Carolina Panthers

Washington Redskins Injury Report: Su'a Cravens, Will Compton Likely Out

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 12:03 a.m. ET

Fansided, Jacob Camenker/FanSided via Riggo's Rag

The Washington Redskins are looking to be healthier in Week 15 than they have been in previous weeks. However, the team is still likely to be without a couple of key players on the defensive side.

Over the course of the past two games, the Washington Redskins have endured quite a few injuries. In Week 14, they were without as many as three starters, and star tight end Jordan Reed could barely play due to a shoulder injury. Coming into Week 15, things are looking better for the Redskins, but they are not entirely healed.

The middle of the Redskins defense is looking pretty weak. That is because middle linebackers Su’a Cravens and Will Compton are likely going to miss the game against the Panthers. Cravens suffered and elbow injury in the win over the Eagles while Compton was helped off with a knee issue late in the contest. On Friday, Compton was on the field, but was extremely limited. Cravens was not seen, and is likely to be out for the Monday night matchup.

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The likely absence of the duo is going to push second year man Martrell Spaight into a much bigger role. Prior to Week 14, Spaight had only logged a total of seven defensive snaps. Then, he had to play 38 last week after the two players went down. Spaight is not as talented as Compton or Cravens, but he certainly has some athletic upside. If he can do well enough in coverage to mask Mason Foster’s deficiencies, he should be a decent enough replacement. Terence Garvin will also see an increase in playing time as the third linebacker.

Elsewhere, the team is likely to get the three missing starters from the prior week back. Safety Will Blackmon and center Spencer Long have both cleared concussion protocol, and they figure to be ready to go. Guard Shawn Lauvao has also been practicing all week, so it seems that his ankle injury will no longer inhibit him. Early reports have indicated that he will in fact be the starter at left guard. Some had been wondering if the team would opt to use him in a bench role due to his struggles, but he will remain the starter.

Finally, it appears that tight end Jordan Reed will be playing in this game. It will be interesting to see how the team elects to use him. In the previous game, he logged only 10 snaps as he is dealing with an AC joint separation. If the joint is further healed, he could see the field a lot more in the game versus the Panthers. That would be greatly beneficial to the Redskins team.