Commanders Get Big Update on Terry McLaurin Injury Timeline Before ‘MNF’
Wide receiver Terry McLaurin will miss a third straight game because of a quad injury, but fortunately for the Washington Commanders, his return may not be far off.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Sunday that McLaurin could be back in Week 7.
“There have been no setbacks,” Pelissero said. “He’s just working his way through his rehab. McLaurin does have a chance to be back next week.”
The Commanders (3-2) host the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football.
McLaurin Making Progress in Practice
McLaurin sat out most of training camp while pushing for a new contract. The two-time Pro Bowler had 10 catches for 149 yards over the first three games before hurting his quad in a Week 3 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
After not practicing all week, McLaurin was officially ruled out on Saturday by head coach Dan Quinn.
While there’s optimism that McLaurin will be ready to go for a key NFC East matchup in Week 7 against the Dallas Cowboys, he’ll still need to show progress in practice over the next few days in order to get the green light to play.
During a portion of Saturday’s practice, McLaurin, 30, was seen running sprints on a side field — an encouraging sign as he works his way back.
Coming off his fifth consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season, McLaurin signed a three-year, $96 million extension in August.
Commanders Expected to Be Without Multiple Receivers
The Commanders also ruled out receiver Noah Brown (groin/knee), while Deebo Samuel (heel) did not practice Thursday or Saturday but is expected to play Monday despite being listed questionable.
Samuel has been the Commanders’ most productive receiver since being acquired in an offseason trade with the San Francisco 49ers. The All-Pro has been targeted a team-high 38 times, resulting in 30 catches for 300 yards and three touchdowns. He’s also rushed for 46 yards and a score.
Brown, who famously caught a Hail Mary touchdown to beat the Bears last October, hurt his groin in a Week 2 loss to the Green Bay Packers but only returned to practice this week. Evidently, he’ll need more time before he can fully return to action.
“He did have a good week in the individual work, but he’s just not there yet,” Quinn said, via ESPN’s John Keim.
With McLaurin and Samuel still sidelined, Luke McCaffrey is shaping up to be the No. 2 receiver behind Samuel.
Steelers Make Surprising Inactive Call, Chuck Clark Sits Out Against Browns
The Pittsburgh Steelers dealt with a long list of injuries over the opening weeks of the season, but they're finally close to full health as they get set to take on the Cleveland Browns in Week 6.
At the same time, though, veteran safety Chuck Clark is a surprise healthy inactive. Jabrill Peppers will be available for the Steelers instead while DeShon Elliott and Juan Thornhill should continue to take a majority of the reps at the position.
Clark Falling Out of Favor?
Clark was let go by Pittsburgh ahead of final roster cuts before later re-signing with the team on a one-year deal. He logged 133 total snaps while Elliott was out with a knee injury in Weeks 2 and 3, but it doesn't seem as though he may not have of a role moving forward.
Four Starters Return
Outside linebacker Alex Highsmith (ankle), cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr. (hamstring) and Jalen Ramsey (hamstring) as well as running back Jaylen Warren all avoided the inactives list vs. Cleveland, meaning they'll suit up for the Steelers' first divisional matchup of the season.
Secondary is Fully Healthy
For the first time since the first half of Week 1, Pittsburgh will have all of its starters in the secondary available.
It originally didn't seem as though Ramsey had much of a chance to play against the Browns at the beginning of the week, but his long-term prognosis was evidently far more promising than it appeared upon going down against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4.
The timing of the Steelers' Week 5 bye couldn't have been more perfect either, as it gave Ramsey an extra week to recover and put himself in position to play vs. Cleveland. He did not practice to begin the week, though he was upgraded to a full participant on the final injury report.
Porter Jr., on the other hand, missed three-straight games after sustaining his injury against the Jets. He did not practice leading up to Weeks 2 and 3, and while he was upgraded to limited just ahead of Pittsburgh's bout with Minnesota, the team opted to keep him sidelined until after the bye.
Steelers Have Full OLB Room
Pittsburgh briefly had Highsmith, T.J. Watt and Nick Herbig all healthy at the start of its Week 2 home opener against the Seattle Seahawks, though the former quickly suffered a sprained ankle and would remain out through the bye.
Now that Highsmith is back in action, though, it'll be interesting to see how the Steelers divvy up the snaps among their edge rushers against the Browns considering Herbig, who would typically take a back seat in this case, has played at such a high level over the past few contests.
Can Steelers Keep Run Game Momentum Going?
Kenneth Gainwell turned in the Steelers' best rushing performance of the year against the Vikings with 99 yards on 19 carries, but Warren's return means that he'll see his touches reduced against the Browns.
Warren has been far more effective through the air as opposed to on the ground this season, but perhaps Pittsburgh cracked the code in the run game vs. Minnesota and can carry that over this week.
