With Taylor Out, Evans May Get the Start

It’s touch and go whether Jason Taylor will play in the Redskins’ opener against the Giants.

Taylor sprained his right knee in Saturday’s 47-3 exhibition loss to Carolina. An MRI performed Sunday relieved the Redskins’ fears of a more serious injury.

“It looks like there’s no ligament damage,” coach Jim Zorn said. “He could be out for 10 days or as much as two weeks. We are just waiting to see what type of a healer he’s going to be.”

Taylor’s availability is in doubt for the Sept. 4 Redskins-Giants game, which is the NFL’s Thursday night league opener. Longtime Redskins backup defensive end Demetric Evans and recently acquired Erasmus James would contend to start if Taylor can’t play.

Evans Moves Inside

Demetric Evans’ tenure as Washington’s starting left defensive end lasted less than seven hours - the time between the loss of Phillip Daniels to a season-ending torn ACL on the first day of training camp and the trade for six-time Pro Bowl pick Jason Taylor.

However, Evans benefited from those developments. Before they occurred, right end Andre Carter and linebacker Marcus Washington were the outside rushers on third downs, with Daniels moving inside. However, since Carter, Taylor and Washington are all considered too small to play tackle, Evans now takes the role Daniels can no longer fill.

“I’m excited about it,” said the 28-year-old, who’s entering his fifth year with Redskins. “I went into the offseason planning to compete to play inside on third downs, [focusing] less on the conditioning and running than I usually do. I worked a lot more on getting stronger so I could push the pocket and get upfield.”

Full Story: Washington Times