Terry McLaurin injury makes Commanders biggest loser in Week 2 of the preseason

While Rapoport suggests the injury is "not thought to be overly serious," turf toe injuries can be notoriously difficult to return from, particularly for wide receivers. 

Last season, Saints wideout Michael Thomas suffered a turf toe in Week 3 that eventually required surgery, forcing him to miss the rest of the season.

In 2019, Davante Adams experienced a turf toe injury in Week 4 against the Eagles, and he missed Green Bay's next four games.

Adams' former Packers teammate, Allen Lazard, who suffered a turf toe in college, said at the time, "You can't walk, you can't run. You can't do anything."

ESPN injury analyst Stephania Bell told Rob Demovsky, "Power with push-off -- and anything with explosive demands -- can be compromised by pain and instability, if present."

Bell added, "But even if those elements aren't a factor, the restriction of something in the shoe can sometimes hinder that ability to dig the toe into the ground and push off."

That could be problematic to McLaurin's game in multiple ways. The turf toe could potentially impact his burst off the line of scrimmage as well as his ability to make cuts while running routes.

Last season, WTOP examined his increased production on slant routes, with former quarterback Taylor Heinicke praising McLaurin's route-running ability.

"That's one of the best routes he runs," Heinicke said. 

A healthy McLaurin is paramount to the success of second-year quarterback Sam Howell, who won the starting quarterback job and has one NFL start in his career entering the regular season.

He's looked sharp during the preseason, including an exceptional performance against the Ravens on Monday Night Football during Week 2 of the preseason in which he was 19-of-25 for 188 yards and two touchdowns.

Howell connected with McLaurin on all three of his targets for 39 yards in that game. 

It's possible Howell doesn't have his No. 1 wide receiver for the start of the regular season, which would require young wideouts including Dyami Brown and Jahan Dotson to step up in his absence.

Dotson had 35 receptions, 523 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie last season. Entering his third season, Brown has 17 receptions, 308 yards and two touchdowns in his career.

More will also be needed from Curtis Samuel, who joined Washington as a free agent in 2021 and was second on the team in receiving in 2022. 

Even if McLaurin doesn't miss regular season action, it's entirely possible he is less than 100 percent due to his injury.

For a Washington team that is expected to finish last in its division, it can't afford key players missing games, let alone its best offensive weapon.

McLaurin's injury overshadowed the Commanders' exciting preseason win and could loom large over Washington's entire 2023.