Two weeks, two season-ending injuries, and Washington’s receiver room looks nothing like it did in September. Terry McLaurin is done for the year. Jaylin Lane is done for the year. The team is 1-4-1 heading out of the bye with a passing game that now has to be rebuilt in the middle of the season.
Lane went down returning a kickoff in the Week 4 loss to the Colts in London. The day after that game, Quinn didn’t soften it: “Jaylin Lane had fractured and dislocated his ankle. He will be out for the year,” he said, per commanders.com.
We now know what came next. And the news is not great. The Washington Post’s Tashan Reed reported Wednesday, citing a source, that Lane “had surgery to repair his fractured and dislocated ankle on Oct. 9,” and that “the procedure was successful and he’s expected to be cleared for football activities just before OTAs.” That’s the best news in this piece, and it’s next spring’s news.
Of course, we all know that the news about McLaurin is worse. Quinn announced after an MRI that the captain tore the patellar tendon in his left knee in the 23-17 loss to San Francisco and will miss the rest of the season (ESPN injury report).
This is concerning. According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the patellar tendon connects the bottom of the kneecap to the shinbone. Together with the quadriceps muscle and tendon, it allows the knee to straighten and transmit force through the leg. For a wide receiver, persistent quadriceps weakness or restricted motion can affect the ability to accelerate, brake, cut, and jump. Those are central to recovering football performance.
A study in the Orthopeadic Journal of Sports Medicine found that recovery from this type of injury for an NFL player can take 12 months. This study said that the success rate of a player being able to return to the NFL after this injury was between 55-57%. This means that McLaurin may end up missing a solid portion of the 2027 season, too. The success rate also indicates that McLaurin, who will be 32 next year, may have tough odds to overcome in his attempt to return to the field.
The last wide receiver to suffer this type of injury was Victor Cruz, who was 27 years old when he tore his patellar tendon on October 12, 2014. Cruz returned on September 11, 2016, approximately 23 months later. Cruz never returned to his prior injury form.
This is why I feel like McLaurin has played his last down as a Washington football player. McLaurin’s age combined with the tough road to recovery will make Adam Peters unwilling to pay McLaurin what the current contract dictates for 2027.
What’s Left In The Wide Receiver Cubbard?
Now that the Commies are down two wide receivers for the season, we have to look at what options are left for David Blough going forward.
WR1: Stefon Diggs. To be sure, Diggs is no longer a true WR1. Diggs no longer has the speed necessary to be a serious threat and stretch the field. Diggs has converted to being a slot receiver in the twilight of his career. However, Diggs is still the most talented and experienced receiver that the Commies have on their roster. Diggs is tough and an excellent route runner. It makes sense for Diggs to be WR1 going forward.
WR2: Antonio Williams. I would feed the rookie. Williams has flashed impressive talent early in this season. I love how Williams runs routes and employs quick movements that make him tough to cover. I want Williams to get plenty of attention going forward so that Washington has a good sense of what they have in Williams as they look to rebuild the wide receiver room for 2027. This begs the question of who is left in the Wide Receiver room to try and carry the Commies offense for the remainder of the season?
WR3: Treylon Burks. There is no doubt that Burks has the speed and size that separates him from the other receivers in the room. Burks presents a real downfield threat for Blough to employ. The biggest problem is not Burks’ physical skills. It is Burks’ injury history. Over the past four seasons, Burks has missed 30 games. It makes me nervous to rely too heavily on a player with Burks’ injury history.
WR4: Dynami Brown. Brown has speed and can be a serious deep threat. Unfortunately, Brown can also drop balls and completely disappear from games for long stretches. I would not be excited having to count on Brown to provide real production at this position going forward.
WR5: Luke McCaffrey. This is the Invisible Man. I only notice McCaffrey when something bad is happening on special teams. If the Commies have to rely on McCaffrey for anything meaningful, then they are in serious trouble.
There is also TE Chig Okonkwo. I would fully expect Okonkwo to pick up a fair share of McLaurin’s targets. Okonkwo is a legitimate threat, and I would prefer to see more of him than players like Brown and McCaffrey.
The Special Teams Problem
Of course, Lane’s injury is not just an issue for the wide receiver room. It also impacts the Commies special teams in a big way. I could live without having Lane as a receiver. But Lane as the return man on kickoffs and punts? He is invaluable. This is where Lane’s absence for the remainder of the season will be more felt by the Commies.
Since the injury, Washington has used McCaffrey and at times Rachaad White or Antonio Williams. Personally, I would pull Williams off return duty. Williams is now way too valuable to risk getting hurt returning a kick or punt. Of course, that means more McCaffrey in the return game. That is not great either, as McCaffrey has been atrocious in the return game this year.
For all of their warts, the Commies have been excellent on Special Teams over the past two seasons. Losing Lane is going to impact the Commies and lead them to having consistently worse starting field position. That is the last thing that Blough’s struggling offense needs.
Trade for a receiver?
Every fan’s first instinct is to go get somebody. The emphatic answer should be “NO!” The Commies are dead in the water and are going absolutely nowhere in the 2026 season. The team is 1-4-1, which puts them at 15th place out of 16 NFC teams. There is no reason at all why Peters should trade away any draft picks. The Commies roster is terribly flawed and needs every single draft pick that they have to try and rebuild for the 2027 season.
On top of that, the NFC East is a total dumpster fire. Amazingly enough, the door is still cracked open for the hapless Commies to actually contend for the NFC East crown. However, there is no reason for Peters to mortgage a draft class to chase a division title with an offense that just lost its best player. The Commies can ride with Diggs, Williams, Burks, and Brown, get more out of Okonkwo, and see what the rest of the pathetic NFC East does going forward.