Hogs Haven
Washington Post (paywall)
The Commanders wide receiver is optimistic that he’ll play against the Broncos after missing seven of the past eight games.
Wide receiver Terry McLaurin recalled sprinting down the field during practice Wednesday, topping out at more than 21 mph as he collected a deep ball from quarterback Jayden Daniels.
For the Washington Commanders’ star duo, it was the sort of practice rep that bordered on monotonous a year ago. In 2025, it counts as a minor milestone.
“I feel really good,” McLaurin said. “[I will] just continue to talk with the training staff, see what their plan is for the game. But I plan to play as much as I can — and as much as they’ll allow me to.”
McLaurin and Daniels haven’t played together since the Commanders’ Week 2 loss at Green Bay, and they have only shared sporadic practice reps since then while navigating injuries. Daniels has dealt with a left knee sprain, a right hamstring strain and, most recently, a dislocated left elbow. McLaurin suffered a right quadriceps/hip flexor strain Sept. 21 against the Las Vegas Raiders that he aggravated in his first game back Oct. 27 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
McLaurin said Wednesday he had no regrets about returning the first time. He had hit all the necessary benchmarks and felt strong, but he aggravated the injury while laying out for a catch that put him in “an awkward position.”
“Any time you’re out there, you’re susceptible to injury or reinjury,” he said. “I just thank God that I’m back and feeling even better than last time.”
ESPN
“I feel like my acceleration is there, just kind of like that next gear that I have, and I’m just not really thinking about it at all,” McLaurin said. “I definitely feel better this time around, and the ramp-up process has been really good.”
It has been a frustrating season for McLaurin. He endured a contract hold-out/hold-in before signing a three-year extension after training camp ended. He started slow with 10 catches for 149 yards and no touchdowns in the first three games.
He suffered the initial injury at the end of a 56-yard catch against the Raiders in Week 3. He was stretching and diving for the end zone, falling short by a yard. When he returned in Week 8, he reinjured the quad making another diving catch along the sideline. He finished the game with three catches for 54 yards and his first touchdown but needed to sit out again.
Without McLaurin over the past six weeks, opposing defenses started to play more single-high coverages. The number of solo safety looks increased by about five per game and the Commanders faced on average two more seven-man boxes, impacting their ability to run the ball.
In the first five weeks, Washington averaged...
