Commanders’ McLaurin ruled out for Seahawks game as Daniels returns to practice

OPINION:

The Commanders are taking one step forward and one step back. Quarterback Jayden Daniels was a full participant after missing last week’s game with a right hamstring strain, but receiver Terry McLaurin will miss Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks after reinjuring his quad, coach Dan Quinn announced Wednesday.

McLaurin has played in just four of the Commanders’ eight games this season. After playing 72 consecutive games, the All-Pro pass-catcher has struggled to stay on the field. He initially suffered the quad injury during the Week 3 win over the Las Vegas Raiders and reaggravated it during Monday night’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Quinn would not speculate how much time McLaurin could miss.

“We’ll reevaluate it next week to see where it goes,” he said. “Bummed for him, for us, just tough.”

McLaurin caught three passes for 54 yards and a touchdown on Monday. His coach believed that the 30-year-old aggravated his quad on his final catch of the day: a diving snag along the sideline late in the third quarter.

He was not able to re-enter the game as the Commanders lost in a 28-7 blowout.

It’s been a rough six months for McLaurin, who skipped the summer’s mandatory minicamps due to a contract dispute. He then missed the entirety of training camp with a knee injury before signing a three-year, $97 million extension.

“It sucks that we’re going through it, but also know you’re going to be back, too,” Quinn said of his conversations with McLaurin since the injury. “That’s a really big deal to know that. It happened; you’re pissed, but man, it’s also going to go the other way as well. Sometimes you’ve got to say the hard things out loud: it does suck.”

Left tackle Laremy Tunsil can relate. He missed most of Monday night’s game and Wednesday’s practice with a hamstring issue. His status for Sunday night’s game is in doubt. The same can be said for kicker Matt Gay, who missed the Kansas City game with a back injury.

Quinn won’t make a final decision on their status — or Daniels’ — until later in the week.

However, Wednesday’s practice was a clear step in the right direction for the dual-threat quarterback. The Commanders expect Daniels to be a full participant in each of this week’s training sessions.

“It’s hopefully going to be a quick turnaround,” Quinn said of his star quarterback. “We hope that it is.”

Daniels was optimistic about his chances after Wednesday’s brief practice.

“If all goes right, I would love to play,” he said.

The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year has already missed three games this season — two with a left knee sprain and one from the right hamstring strain he suffered against the Dallas Cowboys two weeks ago.

It’s been a stark change from last year, when the LSU product started all 20 games of the Commanders’ unlikely run to the NFC championship game, even playing through a rib injury.

“If I’m out there, I’m not even thinking about [an injury]. If I was worried about something, I wouldn’t be playing,” Daniels said. “If I’m out there, I’m going to be confident in myself and my abilities.”

The hyper-competitive quarterback is not a fan of being stuck on the sidelines.

“He is that competitor. So, when you don’t have the chance to go get it, man, it’s hard,” Quinn said. “These guys are at the top 1% of everything. So when you’re competing on that level and it happens, you don’t like it.”

Daniels has changed his habits when sidelined this season. He watched one game from a stadium suite and another on his couch before joining his teammates on the sideline on Monday night.

None of it made resting any easier.

“I wanted to be there with the guys on the sideline and show that leadership and bring that energy and that juice. …” he said before noting the “very frustrating” nature of soft-tissue injuries. “You feel good, and then something happens that’s out of your control. I just take this time to reflect and rest.”

The 3-5 Commanders’ season is on life support with the 5-2 Seahawks coming to Northwest Stadium on Sunday night. Washington will have another tough task with the 5-2 Lions the following week, before Quinn’s squad travels to Madrid to face the Miami Dolphins.