Copyright yardbarker
After exiting Monday night’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs with a reaggravated quad injury, Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin has already been ruled out for the team’s Week 9 contest against the Seattle Seahawks. The two-time Pro Bowler had returned Monday night after a four-week absence and caught his first touchdown of the season, but the injury setback has put the rest of his season in limbo. McLaurin's 2025 campaign has been a series of frustrating starts and stops, beginning with his training-camp holdout and an ankle injury that kept him on the PUP list throughout the preseason. Though McLaurin eventually returned to the field after signing a three-year, $96 million extension on Aug. 25, he never looked right during the season’s opening month. He tallied just 149 receiving yards through the first three games before suffering what turned out to be a serious quad injury. The injury will almost certainly snap McLaurin’s streak of five straight 1,000-yard seasons, a span in which he played 72 consecutive games. For the Commanders as a whole, it marks the latest obstacle in their attempt to return to the doorstep of the Super Bowl. Terry McLaurin’s absence is just one part of Commanders' startling regression There was perhaps no better story in the NFL last season than the Commanders. Following a 4-13 finish in 2023, new owner Josh Harris hired 49ers executive Adam Peters as general manager, who immediately got to work rebuilding the culture of a team that hadn’t won a playoff game since 2005. Peters' first key move was firing head coach Ron Rivera and replacing him with the experienced Dan Quinn, which gave the team a steady voice and instant credibility. Quinn and Peters would completely overhaul the roster with the addition of a league-high 26 free agents. It was headlined by all-purpose running back Austin Ekeler and linebackers Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu, both of whom would be selected as second-team All-Pros. The biggest addition, however, would come in the draft, as second overall pick Jayden Daniels proved to be an immediate sensation. Under the guidance of offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, Daniels would pass for 3,568 yards, rush for another 891 and score 31 total touchdowns in one of the best rookie seasons in recent history. Daniels’ performance helped the Commanders grab the top wild-card spot with a 12-5 record, their highest win total since 1991 and he would rise to even greater heights in the postseason. He led a game-winning drive against the Buccaneers in the wild-card round and dropped 45 points in an upset victory over the 15-2 Lions. Though the Commanders proved to be no match for the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game, their meteoric rise had put the whole NFL on notice. Sensing an opportunity to capitalize on a superstar quarterback during his rookie contract, the Commanders continued to add this past offseason, trading for five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil and do-it-all wide receiver Deebo Samuel. If there was one concern for the Commanders, it was that they had the oldest roster in the NFL with an average age of 28.09. After a remarkably healthy 2024 campaign in which 14 starters played all 17 games, it was fair to question whether an aging roster could hold up once again. It didn’t take long for those worries to come to fruition. Defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. and Ekeler were lost for the season in Week 2, McLaurin went down in Week 3 with his quad injury and team sack leader Dorance Armstrong suffered a season-ending injury in Week 7. Regardless of the injuries, it’s hard not to notice the Commanders' age on the defensive side of the ball, as they have forced just three turnovers all season and rank 27th in total yards allowed.
