Washington has placed linebacker Trent Murphy on injured reserve, according to Mike Jones of The Washington Post (on Twitter). To fill his spot on the 53-man roster, the team will promote offensive lineman Rishaw Johnson from the Giants’ practice squad.
The rookie fractured the third metacarpal in his right hand and did not return in Saturday night’s win over the Eagles. A second-round pick out of Stanford, Murphy had started the last eight games at right outside linebacker for Washington, notching 32 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Coach Jay Gruden said on Sunday afternoon that Murphy is “a long shot” to play with the broken hand.
The Giants signed Johnson to their taxi squad in early December. The interior lineman has had a number of p-squad stints this season, including the Cowboys, making this his third NFC East stop of the year. This time, however, it’s on the 53-man roster, where he hasn’t been since 2013 with the Chiefs.
Washington filled their practice squad vacancy yesterday by signing wide receiver Colin Lockett.