DeSean Jackson pulled his hamstring on this play in the first quarter of the first game, with 5:41 left. He hasn’t played since. Sunday will mark five weeks since that game. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

DeSean Jackson was last seen in uniform gimping back to the bench, caressing his tender left thigh as Washington Redskins head trainer Larry Hess jogged in his direction during the season opener. That was the result of his first and only deep shot in the 9 minutes 19 seconds Jackson has played this season.

There’s a wrinkle in the Redskins’ offense that has been noticeably absent over the past four games as the 28-year-old nurses a hamstring injury, but Washington could regain one of the game’s best deep threats Sunday. Jackson was limited during Wednesday’s practice, his third time participating on the field in the past two weeks. Despite his progress, it’s still unknown whether Jackson will be active against the New York Jets.

“I feel like the progression is good,” Redskins Coach Jay Gruden said. “I feel like he is very, very close. If it’s not this Sunday, then it’d definitely be next weekend.”

Jackson was initially expected to miss three to four weeks, but Sunday will mark five weeks since Jackson limped off the field in the first quarter against the Miami Dolphins. The Redskins have been cautious with Jackson’s injury. He was absent during practice and in the locker room during the first three weeks as he received treatment and ultrasound therapy administered by the training staff. Jackson was finally able to test his legs when he participated in consecutive practices last week.

“Trying to do everything I can to get this hamstring back,” Jackson said. “I feel like I’m finally at that point now. [Wednesday] was like a full practice day for me, a little limited. I didn’t go through every rep, but I was able to get back out there.”

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[Trent Williams has neck and spine pain, but hopes to play Sunday]

It’s the second time this year Jackson has missed an extended amount of time because of an injury. He was expected to miss one to two weeks during training camp because of a sprained acromioclavicular joint in his right shoulder, but Jackson did not dress for all four preseason games.

“It was very frustrating just dealing with injuries,” Jackson said. “Just really trying to do everything I can to keep my body healthy. Sometimes it’s out of your control. This game we play is a very physical game, and things happen. I’m just doing everything I can to better myself and have me healthy enough so I can get out there and play.”

Gruden declared the team needs the speedy wide receiver’s hamstring to be 100 percent, which hasn’t been the case yet, although other Redskins have battled through injuries this season.

“If you’re a sprinter, if you’re a fast runner, it’s hard to play with a hamstring [injury],” Gruden said. “That’s what he gets paid to do is run fast. If he’s not 100 percent and he’s not running fast, then he’s not effective for us. We’ve got other guys that can run faster when he’s not at full strength.

“DeSean has actually been pretty good as far as coming in on time and doing his work. He wants to get on the field. He’s put in the work to get back out on the field. Hamstrings just take time.”

Even with other fast wide receivers, such as rookie Jamison Crowder and third-year Rashad Ross, on the roster, the Redskins haven’t been able to stretch the field without Jackson. Quarterback Kirk Cousins has completed only four of his 23 attempts of 20 yards or more for 120 yards and an interception. The largest gains for Washington’s offense through the air over the past two games have been a 43-yard reception by Ross and a 42-yard defensive pass interference penalty on a pass intended to Ross.

Jackson compiled 600 of his 1,169 receiving yards and three touchdowns last year on receptions 20 yards or more.

“When you get a playmaker like that back, it does wonders for your offense,” left tackle Trent Williams said. “Even if he doesn’t have a catch, just the changes the defense has to make when he’s on the field helps everybody out.”

[WR Ryan Grant blames himself for game-ending interception vs. Atlanta]

Jets Coach Todd Bowles said during a conference call that the team will prepare as if Jackson will suit up this weekend. He’s familiar with Jackson’s playmaking ability because he served as the Philadelphia Eagles’ interim defensive coordinator in 2012 when Jackson was on the team.

“The key will be just giving him a chance, letting him go make plays, putting the ball in his hands,” Cousins said. “Then from there, it’s on him to do some special stuff, which he has proven he can do.”

His presence not only would help Cousins and the passing game, but the Redskins would receive some relief on the ground. Washington would be able to stretch the field and open up the run a week after it gained 51 rushing yards against the Atlanta Falcons.

“The defenses know we like to run the ball,” rookie running back Matt Jones said. “When you’ve got DeSean Jackson there, one of the best deep threats in the league, they’ve got to respect it. Hands down. That’s going to give us another guy removed out the box and give us looks on how we want to run and how we want to block schematically. When he comes back, it’s definitely going to open up a lot.”