Injury problems have ravaged the Washington Commanders' chances of matching or exceeding their heroic exploits last season. And the agony shows no signs of slowing down.
With all of the attention on quarterback Jayden Daniels' latest setback after injuring his wrist during the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks, the Commanders additionally lost two more players for the year. Veteran cornerback Marshon Lattimore tore his ACL, and wide receiver Luke McCaffrey broke his collarbone on the opening kickoff.
McCaffrey had been one of Washington's bright spots in 2025, emerging as a big-play threat as the absences of Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown opened up more playing time for the second-year pro. He was also in strong contention for Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors as a returner.
Now, it's another youngster who'll need to step up.
Commanders need more from Jaylin Lane with Luke McCaffrey on the shelf
Fourth-round pick Jaylin Lane has had his ups and downs as a rookie. He's caught 14 passes for 171 receiving yards, and he's also been Washington's primary punt returner, scoring a special teams touchdown that way in Week 3 against the Las Vegas Raiders. But he's also struggled with drops and fumbles.
On the bright side, the only way for Lane to get better is for him to be more involved.
He's already seen more snaps than the average mid-round receiver, due to the missed time by McLaurin, Brown, and Deebo Samuel Sr. Now he'll effectively become Washington's No. 2 wideout for the time being, although the newly signed Treylon Burks could surpass him on the depth chart after being signed to the active roster from the practice squad.
Regardless, Lane will be relied upon to provide consistent production for the rest of this season. With all expectations for a playoff run erased, he'll be given a low-stakes opportunity to develop into his role before the Commanders focus on returning to contention in 2026 and beyond.
Washington will need to see growth from in-house core pieces to meet its long-term goals. The speedster from Virginia Tech could be one of them.
It would be ideal for Lane's litmus test to come with Daniels throwing him the ball, but Marcus Mariota is one of the league's premier backups. He'll spread the rock around and get all of his receivers involved, and it should benefit the first-year pro to learn from a trusted veteran presence.
How Lane performs over the next few months will be telling in evaluating his NFL ceiling. Let's see if the rookie is ready to put his struggles behind him and start making a weekly impact.