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Trent Williams dealing with a patella injury, deemed week-to-week

By Jacob Camenker

LANDOVER, MD - JANUARY 10: Tackle Trent Williams #71 of the Washington Redskins covers his face with a towel against the Green Bay Packers in the fourth quarter during the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at FedExField on January 10, 2016 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - JANUARY 10: Tackle Trent Williams #71 of the Washington Redskins covers his face with a towel against the Green Bay Packers in the fourth quarter during the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at FedExField on January 10, 2016 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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Trent Williams suffered what appeared to be a minor injury in Washington’s Week 4 loss to Kansas City. The Redskins star tackle is apparently dealing with a patella injury.

After remaining healthy for the start of the NFL season, the Washington Redskins got bit by the injury bug pretty badly in Weeks 3 and 4. In particular, the Redskins lost a boatload of players to maladies during their Week 4 matchup with the Chiefs. Both Josh Norman and Rob Kelley were knocked out of the game, but Trent Williams missed a couple of plays as well.

It was assumed that Williams was fine, as he returned to the game after being out for just one series. He looked solid on the field, so there was little concern that he was dealing with a bad injury. On Thursday night, the Redskins were able to get more clarity about Williams’ injury, and it could end up being a small problem.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Williams had an MRI that determined he was dealing with a patella injury. The knee issue is going to make Williams week-to-week, but the bright side is that he will not need surgery at the moment. Rapoport also mentioned that Williams could play in Week 6, the next contest after the Redskins bye.

However, despite the mostly positive prognosis, the Redskins need to be a bit concerned by the Williams injury. Patella injuries can be some of the worst for NFL players. In fact, tears of the patellar tendon are often harder for players to come back than ACL and MCL issues. Notably, Victor Cruz suffered a patellar tendon tear years ago that really sapped of his athletic ability. He was never the same after and he is not currently with a team as a result.

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Of course, there are examples of players successfully coming back from that kind of injury. Jimmy Graham is the most notable one right now, and he is still a solid NFL caliber tight end. So patella injuries are not the be all, end all for players.

It should be reiterated that Williams’ injury is minor as demonstrated by the fact that he will not need surgery. Williams could just need to rest the knee to avoid injuring it further. It’s quite possible that this will be a complete non-issue. The Redskins just have to be cautious with their approach, as they don’t want to risk Williams suffering a long term injury from something that could have been prevented.

If Williams misses time, the Redskins could have some issues. Ty Nsekhe is currently out with a core muscle injury, so the team would be forced to utilize T.J. Clemmings in a big role. Clemmings has upside and some experience, but he needs time to come into his own. He is too raw to be relied upon as a starter. For this reason, the Redskins really need to hope that Williams can suit up in Week 6.

Next: Grading the Redskins offense during the bye week

This is a fluid situation, but right now, Williams appears to be in okay shape. We will continue to provide updates on Williams’ status as the Redskins bye week goes along.

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