“We’ve given him the freedom to take care of the situation that he has at home,” Redskins coach Jim Zorn said. “He has a very sick daughter; he has gone home to visit her and to take care of some of the difficult situations that is happening there.”

In his absence, tight ends coach Rennie Simmons and offensive coordinator Sherman Smith will coach the offensive line. Offensive assistant Bill Khayat will work with special teams and the tight ends.

Bugel’s daughter has been dealing with this since last year, though he kept it private until late last season. The Redskins have had to deal with numerous personal tragedies in the past year, most notably the death of safety Sean Taylor.

“Joe called me Sunday morning. I didn’t know what to say to him,” Simmons said. “Everybody that I know of has had Holly on their prayer list for a year and a half or two years that she’s had cancer. Jim talked to the whole team. We’ve just got to deal with it. Joe’s family and it hurts.”

Meanwhile, tight end Todd Yoder will miss a few days to attend the funeral of his grandmother.

There was happier news for defensive lineman Lorenzo Alexander, whose wife was in labor Monday.

On the field, rookie receiver Devin Thomas returned to full practice for the first time since pulling his hamstring on July 24. He looked rusty, dropping one pass. But he also planted and cut well on other routes.

“We still need to be careful,” Zorn said. “But it’s good to have him back. He’s going to play in the preseason, if it’s this game or the next game. It depends on how he works in this week.”

Said Thomas, the Redskins first pick in April, “It’s a mental thing; I know it’s healthy so I’ve just gotta keep fighting through it. I’m a couple steps behind so I have to get with the older guys and get with my coach and try to focus. I’ll be right back in step.”

The Redskins cut linebacker Kevin Huntley and, Zorn said, might re-sign defensive end Dorian Smith.