Redskins back has third-degree separation of left groin
ASHBURN – Clinton Portis already figured he would miss one week. Turns out he’ll miss a lot more than that.
Portis will miss four to six weeks with a third-degree separation of his left groin. However, coach Mike Shanahan said Portis would not need surgery to reattach the groin to the bone.
Though there will be speculation about Portis’ season possibly being over, Shanahan is confident that isn’t the case.
“It’s a temporary setback,” ?Shanahan said. “Clinton is tough, and he’ll get a lot of rehab. Hopefully it’ll be four weeks rather than six weeks.”
Portis suffered the injury during Washington’s 17-12 win over Philadelphia on Sunday. He returned for one play in the fourth quarter and re-injured the groin.
“He was tough enough to go back in,” Shanahan said. “He was working so hard and playing so well that he had that setback.”
Portis, who renegotiated his contract in 2008, is signed through 2013. His base salary for next season is $8.25 million. If there’s no salary cap, then the Redskins easily could cut him with no ramifications. Portis is 681 yards from surpassing John Riggins as the franchise’s all-time leading rusher. He’s also 109 yards shy of 10,000 for his career.
Portis has been Washington’s top running back since arriving in a 2004 trade from Denver. He’ll be replaced by Ryan Torain, with Chad Simpson, signed Sept. 21, elevated to the No. 2 position. Torain, on the practice squad for the first two games, and Simpson have combined for 70 NFL carries.
“It’s been a lot of hard work to get to this point in my life,” Torain said. “There has been a lot of waiting and a lot of patience. Now I’ve just got to take advantage of the opportunity.”
The Redskins will sign another running back, possibly promoting Keiland Williams from the practice squad. Williams spent the first three weeks on the active roster before getting cut last week.
Shanahan said the Redskins also could sign a back from outside the organization. Both Larry Johnson and Willie Parker, in camp this summer with Washington, remain available.
The knock on Torain has been durability. Since his senior year at Arizona State, Torain has missed games because of his toe, elbow and knee. He also sprained a knee in Denver’s training camp last summer, causing him to miss the season.
“A lot of those injuries have been freak injuries,” said Shanahan, who drafted Torain in the fifth round in 2008. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in Ryan. … I could tell you that when he was there as a rookie in Denver that he’s got it. He’s a top back in the National Football League. There’s no question about it. Now can he stay healthy?”
Losing Portis also robs Washington of its best pass protector. Simpson hasn’t handled that role in the NFL, while Torain did some this past weekend. Williams, a rookie, did more of that in the first three games and handled that role at LSU.
“We have a lot of guys that have some experience in our system picking up blitzes,” Shanahan said. “We should be all right at that position.”
Receiver Santana Moss said, “We’ll miss Clinton, but that’s why you have guys backing him up. Those guys can do it, too.”
