Jon Jansen won’t play in the Washington Redskins’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, and the veteran tackle won’t travel to Ohio in hopes of limiting the swelling in his sprained left knee.
Jansen suffered the injury in the Redskins’ 24-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. He returned to practice Thursday and experienced more problems despite limited participation.
“It swelled up on me pretty good,” Jansen said. “It stiffened up, so this won’t be the week I get back in there. Hopefully, I can get the swelling out and get back next week.”
Meanwhile, a pulled abdominal muscle kept defensive tackle Cornelius Griffin out of practice again Friday.
“We got two more days, but if it feels like this on Sunday, I can’t go,” Griffin said.
Kedric Golston, whose injured right ankle kept him out the past two games, was limited in practice for a second straight day and is expected to replace Griffin. If both Golston and Griffin can’t play, Lorenzo Alexander would make the first start of his career.
Safety Chris Horton, who missed practice all week after spraining his right shoulder against the Ravens, is listed as doubtful. Mike Green, who started on Oct. 26 against the Detroit Lions when Horton was sidelined by a sprained ankle, would fill in again if Horton can’t go.
“I’m not ruling myself out,” Horton said.
The news was better for cornerback Shawn Springs, who has missed four games because of a strained left calf. Springs was limited in practice and is optimistic he’ll play Sunday.
A sprained foot again kept middle linebacker London Fletcher out of practice, making him a game-time decision for the third straight week. Fletcher, however, never has missed a game in his 11 seasons and is likely to start against the Bengals.
Heyer’s third shot
Stephon Heyer, the only offensive lineman under 31 on the roster who has played a down for the Redskins, gets his third extended opportunity to start after left tackle Chris Samuels suffered a season-ending tear of his right triceps in last week’s loss to the Ravens.
The Redskins have performed well with Heyer in the starting lineup the last two seasons, posting a 7-2 record.
“Stephon has started for us at both tackles,” offensive line coach Joe Bugel said. “He’ll be fine. He’s been working hard as a backup.”
Heyer, who made the Redskins last season as a rookie free agent, had taken a large percentage of the practice snaps at left tackle since Samuels sprained his right knee Oct. 12 against the St. Louis Rams.
Heyer beat out Jansen to open the season at right tackle but sprained his left shoulder in Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals. By the time he was healthy, Jansen had won the job back.
“I’ve had some ups and downs this year,” Heyer said. “When I wasn’t starting, I had to take it in stride and keep going. I knew eventually I’d get another chance to play. Every day is an audition. This is another chance to go out there and perform.”
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