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Practice notes | Terry McLaurin, Noah Brown return to practice

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The Washington Commanders' wide receiver position has felt the sting from the injury bug more than most groups this season, but there's a chance they'll have all three of their best weapons back as early as this weekend.

For the first time since Week 2, Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel and Noah Brown were all on the practice field together. Brown, who has only played in two games this season and is currently on Injured Reserve, had his 21-day window opened earlier this week and was a limited participant on Wednesday. McLaurin -- also a limited participant -- has dealt with a quad injury since Week 3 and has played just one game in the last nine weeks.

While the Commanders are letting the process play out, the hope is that they will join Samuel for their Sunday Night Football matchup with the Denver Broncos.

"It's awesome," quarterback Marcus Mariota said after practice. "And we understand they're all working back, but at the same time, to see them out on the field running around doing their thing, it was really cool for all of us."

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."

Their presence could take more pressure off Samuel, too. Samuel, who was supposed to be a more versatile player in the offense, has had to operate more as a traditional wide receiver with Brown and McLaurin out. Samuel has made the most of the situation and been the Commanders' best weapon at times, but like Washington's struggles on the ground, defenses have been able to remove Samuel as a threat by double covering him.

Defenses should have a harder time with that once McLaurin and Brown return to the gameday lineup.

"Obviously, Deebo can play all the positions in our offense," McLaurin said. "But having a guy like myself who can stretch the field and opens up some of the underneath things...I think that definitely helps him."

And for the first time since the beginning of the season, defenses will need to account for all the Commanders' weapons.

"We all help each other," McLaurin said.

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