Redskins to try out punters this week

Durant Brooks still was the Washington Redskins‘ punter Monday when he attended a team meeting, spoke with coach Jim Zorn and met with trainers after undergoing an MRI for a nagging hip flexor/groin injury.

That is expected to change before the Redskins return to practice Wednesday or play the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

On his radio show on ESPN 980 on Monday morning, Redskins executive vice president Vinny Cerrato said the team would be trying out “two or three punters [Tuesday]. Somebody else will be punting Sunday.”

A team source said 13-year veteran Josh Miller and former Seattle Seahawks punter Ryan Plackemeier are expected to try out.

Cerrato’s comments left Zorn scrambling during his midday press conference - he had to correct one of his bosses without criticizing him for revealing too much information.

“If you read what he said in context, it was assuming [Brooks] was [inactive] with this injury,” Zorn said. “We already had contacted some punters to come in regardless of the injury. Those two factors could help Vinny say that.”

Results on Brooks’ MRI were negative. Zorn said the injury forced Brooks to limit his practice activity last week even though his name didn’t appear on the injury report.

The most likely course of action is to cut Brooks after reaching an injury settlement. The Redskins also could consider putting him on the practice squad if he is not claimed by another team.

Brooks was a sixth-round draft pick this year and won the job over incumbent Derrick Frost in training camp. His departure would mean only one of the team’s nine draft picks, safety Chris Horton, is playing regularly.

Brooks’ 32.1-yard net average ranks last in the NFL, though nine of his 26 punts have landed inside the 20-yard line. But his consistency never improved, and poor hang time contributed to punt returns for touchdowns by Reggie Bush (hang time of 3.62 seconds) and DeSean Jackson (4.09 seconds).

The Redskins are acting quickly because Dallas and Green Bay also are looking for punters. The Cowboys’ Mat McBriar was injured Sunday and will miss at least a month with a broken right foot. The Packers tried out kickers Monday because Frost continues to struggle (26th in net average).

Zorn has a Seattle connection to the 24-year-old Plackemeier, who averaged 35.8 net yards in two years with the Seahawks but was cut before the season opener. Miller, 38, punted eight years for Pittsburgh and three for New England and played in one game last year for Tennessee.

“When we bring the punters in, it just means we’re going to work them out and have many conversations before Wednesday about the situation, and then we’ll go from there,” Zorn said. “But you can’t just say, ‘We’ll replace [Brooks]. See you later.’ We have to look at who would be replacing him. He may be the best guy out there, and we would continue to work with him.”

The new punter also would hold on Shaun Suisham’s extra points and field goals.

“We know he’s a good punter, but a good punter also punts well in the games, and he did not,” Zorn said of Brooks.

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