ASHBURN, Va. - Washington Redskins running back Stephen Davis will miss Sunday's game against the Houston Texans and could sit out the regular-season finale against the Dallas Cowboys.
Results of a magnetic resonance imaging exam on Davis' dislocated right shoulder were unknown, but Washington coach Steve Spurrier said trainer Dean Kleinschmidt told him that Davis won't play Sunday and is a question mark for the game against Dallas.
Davis, who injured the shoulder on the second play of Sunday's 34-21 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, may have played his last game as a Redskin. He likely will be released during the offseason so that the team can avoid absorbing Davis' $11.4 million hit on the salary cap.
"If I don't get back to the last two games, it could be, it might be, it may be my last play for the Redskins," said the seven-year veteran who was drafted from Auburn by Washington in 1996. "The thing I've got to worry about right now is just getting better."
Davis dislocated his shoulder as he was tackled from behind by Philadelphia free safety Brian Dawkins, fumbled the football and fell awkwardly to the turf. The two-time Pro Bowl selection did not return to the game.
If he does not return this season, Davis' 820 yards would be his least productive year since 1998 when he gained 109 yards primarily as a fullback. He is 180 yards shy of reaching the 1,000-yard mark for the fourth consecutive season.
Davis is also 85 yards away from passing Larry Brown's 5,875 yards for second place on the franchise's all-time rushing list.
Although he has rushed for more than 1,300 yards in each of the past three seasons and once was projected to be the cornerstone of the franchise, Davis said he would understand if he was released.
"That's the way this business works," he said. "It's funny, it's wicked, and once you realize that, you can accept it."
Spurrier concurred, adding, "There comes a point that coaches and owners and franchises just can't be sentimental. You have to try to get the best team you can on the field within the salary cap, and that's what our obligation is to the fans."
Kenny Watson or Ladell Betts would start in place of Davis.
Champ Bailey said he is prepared to be pulled off punt return duties after fumbling his second return in as many games.
Bailey, who is averaging 9.9 yards on 18 returns, muffed a punt in the first quarter of Sunday's loss. The Eagles converted the turnover into a field goal and a 10-0 lead.
"Of course, I made some mistakes," said Bailey, who fumbled a punt in a six-point loss to the New York Giants the week before. "I expect some kind of change. I'm pretty sure of it because obviously Coach Spurrier doesn't have any kind of patience for that kind of stuff."
Spurrier said the coaching staff has discussed making a change as early as this week.
"Champ's a guy that played offense [three years at Georgia]," Spurrier said. "We talked about trying to get the ball to him, and this was one way of doing it. We've made a couple bad mistakes the last two weeks. That's something we're looking into right now."
Spurrier continued to express amazement at his players' failure to prevent Eagles linebacker Carlos Emmons from returning a botched handoff 44 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter of Sunday's game.
Emmons jumped on the fumbled exchange between quarterback Patrick Ramsey and Betts, and when no Redskins touched him, Emmons stood up and raced down the right sideline for the score.
"All of our guys just stood around for a moment," Spurrier said. "The whistle was never blown, and we act like we don't know the rules of pro football. ... That was embarrassing for all of us."