The results of an MRI on Commanders rookie defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis is in and it’s not good, as expected. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Mathis suffered a torn meniscus and will have season-ending surgery.
Mathis got carted off the field in the Commanders’ second defensive series of Sunday’s 28-22 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Commanders drafted Mathis this year in the second round with hopes of him joining the defensive tackle rotation with fellow Alabama alums Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne. Washington lost depth this offseason along their interior defensive line with the departures of Tim Settle to Buffalo and Matt Ioannidis to Carolina.
Mathis arrived with high hopes. Unfortunately, his rookie season is over after just one quarter.
The Commanders already felt the impact of losing Mathis. Payne and Allen were forced to play 79% and 77% of the Commanders’ defensive snaps against the Jaguars with Mathis out, according to team writer Zach Selby.
Commanders head coach Ron Rivera told reporters that the team has already started their search for Mathis’s replacement. The team is looking to add a couple of defensive tackles in the wake of Mathis’s injury.
Mathis is the second member of the Commanders 2022 draft class to suffer a significant injury. Third-round pick Brian Robinson Jr. is out at least the first four games of the season after being shot twice during an attempted armed robbery.
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