Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson again missed practice with a left shoulder injury, marking the second-straight practice in which Jackson was a non-participant.
Jackson exited the Week 8 game against the Cincinnati Bengals in the third quarter.
According to coach Jay Gruden, Jackson’s MRI did reveal that something is going on with his shoulder.
“He was getting checked out today, got some extra treatment,” Gruden said. “Got the MRI, we go the results and he’s just dealing with a little bit of pain right now.”
“The MRI just showed some issues there in his shoulder with the rotator cuff. He does have some things going on there, but we’ll make a determination Saturday whether or not it’s best to keep him out this week and try to get it stronger for the last seven.”
Gruden says that he and the Redskins are just waiting on Jackson to see if he will be able to take the field against the Minnesota Vikings.
Jackson has been dealing with a slew of injuries this season. Including his shoulder injury (and Jackson has been dealing with a shoulder issue for the last several weeks, though it’s unclear if it is the same or a separate issue), Jackson has been limited in practice through the year with hamstring, knee and ankle injuries.
That, on top of Jackson’s on-field production, has made this a difficult year for the 29-year-old. Jackson has topped 100 yards receiving just once this season, and that came in Week 1. In his last five games, Jackson has just 178 yards.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins places a bit of Jackson’s production on himself, saying that sometimes he is unable to get the ball to Jackson because of an inaccurate pass. Cousins also said he was disappointed Jackson didn’t have an opportunity to play much in the second half of the game against the Bengals because the Redskins threw the ball a lot.
“There have been times where I think you look and you say, ‘I did throw to him but I overthrew him but we just missed,’ or there was a pass interference,” Cousins said. “So it doesn’t show up in the stats sheet, but he’s very much doing his job and getting open and giving us a chance. And it was tough in the second half of the Bengals game because we were throwing the ball so much and he was out with an injury. So there were many times where Ryan Grant or someone else was getting the football, and had DeSean been healthy, he’d be out there making those plays. So we’ve got to find ways to continue to get him touches, because as we’ve said, when he does catch the football, really good things happen and he makes our offense go.”
Jackson’s absence has made things difficult for the Redskins’ offense as they prepare for the Vikings, one of the top defenses in the NFL. Offensive coordinator Sean McVay said that it would be ideal to have Jackson on the practice field.
“He’s a special player,” McVay said. “With a guy like him, he’s a veteran that knows how to take care of his body and he’s able to transition if he’s able to go on Sundays, but certainly you always want your guys out there if that’s possible.”
The Redskins take on the Vikings at 1 p.m. on Sunday at FedEx Field.
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