At this point, the Philadelphia Eagles will run away with the NFC East. That’s primarily due to their own success at 9-1 on the season. But the injury bug that’s hit the other three teams in this division hasn’t helped the competitive balance.
That was taken to a whole new level on Tuesday with news that the Washington Redskins have placed four Week 1 starters on injured reserve with various injuries. This includes two starting offensive linemen and the team’s starting running back as well as its most-talented receiver.
The Redskins signed these FA:
DL A.J. Francis
C Demetrius RhaneyThey signed these practice squad players to their active roster:
RB LeShun Daniels
LB Pete RobertsonThen placed these players on their IR:
C Spencer Long
G Shawn Lauvao
WR Terrelle Pryor Sr.
RB Chris Thompson— Brody Logan (@BrodyLogan) November 21, 2017
The headliner here is free-agent signing Terrelle Pryor, who had ankle surgery earlier in the week. Pryor lost his starting job in his first season with the Redskins and has put up only 20 catches on the year. He’s unlikely to return to D.C. next season.
Star running back Chris Thompson suffered a fractured right fibula during Sunday’s loss to the New Orleans Saints. He had taken over every-down duties after other running backs on the roster struggled with both injuries and effectiveness. Thompson finishes the season having put up over 800 total yards in 10 games.
Meanwhile, Spencer Long (center) and Shawn Lauvao (guard) represent two-thirds of the Skins’ starting interior offensive line.
Pryor, Long and Lauvao are all set to become free agents after the season.
This latest round of moves is the latest indication that Washington’s season is all but over. At 4-6, it is two games out of the final wildcard spot in the NFC and five games behind Philadelphia in the division.