Washington Redskins Barry Cofield likely out at least three weeks

Washington Redskins nose tackle Barry Cofield left the first half of yesterday’s loss to the Houston Texans with an ankle injury, and he was unable to return. While the injury of gravest concern to the Redskins remains young star TE Jordan Reed’s multi-week hamstring injury, the Redskins do have other weapons on offense, most namely Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson. The defensive line, however, is a point of weakness in the depth department, and only Jason Hatcher, who shined big-time yesterday, is a true difference-maker up front.

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Phin Phanatic

The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that we should expect Cofield to miss at least three weeks, as he confirms that the veteran defensive tackle is dealing with a high-ankle sprain. It’s a nasty injury indeed, and I think his timeline might be closer to four-to-six weeks, but it all depends on how severe the ailment is overall.

Cofield has sports hernia surgery over the offseason, and it’s a significant loss for the Redskins given his steady ability. He’s not an ideal fit in a three-man front, but he can collapse the pocket and somewhat plug up running lanes as a nose. I’d like to see him move to a 4-3 defense as a DT before he retires, but he’s a key cog in the Redskins defensive line as it stands right now.