As was discussed here, Malcolm Kelly apparently suffered a "setback" on his injured hamstring in his very first healthy practice. Coach Mike Shanahan did not know the extent of the injury, but did say trainers told him Kelly suffered a "pretty good pull." No matter what happens, Kelly could potentially be out for a while, considering a mere hamstring pull has kept him out of the entire preseason.
So what do the Redskins do with him now? Rich Campbell of the Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star ponders this question in this blog post today. Campbell notes that, in hindsight, the Redskins probably should have put Kelly on the Physically Unable to Perform List when training camp started, which would have allowed the Redskins to keep him available during the regular season without having to use a roster spot on him. But since that's not an option, Campbell lists three options: keep him on the 53-man roster, cut him or put him on injured reserve.
Putting Kelly on injured reserve means forfeiting the chance to play him all year, but at least then the Redskins would retain his rights for next season.
That would make Kelly ineligible to play or practice with the team this season. It would basically be a lost year in his development, but the Redskins would protect his rights for next year. The question then becomes, do they believe it's worth protecting his rights considering his extensive injury history?
Based on Shanahan's comments after practice today, the team isn't so inclined to cut Kelly, and it's risky to have him take a roster spot when his hamstring could be an issue all season. Therefore, injured reserve might not be a bad option after all.