Doughty and Schweigert, defensive coordinator Greg Blache said: "Reed's our safety. Stuart has to earn a roster spot on this football team."
That's fine with Schweigert.
"Competition is what this league is based on," he said. "Nothing is given to you in this league. You have to work for it in every practice. It's just something you have to take one drill at a time."
Schweigert joined the Redskins in the offseason after four seasons with the Oakland Raiders.
-- SAFETY MATTERS FOR SPRINGS
The Redskins' defensive backfield got some welcome news when Stuart Schweigert and sixth-round draft pick Kareem Moore took part in Tuesday's practices.
That means Shawn Springs can return to playing cornerback. He had moved to safety this training camp when Schweigert, Moore and LaRon Landry went down with injuries.
Will Springs ever go back to safety?
"Depends on what we need," Greg Blache said. "Right now we're short on [safeties]. So you do what you have to do. Shawn Springs is capable of playing safety. If we have a game to play, and we had a safety go down, Shawn would go in and play safety.
"He's still our starting left cornerback. If a need presents itself, we're preparing ourselves."
-- REDSKINS SIGN OSHINOWO
The Redskins have signed defensive tackle Babatunde Oshinowo, the team announced on Tuesday.
To make room for Oshinowo, the Redskins released defensive tackle Zarnell Fitch, who signed with the club over the weekend.
Oshinowo, 6- and 325 pounds, spent the final three games of 2007 on the Chicago Bears active roster. He played in a reserve role in one contest. He spent most of the season on the Bears practice squad.
Oshinowo was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Stanford, where he posted 15 sacks in 44 games.
