Zorn meets with Davis

After meeting with rookie tight end Fred Davis, Washington Redskins coach Jim Zorn is sure the second-round draft choice from Southern Cal won’t oversleep another practice like he did Sunday.

“He definitely has got the message,” Zorn said yesterday. “He was very nervous because when you mess up like that, you don’t really know what’s going to happen to you. He handled it the way he should handle it. He was mortified sitting in my office. That’s probably enough for a young guy to have to sit through, but his mom knew as well, and he had to go face her. And he’s going to have come back here [for conditioning workouts in two weeks] and face our team as well. There’s enough penalty in just the [humiliation] of that.”

The Redskins couldn’t fine or suspend Davis because he is not yet under contract. They’re not going to cut a draft pick for such a transgression, either.

However, Zorn said he would handle a repeat differently during the season.

“That would be a real problem for me,” Zorn said. “He’d be under contract. He would understand much more. He would be further down the line with what the NFL and the Washington Redskins are all about.”

Doughty’s son improving

Safety Reed Doughty, who missed the final day of minicamp to be with his ailing son, was back on the field yesterday as the Redskins began three straight days of organized team activities. Before practice, Doughty gave his teammates and coaches an update on 20-month-old Micah, who received a kidney transplant March 10.

“Micah got a viral infection, and his fever got very high,” Doughty said. “He didn’t have a good night on Friday. My wife said that she was taking him to the pediatrician on Saturday. I didn’t know that they had gone to the hospital until we came off the field. But he’s doing better now, and he should be home in a couple of days.”

Injury updates

Defensive tackle Kedric Golston’s right ankle, sprained during Friday afternoon’s practice, was in a walking boot yesterday. However, the injury is mild enough that Golston is expected to be ready for the final eight OTA practices that begin June 2.

Offensive lineman Jason Fabini returned after missing the last two days of minicamp for personal reasons.

No knock on Rock

Special teams coach Danny Smith said the signing of 2005 Pro Bowl kick returner Jerome Mathis and the selection of accomplished college return men Devin Thomas and J.T. Tryon in last month’s draft didn’t reflect a lack of a confidence in incumbent Rock Cartwright, who averaged 25.8 yards a return in 2007.

“Rock had a great year,” Smith said. “Rock’s our kickoff returner. We’re just trying to be more competitive at our positions. We’ll see if Devin Thomas [and Tryon] can do that. I don’t want to put a bad mark on Mathis, but you’re talking about a kid that’s played six games the last two years. Maybe he’s got it. Maybe he don’t. We’ll find out. He’s going to have to do some other things. We’re not in a situation to have only a kick returner. Rock is so much more than that. He and Khary [Campbell] were our leading [special teams] tacklers.”