According to agent Ben Dogra, who represents Orakpo, the MRI exam taken Sunday by Orakpo showed the injury to be “nothing serious at all.” Dogra expressed confidence that Orakpo will be in the Redskins’ lineup when the regular season begins Sept. 9 at New Orleans, adding: “He will be ready for the opener.”
Orakpo grabbed his left arm as he fell to the ground following a first-half tackle attempt on Bears wide receiver Devin Hester, and he had his shoulder wrapped after being helped to the sideline.
Orakpo said after the game that the injury could be related to the torn pectoral muscle he suffered on the same side in the final game last season. He underwent offseason surgery. Orakpo expressed optimism late Saturday that this injury wasn’t severe, saying it might have been related to scar tissue in his shoulder and pectoral area. Orakpo is among the Redskins’ most indispensable players on defense and was their top pass rusher and sack leader last season.
Another person familiar with the results of Orakpo’s MRI confirmed that the test showed no significant damage.
Meriweather’s MRI exam revealed no serious damage to his knee, according to that person. The Redskins, who are scheduled to return to the practice field Monday, did not provide an official update about either injury.
Meriweather was injured on a touchdown run by Bears tailback Michael Bush. The Redskins signed Meriweather as a free agent in the offseason and he has been one of the team’s two starters at safety in training-camp practices and through two preseason games.
The Redskins’ secondary already had its issues even before Meriweather’s injury was factored in. Bears quarterbacks Jay Cutler and Jason Campbell combined for 224 first-half passing yards Saturday.
But the pass defense wasn’t the only problem while the starters still were on the field. Another area of concern when training camp began — the ability of the offensive line to protect rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III — also showed up Saturday. Griffin was sacked three times in the first half as the starters exited with a 20-10 halftime deficit.
“It was part of the learning curve for everybody,” Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garcon said after the game. “We played against a good defense today. They did well. We’ll see what we did on tape and try to learn from it and see what we can get better at. It was a good learning experience for us.”
The Redskins remained without three injured starters on their offensive line. Right guard Chris Chester could return soon from his absence due to a sprained ankle, and the Redskins hope to have left guard Kory Lichtensteiger back from arthroscopic knee surgery in time for the regular season opener. But the playing status of right tackle Jammal Brown remains unclear as he undergoes treatment on his ailing hip and he and the Redskins cross their fingers that he can avoid another hip surgery.
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