The Sports Xchange

RICHMOND, Va. — After a third practice day against the Houston Texans was aborted Saturday following a brawl, Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden reconciled his disappointment with pragmatism.

“We’re a little bit banged up and we need this day off … for our players to recover, (but) I do wish we had that practice,” Gruden said Saturday before the team took Sunday off, as scheduled. “We had some red zone, some two-minute, some great situational work we were going to do today. Unfortunately, we didn’t get it done. (But) we had two excellent days against them, and I appreciate them coming.”

Gruden said that the brawl won’t dissuade him from conducting joint practices in the future.

“The only thing I’ll rethink is going three straight days in pads,” he said. “Against New England last year, we were probably (in pads for) two days and then we went in shorts the day before a game. Three days in a row is probably too much. (Practicing) the third day in shorts, there’s no way they can really fight because there’s no contact.”

The scuffles involved Washington fullbacks Darrel Young and Jordan Campbell, receivers Pierre Garcon and Andre Roberts and defensive lineman Chris Baker before the full-fledged brawl ensued.

“Injuries take place,” Gruden said. “Obviously, it wasn’t a good situation, but we missed an opportunity to get better . … against a good team.”

Gruden said the Redskins, who went 4-12 in 2014, benefited from the two days of work with the Texans, who went 9-7.

“We got great work for a lot of young guys,” Gruden said. “We got (young offensive linemen Brandon) Scherff and Morgan Moses (going against reigning Defensive Player of the Year) J.J. Watt. We got quarterbacks seeing a different scheme. We got a lot of great work for young defensive backs, young defensive linemen. Sometimes when you’re going against each other all throughout training camp, you don’t really have a sense of how well they’re doing because they’re going against the same guys all the time. But when we go against different people, it’s a great measuring stick.”

On Saturday, rookie running back Matt Jones slightly reinjured the knee that kept him out a couple of days earlier in the week. Otherwise, Washington’s slew of injuries happened in the days before the brawl.

Before the second day of the joint practices, the Redskins were without their top four cornerbacks when Chris Culliver and DeAngelo Hall (each with a groin) and David Amerson (shoulder) followed the previously injured Bashaud Breeland (knee) onto the shelf. That left rookie free agents Tajh Hasson and just-signed journeyman Bryan McCann as the top corners outside with Justin Rogers manning the nickel position.

Adding to the injury woes, top receiver DeSean Jackson was expected to miss a week or two after spraining a shoulder, while Jeron Johnson, competing to start at strong safety, was expected to miss a week with a hamstring.

Outside linebacker candidate Trevardo Williams was expected to miss two weeks with a hamstring ailment. Rookie outside linebacker Preston Smith (groin) and rookie receiver/return man Jamison Crowder (hamstring) seem less seriously injured. Safety Akeem Davis didn’t miss any time, choosing to practice with a cast on the thumb he broke in camp.

“We have some issues, and we’ll just have to deal with them,” Gruden said in the understatement of the week.

–After the Redskins cut veteran right guard Chris Chester in May, second-year lineman Spencer Long started in that spot with Scherff next to him at right tackle. But last week, Scherff — who last played guard as a redshirt freshman at Iowa in 2011 — slid into Long’s spot with Moses taking over at right tackle.

“We’re just going to go out here and give these guys reps, like (offensive line coach Bill) Callahan said, ‘Cross-train them,’ and then let the exhibition games take care of themselves,” Gruden said. “We’ll make our decisions for (the Sept. 13 opener against) Miami. That’s definitely a possibility with Morgan at right tackle and Brandon at right guard.”

–Phillip Thomas was a promising rookie safety in 2013, but the fourth-round draft choice’s season ended almost before it began with a Lisfranc injury to his left foot in the preseason opener at Tennessee.

Last year, Thomas played in eight games after being promoted from the practice squad at midseason. However, he struggled, especially in pass coverage.

A new defensive staff was hired this winter, and after the Redskins traded for two-time Pro Bowl safety Dashon Goldson, signed Johnson and drafted Kyshoen Jarrett in the sixth round, Thomas found himself on the third team. On Aug. 5, Thomas was cut, ending the Washington career of the safety who led the nation in interceptions as a Fresno State senior in 2012.

Thomas signed with Miami on Monday.

The Redskins also placed rookie cornerback Tevin Mitchel on the waived-injured list four days after the sixth-rounder from Arkansas tore a labrum.

To replace Thomas and Mitchel, Washington signed former Baltimore, Dallas, Oakland, Miami and Arizona cornerback McCann and rookie free agent corner DreQuan Hoskey. The Redskins were short on corners with Breeland out four to six weeks with a sprained MCL and Amerson sidelined for a few days with a sprained AC joint.

–With the new right side and with fourth-round draft choice Arie Kouandjio pushing underwhelming left guard Shawn Lauvao, Callahan doesn’t have many pillars to count on up front. However, left tackle Trent Williams, a Pro Bowl pick the past three seasons, is the exception.

“I love Trent and the way he works,” Callahan said. “He’s adopted everything that we’ve asked him to do. He’s always got good questions, (and) he can pick out a nuance here and there that maybe I haven’t seen … or bring something from his toolbox that I can learn from.

“Players like Trent, that are instinctual, that have really good anticipation and have athleticism to react naturally, you can always learn things … about how he sees the world as opposed to just coming from a coach all the time, which is huge. I’m just real fortunate to be around a player like that.”

Still, Callahan, who has helped several linemen develop into Pro Bowl selections, thinks he can help Williams improve.

“You’re always striving to get better in your run blocking, your pass protection, trying to change up your set angles … maybe where he puts his hands or how he’s striking with his hands, maybe it’s about countering,” Callahan said.