The Washington Commanders have activated wide receiver Terry Mclaurin off the Physically Unable to Perform list, marking the next step toward him being ready to return to the field.

"That's good news," head coach Dan Quinn said following Saturday's practice. "That'll begin the return to play process for him."

McLaurin has been dealing with an ankle injury since he reported to training camp on July 27. Like other injured players on the Commanders' roster, McLaurin will go through a ramp-up process to get ready for his debut. He was ruled out of participation for the Monday Night Football preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

"We've got a real process in our return to play that we believe in," Quinn said. "We know it works, and we'll hit all those steps as well."

With three weeks until the Commanders' 2025 season opener against the New York Giants at Northwest Stadium, Quinn said it was "important" for McLaurin to get him prepared for the game. McLaurin was not on the field for the team's final practice before its matchup with the Bengals, which is part of Washington's recovery plans for McLaurin.

Quinn added that the move to activate McLaurin is not related to the ongoing contract negotiations between him and the team.

"Definitely separate," Quinn said. "This is about him getting ready to play, which is honestly awesome. It's just cool seeing him get closer, because now you know [that] steps are getting closer to return to being on the field."

In addition to being unavailable for the Bengals game, Quinn cast doubt on whether McLaurin would be available for the preseason finale against the Baltimore Ravens because of how little time is between the two games. However, assuming he is able to hit all his markers, McLaurin could be available for Week 1.

"There's markers to hit, but it gives you a runway to be able to do that," Quinn said.

Here are some more observations from Saturday's practice:

• Quinn started his press conference by listing off players who will not participate in Monday's game. This list includes: McLaurin, Noah Brown, Jordan Magee, Marcus Mariota, Sam Cosmi, Laremy Tunsil, Brandon Coleman, Bobby Wagner, Von Miller, Javontae Jean-Baptiste, Jonathan Jones and Zach Ertz. Although players like Ertz and Tunsil will miss the game because of their veteran status, most of the players on the list have been dealing with some sort of injury. Quinn did not provide any further updates on those players other than to say that they are on the path toward being ready for Week 1.
• Quinn also confirmed that many of the starters would see action against the Bengals, although it won't be much. He said that quarterback Jayden Daniels will play "a few series." It is unlikely the Commanders will play many of their starters in the finale against the Ravens, which means this will be the only game reps Daniels will receive prior to the Week 1 opener.
• Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who wore a black "non-contact" jersey during Saturday's practice, will play in the Bengals game. Croskey-Merritt went into the medical tent against the New England Patriots last Friday and did not return to action. The team has been cautious with him, but the staff expects him to get snaps on Monday.