Meanwhile, defensive end Kendall Reyes also is questionable because of a groin injury. Reyes has missed the past two games because of the same injury and practiced in a limited capacity this week.

Ruled out, as expected, are cornerback Bashaud Breeland (ankle), left guard Shawn Lauvao (ankle), wide receiver Josh Doctson (Achilles’ tendon) and defensive back Dashaun Phillips.

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Cornerback Josh Norman returned to action a day after missing Thursday’s practice because of illness.

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Lauvao’s absence means that second-year pro Arie Kouandjio will make the first start of his career, taking over at left guard with Long now starting at center.

Kouandjio, a former DeMatha standout and fourth-round pick out of Alabama, appeared in three games last season, playing on the field goal unit. He was not in uniform for the first three games of this season while stuck behind Lauvao, right guard Brandon Scherff and Long, the game-day backup at guard and center.

When Lauvao and center Kory Lichtensteiger left last weeks’ game because of injuries, coaches inserted Long at center, slid left tackle Trent Williams over to left guard and played backup Ty Nsekhe at left tackle. But Gruden said the 6-foot-5, 325-pound Kouandjio had a good week of practice and looks ready mentally and physically.

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“He’s a big guy, number one. He’s strong; he’s physical,” Gruden said. “He’s played behind a couple of pretty good guards with Lauvao and Long, [Brandon] Scherff. He’s just been waiting his turn, continuing to get better, working in practice and now he’s got an opportunity like a lot of guys in the National Football League, via injury or something else. Now it’s his chance for him to show what he has. He knows the system. Like I said, smart, big and physical.”

Kouandjio has played in the preseason the past two years, but this represents the first official start since his senior year at Alabama in 2014.

“It’s going to be awesome,” Kouandjio said. “I haven’t played since ‘Bama, so it’s going to be exciting to be out there, running and hitting. It feels great knowing you’re going to be in so you can mentally prepare yourself. No jitters. Just excited. I feel great.”

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Meanwhile, Long – a third-round pick out of Nebraska in 2014 – will make his first start at center after starting 13 games at left guard last season. The 6-foot-5, 324-pound Long spent the offseason learning the center position and played 38 snaps at center last week when Lichtensteiger got hurt.

The Redskins this week signed former Vikings starting center John Sullivan, however, Long has the coaches’ confidence despite his inexperience.

“He’s done good,” Gruden said. “He’s done really well. He’s progressed nicely without a doubt. But, you know, he’s played a half of football at center, really. A little bit, I think he might’ve played last year. So, we’ll see how he does from a consistency standpoint, and that’s the big challenge for him – play-in and play-out with snaps, the cadence, the calls. I have total faith that he can do it. It’ll be a challenge for him, and I think he can do it, and I know he’s confident in his ability to do it. So, just got to go out and execute.”

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Coaches and team officials have viewed Long as a potential answer there with Lichtensteiger having battled injuries the last two years and having only one more year left on his contract. Now he gets a chance to prove himself.

“I’m really excited,” Long said. “Going in last week, I went in without many team reps, but I got them all this week, so that really helps me mentally. I feel confident. I’m ready to go. It’s going to be fun.”

Another young player will get an opportunity to prove himself in a larger role on Sunday as rookie Kendall Fuller remains the plan to replace Phillips at nickelback. The Redskins obviously would prefer to have their healthy veterans, but Gruden said he is, however, looking forward to seeing the young prospects in action.

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“You never want to to see anybody hurt or play for injury-type reasons, but on the flip side of that, you’re excited to see those guys play, really,” the coach said. “Especially Fuller and Arie. Those guys have worked extremely hard, and they’ve shown some great promise and they’ve shown the ability to be good players. So, we’ll see how they do when the lights cut on, and I have total confidence in them. And that’s the important thing when you practice, and you have to make sure you understand that the guys who aren’t playing, they have to have themselves ready to play at all times. So, I think the good thing about our group is even the guys who haven’t got an opportunity yet, they’re continuing to work and when their opportunity comes, we’re hopeful they take advantage of it, like Fuller and Kouandjio and the rest of the gang.”