A Busy First Day at Redskins Training Camp

By Brian Hunsicker

Published: July 20, 2008

ASHBURN—The injuries and the adversity of 2007 were supposed to be behind the Washington Redskins.

On the opening day of training camp, players that missed varying parts of the season—Jon Jansen, Randy Thomas, Carlos Rogers, Rocky McIntosh and Jason Campbell—were back on the field, running through drills and looking like they did a year ago at this time.

Yet Sunday ended with two defensive ends headed for injured reserve, ending their season, and a trade that will bring a six-time Pro Bowler to Washington.

Jason Taylor, at odds with the new Bill Parcells-led regime in Miami, was acquired by the Redskins on Sunday. Washington gave up two draft picks, a second-rounder in 2009 and a sixth-round pick in 2010, to acquire the 12th-year veteran.

Executive vice president Vinny Cerrato said he expected Taylor to report today.

Taylor's arrival will help alleviate the sudden hole at defensive end.

On the first play of seven-on-seven drills, Phillip Daniels tried to hop over someone, landed awkwardly and was carted off the field, holding a towel over his face for most of the ride.

Later in the day, the extent of his injury became known: torn ligaments, claiming a season before it ever really began. In Sunday's second practice, reserve defensive end Alex Buzbee ruptured his Achilles' tendon. His season is likely over, too.

Daniels' worst-case injury is a serious blow to a defensive unit trying to feel its way after losing key contributors last season.

Daniels has missed only one game in the past three seasons, racking up 13.5 sacks and 168 tackles in that time. The injury to Buzbee, a second-year player from Georgetown, left the Redskins with six defensive ends on the roster before the Taylor trade.

Last year, Buzbee spent 14 games on the Redskins' practice squad. Though he was promoted in December, Buzbee was inactive for the season's final three games, including the playoff loss in Seattle.

Erasmus James, a defensive end acquired in the offseason from Minnesota, did not practice Sunday morning. James, recovering from a knee injury suffered in December, observed defensive line drills and ran under the supervision of the team's training staff.

That left Andre Carter, who started all 17 games a year ago, with reserve Demetric Evans and Chris Wilson, a pass-rush specialist last season. Seventh-round pick Rob Jackson and third-year player Kevin Huntley as the only remaining defensive ends on the roster.

Taylor brings depth and production; he holds the Dolphins' franchise records in sacks, consecutive games played and consecutive games started.

The injuries place a burden on a defensive unit that has several other members returning from season-ending knee injuries. Rogers, a cornerback coming off of a knee injury he suffered in late October, took part in drills that forced him to break on balls and make an interception.

"We're going to try to hold him back," Zorn said after the morning practice, "because we want to make sure when he does have to really push off and actually play in a reaction and a response, he can do it all. So right now, we're trying to be very careful with how much he does."

McIntosh, the Redskins' weakside linebacker, also suffered a knee injury, though it was nearly two months later than Rogers.

There was some question whether McIntosh would return in time for the start of training camp, but on Sunday he was active as the linebacking corps went through their drills, covering running backs in the flat and popping the sled.