Su'a Cravens Reportedly to Undergo Knee Surgery, Expected Back for Week 1

Washington safety Su'a Cravens is undergoing knee surgery on Tuesday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, but he is expected to be ready for Week 1.

NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported that the procedure was a meniscus trim (h/t Kevin Patra of NFL.com).

Head coach Jay Gruden had confirmed to reporters on Saturday that Cravens' knee injury didn't include any structural damage.  

Cravens, 22, played as a nickel and dime linebacker in his rookie season but struggled and was moved back to his more natural safety position this offseason. He notched just 33 tackles and a sack in 11 games last year.

While missing time before the season isn't ideal, John Keim of ESPN.com believes that Cravens' move to safety should help mitigate any issues with the missed time: 

He's expected to start alongside free-agent addition D.J. Swearinger, solidifying a position of need. And the pair has spent much of the offseason developing chemistry.

"We spend a lot of time together, we’re constantly texting each other, he’ll send clips of film, saying, 'Let’s work on this,' or even before practice, working on jams or one-on-one situations, we’re just constantly working," Cravens said in late July, per Mike Jones of the Washington Post.

"Every day it’s been a steppingstone," Swearinger added of the new safety duo. "I tell him, every day we’ve got to take it one at a time. Meeting rooms or out here. If we keep on like that, Week 1, we’ll be ready."

If they are indeed ready, Washington's pass defense—which finished 2016 ranked 25th in the NFL—should be improved.