A torn meniscus suffered on the third snap of Phidarian Mathis’ NFL career caused the former Alabama defensive tackle to miss the Washington Commanders’ remaining 16 games last season.

This season, Mathis will have to miss at the least the first four games after Washington placed him on injured reserve on Thursday.

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Mathis sustained a calf injury in the Commanders’ preseason opener on Aug. 11 against the Cleveland Browns.

Because Mathis was on Washington’s active roster after the Commanders reduced their preseason roster to the regular-season limit of 53 on Tuesday, he is eligible to return from injured reserve during the 2023 season, but he must be out for at least four weeks.

Mathis will miss Washington’s games against the Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles. His earliest action could come on Oct. 5 against the Chicago Bears.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.