Pressed for more detail, Gruden made clear that he has no concern about Jackson’s readiness or fitness. The nine-year NFL veteran, who will turn 30 in December, missed the bulk of training camp as well as seven regular season games last season because of injury. He tallied a career-low 30 catches for 528 yards.

“We’re gonna coach the guys that are here,” Gruden said. “We’d love for ’em all to be here. But I trust the fact that when [Jackson] is not here, he’s getting his body ready to go. And he proved that the last couple days. He looked as fast as he has ever been, had great stamina, was in good shape, had great knowledge of the game and was a lot stronger than I’ve seen him before. DeSean is gonna be just fine.”

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Gruden said he expected Jackson to be a full participant in the team’s June 14-16 minicamp, which is mandatory for all players.

Jackson wasn’t the only high-profile target in quarterback Kirk Cousins’s arsenal not on the field during a blustery Wednesday at Redskins Park. Tight end Jordan Reed, who led the team with 87 receptions and 11 touchdowns last season, was held out of the non-contact drills for no particular reason, according to Gruden. “Nothing’s wrong,” the coach said.

And first-round draft pick Josh Doctson, the Texas Christian wide receiver who is considered a successor to Garcon or Jackson, both of whom are entering the final year of their contracts, continued to be sidelined by an injured foot.

Gruden had said last week that he hoped that Doctson would be cleared to practice this week. Doctson was dressed in uniform for the nearly two-hour session Wednesday but only observed.

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Offensive coordinator Sean McVay said that in the absence of practice, the mental work of observing drills and taking part in meetings was invaluable for any rookie, adding that Doctson was doing well in the classroom. “You can see he’s a real conscientious guy,” McVay said. “He was able to practice a couple days, where you see the flashes of why he was such a special player at TCU. We’re looking forward to getting him back on grass.”

Reed, meantime, looked on wearing street clothes.

Gruden downplayed Jackson’s absence, which came up three times during his post-practice interview. While conceding he’d like to have all players on the field at every practice, the coach noted that the absence of any one player meant more opportunity for another.

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On Wednesday, third-year wideout Ryan Grant and second-year wide receiver Rashad Ross took particular advantage, drawing kudos from Gruden for their work.