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ASHBURN, Va. (AP) -- Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis had surgery Monday on a broken bone in his right hand and is expected to be sidelined three to four weeks.
Portis had three screws inserts into the ring finger bone, which was broken late in the first quarter of Sunday's 27-3 loss to Philadelphia. He'll wear a cast for a week to help control swelling, then some kind of splint during the rest of his rehabilitation.
Portis conceivably could be done for the year. He's had four injuries in three months and isn't due to return until mid-December, when the Redskins (3-6) -- barring a turnaround -- will be well out of contention.
Portis was the team's offensive engine and lead personality during last year's playoff run. This year, he has been as inconsistent as the rest of the offense, partly because of his injuries and partly because of the team's adjustment to new offensive coach Al Saunders.
Portis has run for 523 yards on 127 carries. He's never had fewer than 1,315 yards or 273 carries in a season. He's had 25-plus carries just once this year, when he ran 27 times for 112 yards against Jacksonville in his only 100-yard game.
Portis partially dislocated his left shoulder making a tackle in the first preseason game, and he wasn't completely recovered when he played in the season opener and injured the shoulder again. He missed one game, then sprained an ankle in a loss to Tennessee five weeks later. All along, he expressed frustration over the pounding his body was taking and bewilderment over how he was being used by Saunders.
Portis' replacement is Ladell Betts, primarily a kickoff returner in seasons past. Betts is already having a career year with 366 yards rushing and 231 yards receiving on 30 receptions, only one catch behind team leader Santana Moss. Betts will make his fifth career start next week at Tampa Bay.
"It'll probably give me a chance to get used to being in the starting role," Betts said. "I look at it as a chance to go out and showcase what I can do and help this team gets some wins. Most running backs tend to be rhythm carriers, the more carries you get, the better you get. Hopefully that'll be the situation for me."
The Redskins will also get some overdue mileage out of T.J. Duckett, who has been mostly idle since being acquired him in a preseason trade. Duckett has only seven carries for 40 yards this season.
The Redskins reported one other injury from the Eagles game. Defensive end Phillip Daniels has a sprained wrist and will be limited in practice this week, but he is expected to play against the Buccaneers.
Portis had three screws inserts into the ring finger bone, which was broken late in the first quarter of Sunday's 27-3 loss to Philadelphia. He'll wear a cast for a week to help control swelling, then some kind of splint during the rest of his rehabilitation.
Portis conceivably could be done for the year. He's had four injuries in three months and isn't due to return until mid-December, when the Redskins (3-6) -- barring a turnaround -- will be well out of contention.
Portis was the team's offensive engine and lead personality during last year's playoff run. This year, he has been as inconsistent as the rest of the offense, partly because of his injuries and partly because of the team's adjustment to new offensive coach Al Saunders.
Portis has run for 523 yards on 127 carries. He's never had fewer than 1,315 yards or 273 carries in a season. He's had 25-plus carries just once this year, when he ran 27 times for 112 yards against Jacksonville in his only 100-yard game.
Portis partially dislocated his left shoulder making a tackle in the first preseason game, and he wasn't completely recovered when he played in the season opener and injured the shoulder again. He missed one game, then sprained an ankle in a loss to Tennessee five weeks later. All along, he expressed frustration over the pounding his body was taking and bewilderment over how he was being used by Saunders.
Portis' replacement is Ladell Betts, primarily a kickoff returner in seasons past. Betts is already having a career year with 366 yards rushing and 231 yards receiving on 30 receptions, only one catch behind team leader Santana Moss. Betts will make his fifth career start next week at Tampa Bay.
"It'll probably give me a chance to get used to being in the starting role," Betts said. "I look at it as a chance to go out and showcase what I can do and help this team gets some wins. Most running backs tend to be rhythm carriers, the more carries you get, the better you get. Hopefully that'll be the situation for me."
The Redskins will also get some overdue mileage out of T.J. Duckett, who has been mostly idle since being acquired him in a preseason trade. Duckett has only seven carries for 40 yards this season.
The Redskins reported one other injury from the Eagles game. Defensive end Phillip Daniels has a sprained wrist and will be limited in practice this week, but he is expected to play against the Buccaneers.
