Arrington, Hall likely to remain out

The Washington Redskins once again are preparing for life without linebacker LaVar Arrington and kicker John Hall.

Both players sat out practice yesterday with injuries, and both are listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers. By NFL injury report standards, that means there is at least a 75 percent chance they won’t play.

It had been assumed that Hall’s recovery from a pulled groin muscle would take some time, but the Redskins entered this week expecting Arrington, who has had five weeks to recover from arthroscopic knee surgery, to play. Those hopes were dealt a blow on Monday when the linebacker tweaked his injured right knee and had to leave practice early.

Though the team initially did not consider Arrington’s aggravation a significant setback, it clearly has hindered his progress. Arrington, who has not played since Sept.20 against the Giants, was held out of practice yesterday and said he was scheduled to undergo another MRI on his knee.

Neither the Redskins nor Arrington will rule out the possibility of him playing Sunday, but the signs look ominous.

“It’s rough when you don’t practice,” coach Joe Gibbs said. “We were hoping he’d jump right out here and get going. But I think we got a little bit of a setback there, and we’re going to have to see how long it takes us.”

Redskins director of sports medicine Bubba Tyer said Arrington hurt himself Monday when his foot slipped on wet grass during a pre-practice running drill. Arrington was not scheduled to participate in Washington’s full, team practice, because the training staff was still concentrating on strengthening the quadriceps muscle above his injured knee.

“He wanted to practice so badly, because his knee felt good, although he still had swelling,” Tyer said. “His knee looks fine. But he needs more strength in his quad.”

The Redskins continue to say Arrington’s status is day-to-day, and though he said he could play Sunday even if he doesn’t practice all week, Gibbs rarely permits an injured player to do so.

“I don’t like having guys [on the game-day roster] unless they’re 100 percent ready to go,” Gibbs said.

Gibbs said it’s “very doubtful” that Hall will fall under that category in time for Sunday’s game. The veteran kicker, who was injured in practice three days before the Redskins’ last game, dressed in full pads for the first time yesterday and kicked 10 balls about 10 to 15 yards each.

With emergency kicker Ola Kimrin, who was 2-for-2 on field goal attempts in Hall’s stead at Chicago, still on the roster, Gibbs doesn’t want to take any chances letting an injured Hall kick against the Packers.

“If your kicker goes down again, you’ve got a real chance to lose a game,” he said. “If you can’t kick field goals up here, you’ve got a problem.”

The injury news wasn’t all bad for Washington yesterday — linebacker Mike Barrow participated in full drills for the first time since the first week of training camp and could make his season debut Sunday. He’s listed as questionable.

Barrow, who has been battling acute tendinitis in his left knee, “did everything the coaches asked of him” in practice, according to Tyer. The veteran hopes to suit up against Green Bay, but even if he’s cleared, don’t expect him to be on the field for more than a handful of plays.

“We’re trying to work him back into it,” Gibbs said. “It’s been a long time since he had contact and everything.”

Defensive end Phillip Daniels, out since Week2 with a pulled groin, did not participate in full drills yesterday and is listed as questionable. Kick returner Chad Morton (knee), tackle Chris Samuels (ankle), cornerback Fred Smoot (shoulder) and tight end Fred Baxter (hamstring) are probable.

Notes — The Redskins signed running back Dahrran Diedrick, who spent three previous stints with the Packers, to their practice squad and released running back Sultan McCullough. McCullough, an undrafted free agent acquisition last year, showed some flashes of brilliance during the preseason but was unable to convince the coaching staff to put him on the active roster. …

Offensive lineman Kenyatta Jones, who was released last week, cleared waivers and is now on the injured reserve list. Jones, who had a chronic ankle injury, will remain Redskins property until he and the team come to an injury settlement. …

Punter Tom Tupa ranks fifth in the NFL with a 44.1-yard gross average, but is tied for 23rd with a 35.2-yard net average. Washington has surrendered a league-high 352 yards on punt returns.

• Staff writer David Elfin contributed to this article.