The plan was for the Commanders to have all three players on the field to provide second-year signal-caller Jayden Daniels with more options in the passing game. The season has gone in a different direction, however, as the trio of McLaurin, Samuel and Brown have missed a combined 17 games. Samuel has been the healthiest of the three and currently leads the team in receiving yards (470) and touchdowns (5).
Things have been more frustrating for Brown and McLaurin. Brown has dealt with knee and groin injuries dating back to OTAs in June and missed Weeks 3-6 before being placed on IR. McLaurin first suffered a quad injury while trying to score a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders. While he himself was never placed on IR, his return has been shrouded in uncertainty. He was active for the team's matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs but re-injured his quad while making a sideline catch in the second half.
While the Commanders have tried to make do, their absences have had a noticeable impact on the offense with the unit's passing attack lacking veteran weapons and defenses overcommitting to the run game. Now that both players are on track to return, the Commanders are eager to see their offense as close to full strength as it's been in months.
"Players-wise, you can feel that energy, too," head coach Dan Quinn said before practice. "Seeing some of their teammates coming back, that's a big deal. It started on Monday, I felt...that was probably the first time we had a bigger group together for a practice for the entire season. So that was a big step forward."
Although the Commanders' path to the postseason is narrow, the team wants to see the offense at its full potential during the final six games. The unit, which finished the 2024 season ranked in the top 10 of several categories, is in the bottom third of the NFL in passing yards per game (24th) and 23rd in points per game (21.5). The Commanders rank fifth on the ground but have run into issues there as well with defenses sending more players to stop up running lanes.
The hope is that having McLaurin and Brown back will help open things up for the offense and provide the unit with more opportunities for explosive plays.
"At the end of the day, if you have an opportunity to get those guys the rock, that's going to help us out," Mariota said. "They're great players and the more that we can get those matchups with those guys, I think we can take advantage of them."