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Quinton Dunbar is dealing with nerve damage in his injured shin that held him out of Sunday’s win over the Dallas Cowboys. The Washington Redskins cornerback underwent tests earlier this week. Following Wednesday’s practice head coach Jay Gruden said Dunbar will try to run tomorrow to test the injured shin, according to John Keim of ESPN. Gruden added he does not know what to expect with Dunbar’s injury.
Michael Phillips of Richmond-Times Dispatch added that Dunbar called the injury “weird” while saying his leg will give out while running.
Chatted with Quinton Dunbar for a bit. Says it's a weird injury because he'll be running and the leg will just give out on him. Has tried lots of things, is hopeful it heals on its own.
— michael phillips (@michaelpRTD) October 24, 2018
Dunbar was injured last week in practice when he was stepped on. He was a late addition to the injury report ahead of the game against Dallas. He worked out with training staff hours before Sunday’s kickoff before being ruled out for the game.
The Redskins have relied on Dunbar’s emergence as an outside corner to power them to one of the best passing defenses in the NFL, ranking 13th against the pass and fifth in total yards.
Rookie seventh-round pick Greg Stroman started in Dunbar’s place against the Cowboys and did a respectable job. He did allow a 49-yard touchdown pass after being beat on a double move by Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup in the second quarter. However, he shook off the mistake to play well in the second half.
The Redskins seem confident in playing Stroman in Dunbar’s place, but Dunbar has established himself as one of the better cover corners in the league through the first half of the season. Currently he is the highest-graded cornerback for the Redskins according to Pro Football Focus. So, having him on the field rather than a late-round rookie would be ideal.
