The winner between the former Heisman Trophy contenders battling for the Washington Redskins third-string quarterback job? Try "none of the above."

The Redskins placed Colt Brennan on injured reserve with hip and hamstring injuries, and his competition for the job, Chase Daniel, was one of the final cuts yesterday as the team reduced its roster to 53 for the regular season.

Brennan, a second-year player from Hawai'i, aggravated a nagging hamstring problem in Thursday night's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and an MRI revealed a partially torn hamstring along with a torn labrum in his hip. Brennan missed much of the offseason work in 2008 after surgery on his other hip.

"He could be out for a while with his hamstring," Redskins coach Jim Zorn said in a story on the team's Web site. "He's a guy we need to get rehabbed. For us, it's an opportunity to not keep putting a Band-Aid on it."

Vinny Cerrato, executive vice president of football operations, said Brennan's hip injury "seems to cause him hamstring problems."

Brennan said: "They could have easily cut me or given me an injury settlement. But they told me they liked my potential. It gives me a chance to take a year to get better and to really learn the offense and improve."

By being placed on the injured reserve, Brennan is not allowed to play this season. But he remains on the roster, and receives $445,000, the minimum salary for a second-year player who entered the NFL in 2008.

The moves leave the Redskins with two quarterbacks — starter Jason Campbell and veteran Todd Collins — although Daniel said he expects to get a spot on the practice squad if he clears waivers.

It was a surprise ending to the competition between two quarterbacks who finished third and fourth in the Heisman balloting two years ago. Daniel, an undrafted rookie from Missouri, was considered a long shot to overtake Brennan at the start of training camp, but played well during the exhibition season.