Noah Brown has been absent from the Washington Commanders' offense for the last 10 games, but it seems that streak might finally be over when they travel to Minnesota to play the Vikings this weekend.

When asked about the potential for the wide receiver's availability on Wednesday, head coach Dan Quinn said, "Very much in the green. High."

"I've got good optimism, and" -- Quinn tapped on the table a few times for good luck -- "that's all I'm going to say about that."

After going through what he called "the toughest stretch in my career, mentally" over the last 11 weeks, Brown is on track to return to the lineup and play in his first game since Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers. Assuming things go as planned, it would provide the offense with another boost, as it just got Terry McLaurin back from his quad injury, and its full arsenal of starting receivers for just the third time this season.

Brown, who was a full participant in Wednesday's practice, shares Quinn's belief that he'll be ready to go.

"I definitely think I'm on the right track," Brown said in the locker room. "Gotta be smart with these types of things, but I'm trending the right way."

Brown, who initially signed with the Commanders prior to the start of the 2024 season, provided immediate production for the offense with 35 catches for 453 yards. He caught a 34-yard pass during last year's Week 2 matchup with the New York Giants that moved the Commanders in range for a game-winning field goal and made the Hail Mary touchdown grab against the Chicago Bears. He also made an impact through the catches that he didn't make, drawing the second-most defensive pass interference calls in the league last year.

Brown suffered a kidney injury in Week 13 against the Tennessee Titans that ended his season early. The Commanders brought him back on a one-year deal, but Brown's injury issues continued with a knee injury during OTAs. He returned in time for the season opener against the Giants, catching two passes for 27 yards, but sustained a groin injury against the Packers. It was a soft tissue injury, which Brown said can be "a little bit dicey" with recovery times more specific to the player.

Brown's was on the longer side of things. It was a difficult time for the wideout; after missing four games with the injury, he tried to come back in time for the Week 7 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys but was placed on Injured Reserve.

"Sometimes in situations like this, you want to ask God why...certain things like that are happening to you," Brown said. "And I went through that period. Not so much why in pity, but why in 'What are you trying to teach me? What can I [do to] get better from this situation?'"

Brown leaned on his faith and family to get him through his recovery period. The team also provided him with a good support system. People who weren't even involved in the offense, like defensive pass game coordinator Jason Simmons, would stop Brown in the hallway to ask him how he was doing. Those kinds of actions, Brown said, "can push you along."

Still, Brown admitted there were difficult moments.

"There's definitely been moments where I struggled maintaining my patience and got down on myself, but it's natural," Brown said. "You can't stay in those mindsets. But feeling it and moving past it can also help."

Now that those moments have passed, Brown is excited to get back on the field. He said he had a good day of practice on Wednesday and wanted to keep building upon that for Sunday. The Commanders' coaching staff is also eager to get him back, and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said during his Thursday press conference that Brown is "a huge part" of their offense.

"He's a super talented player," Kingsbury added. "He is a guy who can really run any type of route, play inside, play outside and has a great knowledge of our system so he can help guys get lined up, and he's really a steadying presence for us when he is out there."

The Commanders went into the season believing that McLaurin, Brown and fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel would be their primary options in their passing game. While that didn't unfold exactly as they planned, they see value in getting their full complement of weapons on the field to end the season.

Brown said that having all three of them on the field together again is going to be "a problem" for defenses.

"I just plan on, when I get back out there, being at my best and threatening the defense in multiple ways."