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Matt Ioannidis to have hand surgery, could return later in the season

By Jacob Camenker

LANDOVER, MD - OCTOBER 15: Matthew Ioannidis #98 of the Washington Redskins celebrates a sack on quarterback Brian Hoyer #2 of the San Francisco 49ers (not pictured) during the first quarter at FedExField on October 15, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - OCTOBER 15: Matthew Ioannidis #98 of the Washington Redskins celebrates a sack on quarterback Brian Hoyer #2 of the San Francisco 49ers (not pictured) during the first quarter at FedExField on October 15, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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The Washington Redskins have suffered many injuries in the past few weeks. Matt Ioannidis is the latest player to go down.

It doesn’t seem that the Washington Redskins can catch a break right now. In the past few weeks, the team has lost countless players to injuries and the damage kept happening on Sunday. This week, the team lost defensive end Matt Ioannidis to an injury that could sideline him for a while.

According to the Redskins official Twitter, Ioannidis suffered a hand fracture and while h could return later this season, it appears that he will be out for a bit. At the very least, he will not play this week against the Seattle Seahawks. This is the second major injury that the Redskins have suffered on their defensive line in recent weeks.

Against the 49ers, the Redskins lost rookie sensation Jonathan Allen to a Lisfranc injury. Allen was placed on Injured Reserve, and the team’s defensive line hasn’t be the same in the two games since his absence. Adding Ioannidis to the inactives is going to make it harder for the team to find success this season.

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In his second NFL season, Ioannidis was having a breakout season. Totaling 3.5 sacks in the first five contests, Ioannidis looked to have found a role with the team as a dynamic pass rusher. He had played nearly equivalent snaps to Allen at the time that the rookie went down. After Allen went down, Ioannidis was expected to become the top defensive linemen. He had some success in that role in the first couple contests, but now he won’t be out there.

Without Ioannidis, the Redskins defensive line is going to be in dire straights. They will have lost their two best defensive linemen along with nose tackle Phil Taylor and they don’t have much left in reserve. Terrell McClain will likely be forced into the starting lineup while Anthony Lanier will become the only reserve lineman on the team at the moment. That’s all they have. Those two, Stacy McGee, and Ziggy Hood.

Next: Redskins Breakdown for Week 8 vs. Cowboys

The team will almost certainly look to add some more depth at the position, and it seems likely that A.J. Francis will be re-signed to serve as the fifth defensive lineman. One thing is certain: without Ioannidis, the Redskins defense will continue to regress. Greg Manusky can only do so much to patch the weaknesses, and it will be very hard for the defense to continued to do well with all the injuries they have.

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