The Sports Xchange

RICHMOND, Va. — The Washington Redskins came to training camp with three tight ends who had started at least 11 games during the past two seasons. Before they had completed their 20-17 preseason-opening victory in Cleveland on Thursday night, the Redskins were down all three of those tight ends, two of them for the season.

Fifth-year man Niles Paul, who had just been anointed the starter by head coach Jay Gruden earlier in the week, suffered a season-ending fractured and dislocated left ankle before halftime. Blocking specialist Logan Paulsen, who started 36 of 48 games the last three seasons, will also have season-ending surgery on Monday after tearing a ligament in his right big toe on Aug. 6. Talented receiving type Jordan Reed was inactive against Cleveland because of yet another one in a series of hamstring injuries and remained out when the Redskins returned to practice on Saturday.

“(Niles is) a great player who has worked so hard to get where he is,” Gruden said. “And he’s a great leader for this football team. He’s going to be OK, but it’s a major loss. Niles was emerging to be a true all-around tight end. It puts a lot of pressure on us, but we’ll have to make do.”

Minus those three, Washington is left at tight end with only Chase Dixon, Je’Ron Hamm and undrafted rookie Devin Mahina, none of whom has ever played a regular-season snap. Gruden said that Redskins will likely work out some tight ends, but that the young players who have been with the team all offseason will be the likely replacements for Paul and Paulsen. Backup tackle Tom Compton, who has played some tight end in jumbo packages, is being considered for Paulsen’s role.

“Someone is going to have step up,” said starting quarterback Robert Griffin III. “I don’t know who it’s going to be.”

Paul, drafted in the fifth round out of Nebraska as a receiver in 2011, tweeted, “This one is a tough pill to swallow. Finally got the opportunity I always wanted since I entered this league. Took me 4 years to get there.”

The Redskins also lost Silas Redd for the season. The second-year backup running back was carted off after fumbling on a play during which he tore his right ACL and MCL.

“It’s very unfortunate for Silas,” Gruden said. “He was having a good camp and making good progress.”

Despite losing Paul and Redd against the Browns and remaining minus deep threat DeSean Jackson (shoulder), Washington’s offense received strong performances from backup quarterback Kirk Cousins (12 of 14, 154 yards and a rushing touchdown), Pro Bowl running back Alfred Morris (eight carries, 42 yards) and his rookie backup, Matt Jones (five carries, 38 yards). The new right side of the line, with top draft pick Brandon Scherff at guard and second-year man Morgan Moses at tackle, also fared well.

However, in part because receiver Pierre Garcon dropped a long pass, Griffin was only so-so, completing 4 of 8 attempts for 36 yards and running once for three yards while generating just three points on his two series.

“Right now, Robert’s our guy and we’re happy with his progress,” said Gruden, whose offense more than doubled the yardage for the Browns’ attack, 368-170.

–New general manager Scot McCloughan bolstered a secondary that was awful in 2014 by trading for two-time Pro Bowl free safety Dashon Goldson and signing rising cornerback Chris Culliver and former Seattle reserve strong safety Jeron Johnson.

However, the starters didn’t have a good night in the preseason opener against a less than formidable Cleveland offense. Three-time Pro Bowl corner DeAngelo Hall was beaten twice on his first series since tearing his left Achilles in Week 3 of last year and Culliver was whistled for a 35-yard pass interference penalty that set up a touchdown pass on which Josh McCown had enough time to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame before releasing the ball. Duke Ihenacho, the leading strong safety candidate, was late getting to receiver Travis Benjamin in the end zone as McCown scrambled.

New starting defensive linemen Terrance Knighton and Stephen Paea and reserve Ricky Jean Francois, also McCloughan signees, didn’t seem to have much of an impact for new coordinator Joe Barry’s defense.

Bashaud Breeland, who was expected to compete with Hall to start after replacing him in 2014, is sidelined until Week 2 because of a knee injury and a suspension. Johnson, who is competing with Ihenacho, was out with a sore hamstring. And top outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan was given the night off, but Barry’s unit needs the next two preseason games against Detroit and Baltimore to jell before the starters rest in the summer finale prior to the Sept. 13 opener against Miami.

Johnson returned to practice on Saturday as did former starting corner David Amerson (shoulder). Ex-New Orleans standout outside linebacker Junior Galette, who is expected to start opposite Kerrigan after being signed on July 31, finally joined team drills on Saturday but isn’t likely to make his game debut until the Aug. 27 date at Baltimore as he continues to learn the defense and get in football shape.

“He brings a different type of burst and energy to the defense,” Gruden said of Galette, who had 22 sacks for the Saints the past two seasons, but was cut because of some behavior/anger management issues.