Cornelius Griffin is out; Shawn Springs will join him on the sidelines and Malcolm Kelly’s season is hanging by a thread.
Griffin, who has played the past two games with a sprained right shoulder, will not play against Detroit. Anthony Montgomery will replace him at defensive tackle. Springs also will sit out a second consecutive game because of a left calf injury.
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“He has to last through the season so we’re just going to give him a rest,” Redskins coach Jim Zorn said of Griffin.
He said he hopes one week of rest, combined with the Nov. 9 bye week, will enable Griffin to last the rest of the season.
As for Kelly, the rookie receiver will miss the next two games because of his injured left knee. He’s had it drained three times and might require surgery at some point. Zorn said the Redskins will test his knee again during the bye week. If it responds as it has thus far — with swelling — then he’ll be placed on injured reserve.
“It’s worth the effort because if he responds well then we have a real good combination of five receivers that we can use in the playoffs, if we earn that right,” Zorn said. “If he was just a guy maybe we would just put him down right now because he can’t really help us. But Malcolm can help us.”
Also, defensive end Jason Taylor (calf), safety Chris Horton (ankle), corner Fred Smoot (groin) and corner Carlos Rogers (ankle) did not practice. All are expected to play. Running back Clinton Portis (hip) was limited, though he did not work in pads.
