Not since players were due to report to training camp has Redskins team president Bruce Allen spoken publicly about Trent Williams.
That's nearing a month ago, since the top brass has addressed the biggest concern of the Redskins offseason, his starting left tackle of the past decade – a seven-time Pro Bowler and team captain – just choosing to not show up.
Williams did not report, and still hasn't. The Redskins begin their regular season against the Eagles in just two and a half weeks.
Jay Gruden's been the human shield through it all, hung out to take all the bullets from inquiring minds, to answer – repeatedly – for Williams' continued absence.
"Are your surprised that the Trent Williams situation is still going on?" Dukes asked. "The last time we heard a member of the front office speak on this, it was Bruce Allen saying he was gonna be there for training camp. That certainly wasn't the truth, and what's happening now is what always happens, is that the coach is being left to twist in the wind as everybody just asks him questions, which the front office should be addressing.
"We haven't heard from Trent. We haven't heard from the Redskins. Are you surprised that we are here right now?"
"Well, no, really," Svrluga returned. "One: exactly what you said about Jay Gruden being left to address a situation that is not of his making, and is not of his responsibility, I think is reprehensible. I think it's disgusting that Bruce Allen has not said anything, and what he has said has been bold-faced lies.
"And so you can't trust... I mean, at one level, it's disgusting that he hasn't said anything. On the second level, if he said something, you can't trust it anyway, so what good is it? So you're in this kind of cycle of evil with that."
Svrluga continued: "Ultimately, I'm not sure really what leverage Trent has, given that, if you're trying to force a trade, and it appears that's what he's trying to do, an opposing team is not trading for a 24-year-old Trent Williams. They're gonna look at his stats sheet, as much as you can look at stats for an offensive lineman, and notice that he hasn't played 16 games recently. There's a lot of tread on those tires."
"I do understand him being upset about this medical situation, and I can understand a guy vowing never to play for an organization again if it's as serious as some of those reports have indicated," Svrluga said. "So in that case, it feels very late in training camp and feels like it's close to the season, but the opener is September 8 and it's only August 21.
"Am I surprised that we're here right now? No. Would I be surprised if he never plays for the Redskins again? I think I would be. And I might be in the minority of people. There are people who have done much deeper reporting on this than I have. But I just don't think that the Redskins are going to get the return on the investment, return on a trade that they think would be appropriate, and I don't think that Trent Williams is going to forever not receive game checks and not make more money that he is due if he plays in the NFL. That's just a guess, kind of a logic-based guess, but it would be mine at this point."