Wide receiver Terry McLaurin will be active during the Washington Commanders’ primetime matchup against the Denver Broncos on Sunday Night Football, head coach Dan Quinn confirmed during his Friday press conference.
It will be McLaurin’s first game at Northwest Stadium since first injuring his quad in Week 3 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
“He’s worked hard,” Quinn said of McLaurin. “And so, to see that come back after some frustrating day and hard conversations in quiet moments, to work hard and get back, it’s a big deal.”
McLaurin’s return means the Commanders’ offense will regain traits that the unit has been missing in the wide receiver’s absence. Quinn highlights McLaurin’s ability to catch explosive passes downfield — he called it McLaurin’s “superpower” — but also mentioned McLaurin’s effectiveness in screen passes and running intermediate routes.
Quinn is also excited for the chance for McLaurin to rebuild the continuity between him and the rest of the offense. McLaurin has played in just one game since Week 3 — the 28-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs — and only recently returned to practice after the bye week. McLaurin had three catches for 54 yards against the Chiefs and scored the team’s only touchdown.
McLaurin said he feels better during his second return than he did during his first. He doesn’t feel any tightness in his quad and likes his acceleration while running routes. He’s eager to get back onto the field, not just so he can help his team win but also to see what the offense, which has dealt with injuries all season, could look like at full strength.
“The plan at the beginning of the season was for all of us to be part of this offense and make plays and feed off of one another,” McLaurin said. “I think we’ll have a chance…to hopefully see that, praying that everybody is healthy and can contribute.”
McLaurin will have a bit longer for the rest of his teammates to come back, though. Quinn ruled out fellow wide receiver Noah Brown, quarterback Jayden Daniels and defensive end Drake Jackson for Sunday. The move to sit Daniels was an expected one, as Quinn said at the start of the week that while Daniels would practice, it was unlikely that he would play. Quinn said Friday that Daniels had a good week of work but was still not cleared for contact.
Brown, who had his 21-day window open earlier in the week, is set to miss his 10th game of the season with groin and knee injuries. Quinn said that Brown is close to being ready to go, which would give the Commanders another deep option in the passing game. The Commanders still have another two weeks before they must either activate Brown or return him to Injured Reserve for the rest of the season.
Here is the full injury report for the week:
