The Redskins will have a decision to make when Phillip Buchanon returns from his four-game suspension next week. Buchanon can start practicing Monday.
Buchanon has not been able to work out at the facility since the regular season began. When Buchanon left, he had an injured shoulder.
“We’ll see how he is with that shoulder, see what type of conditioning he’s in and then make a decision what direction we’ll go,” coach Mike Shanahan said. “We couldn’t talk to him while he was gone but we gave him a plan, stay in shape, take care of his injury.”
The Redskins have five corners on the roster: Josh Wilson, DeAngelo Hall, Kevin Barnes, Byron Westbrook and Brandyn Thompson. There’s a chance one of the latter three will be cut. Or they could cut at another position – they have four tight ends, for example.
Barnes, in his third season, has served as the nickel corner. Westbrook is a good special teams player. The defensive staff likes Thompson’s potential.
“They’ve stepped up and shown they can play,” Shanahan said of the backup corners. “Every game you’ve seen them get better. It’s been a big plus for us.”
…Ryan Torain has not carried the ball in the first three games. Shanahan said it’s not a matter of being difficult to get three backs action; rather, it’s about the other two backs being productive. Shanahan had told ESPN980 on Friday that there was a chance he was going to insert Torain into the Dallas game if starter Tim Hightower continued to have issues with his footing.
“The reason a guy gets an opportunity is when someone else is not productive,” Shanahan said. “But if one guy can handle the load, he can handle the load. Now it’s tougher to carry 25 to 30 times. Not only do you have to do a certain job on first and second downs, but on third down you have to catch, you have to handle the blitz. Not many people can do it all.”
That’s where Hightower has the advantage over both Torain and rookie Roy Helu.
…Former Denver assistant coach Mike Heimerdinger, a longtime friend of Shanahan’s, died Friday night. Heimerdinger was diagnosed with cancer last November. Shanahan and Heimerdinger were roommates and teammates at Eastern Illinois in the 1970s.
“We lost a very special person and my best friend in Mike Heimerdinger,” Shanahan said in a statement. “I know the man upstairs needed a superstar so he took him earlier than we all wanted. His love for his family was unprecedented and I will forever miss him.”
…Shanahan spoke to the media Saturday morning, a rarity. But he had to fulfill a league requirement that he speaks four times with the media during the week. He opted not to do so Tuesday following the Monday night loss (this was decided long before the game) because he wanted to focus on preparing for the Rams.
