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Over his four years with the Washington Redskins/Commanders, Terry McLaurin has established himself as one of the best players in franchise history.
As a sophomore, he helped Washington win the NFC East with his first-ever 1,000-yard season. Then, just before 2022, after a holdout, he got a decent three-year extension worth $71 million. He made the Pro Bowl that year, and the Commanders were not eliminated from playoff contention until very late into their campaign.
But the first season of said extension may have ended before it has even begun. During Monday's preseason game against the crosstown rival Baltimore Ravens, McLaurin suffered a toe injury and has been ruled out for the rest of the night.
The X-rays eventually returned a negative result, meaning no fracture; however, the injury still represents a significant blow for a team that is not exactly rich in talent when it comes to pass-catchers.
Other Washington Commanders players besides Terry McLaurin who have gotten injured in preseason
As it turns out, Terry McLaurin is not the only Commander who has been hurt during a joint session with the Ravens. Just a few days ago, Baltimore's star tight end Mark Andrews lost a fumble to Danny Johnson during a scrimmage, and he responded by bodyslamming the cornerback, who sprained his rotator cuff as a result.
Speaking of the defense, defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis has also been dealing with a calf issue, which he sustained during a 17-15 win against the Cleveland Browns.
Head coach Ron Rivera addressed it during the post-game scrum:
“He had tweaked his calf, and he did come back in, re-entered the game, and take his reps. Today he's a little sore. He was sore yesterday, sore today, and so the training staff wanted to slow him down a little bit. He did a few things, and then we shut him down.”
Another cornerback, rookie Emmanuel Forbes, hurt his quad earlier this month but was back with no problem just a couple of days after the injury.
Terry McLaurin sees development of Commanders’ offense as vital
The Washington Commanders are entering a crucial period in 2023. While they still have one of the best defensive lines in the league; one of its key pieces, Chase Young, is set to become a free agent after the season, and his future has been uncertain.
That puts pressure on Terry McLaurin and the offense to step up, and the wide receiver is aware of it.
Speaking after practice last week, he said:
"I think really we just want to work whatever the game plan is for that practice. I think we have a plethora of ways to get the ball down the field and getting the ball in our playmaker's hands.
"And specifically on the quick game stuff as receivers, we just wanna make sure our timing and spacing is on point and I feel like we really capitalize on some of those opportunities. So I feel like we gotta keep that stuff going."
The Commanders’ offense this year has a new coordinator in Eric Bieniemy, who won two Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs, so McLaurin and his fellow weapons will have high expectations.
