The Washington Redskins lost backup nose tackle Chris Neild for the entire 2012 season after MRI results showed that he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, coach Mike Shanahan announced Tuesday. Nield injured the knee in practice on Monday.
Neild, a second-year player out of West Virginia, backed up starting defensive tackle Barry Cofield last season and recorded two sacks in the season opener, but was relatively quiet the rest of the season, racking up only 10 total tackles. He played in all 16 games in 2011, but had no starts.
While Cofield remains firmly entrenched as the Redskins' starter on the nose, the loss still hurts. Neild had been competing with Chris Baker, a practice-squad player last season, for the backup nose tackle job. Baker will now likely take over backup duties unless the Redskins opt to bring in another player.
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