“It’s a tough injury for him,” Gruden said at the NFL annual meeting on Wednesday. “He’s one of those kids that you want to have around also but we’ll have to wait and see. Hopefully he’ll continue to see the doctor and the nerve specialist and things will change, but right now we’re a little concerned.

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“He’ll do everything he can to be ready, I’ll tell you that. The kid loves, loves, loves football and wants to get out there fast.”

Cornerback Chris Culliver is still recovering from torn ligaments in his right knee. He suffered the injury on Thanksgiving, and Gruden expects he’ll be ready by Week 1. The injuries to Culliver and Jarrett have created a depth problem in the secondary with the team thin at both cornerback and safety. Gruden expects the Redskins to acquire a few more players in the secondary over the next month either through free agency, the draft or rookie free agency. There’s also a possibility the team could also bring back veteran safety Dashon Goldson, who was released earlier this month. He was due to make $8 million in 2016.

“That had a lot to do with it,” said Gruden of Goldson’s salary. “We haven’t shut the door yet on Dashon. I know there’s been some talks there also. That’s Scot [McCloughan] and Eric Schaffer’s doing right there, and we’re going to wait and see what happens with him.”

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There’s a chance outside linebacker Junior Galette, who re-signed on a one-year deal worth up to $4.1 million, could participate at the start of offseason practices but the team will likely hold him back until minicamp or even training camp. Galette is recovering from a torn Achilles’ tendon he suffered during training camp last year. Gruden knows Galette has been eager to get back on the field, but he wants to ease him back in.

“He’s one of the horses that comes out of the gate like that and if you let him, he’ll die coming down the stretch,” Gruden said. “We’ll have to control him a little bit and hold back the reins, but he’ll be fine.”

Running back Matt Jones had hip surgery during the offseason, and Gruden expects that he’ll be ready to go in May. The third-round pick out of Florida displayed flashes as a rookie in 13 games, gaining 794 total yards and four touchdowns.

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“We’re excited about Matt,” Gruden said. “I’m glad he got it taken care of. You see it bothering him a little bit down the stretch, and you’re wondering if there’s anything really wrong with him or not. You find out there really is, and we got it fixed and addressed. I think he’ll come back ready to roll.”

Gruden said guard Shawn Lauvao should be ready by either minicamp or training camp. He was placed on injured reserve in Week 3 because of a lateral sprain in his left ankle, but Lauvao underwent five procedures to clean up other foot issues. Tight end Niles Paul will likely be out until training camp as well as he continues to recover from an ankle injury he suffered during the preseason last year.

“It’s just a matter of him getting his strength back in his legs and obviously getting his weight back to where it was,” Gruden said. “He was close to 255-260 pounds I think before he got hurt. He was as strong as an ox, and we’ve just got to make sure he gets back to that strength level and see where he is.”

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When Paul does return, Gruden said he plans to use him at fullback in addition to tight end. The team moved on from Darrel Young, who is an unrestricted free agent, and Gruden likes Paul’s versatility in the backfield as a blocker.

“That’s ideal,” Gruden said. “I think you can gain a spot on offense also and either dress a fourth tight end-slash-fullback or dress three tight ends and one of those tight ends can play fullback. You can then open up another spot for either a sixth wide receiver that’s a special teams guy, a third quarterback if you need one, a fourth running back, some defensive player like an extra corner or a special teams player.”

The Redskins have expressed interest in signing veteran Vernon Davis because of injuries to Paul and Derek Carrier, who doesn’t have a timetable after suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 14. The Redskins re-signed Logan Paulsen, who underwent season-ending toe surgery in August, but they could use another body to go with Jordan Reed and Marcel Jensen.