Commanders entering full-blown crisis mode after alarming injury updates

Dan Quinn offered a promising prognosis on the Washington Commanders' injured players as preparations for their crunch rivalry showdown with the Dallas Cowboys in Week 7 gathered pace. However, the head coach was also eager to err on the side of caution regarding any bold proclamations.

Based on the events of Thursday's practice session, he was right to do so.

The Commanders are working on a short week after losing to the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football. This involved a walkthrough on Wednesday, with Quinn ramping things up on Thursday before winding things down again on Friday. After that, official injury designations will be confirmed.

Although it was only the media portion of practice, the updates were alarming. There was no sign of Terry McLaurin or Deebo Samuel Sr. With Noah Brown going to injured reserve this week, missing either Pro Bowl-caliber wide receiver will be problematic. Neither of them suiting up would be a disaster.

That wasn't all. There was no sign of defensive end Dorance Armstrong Jr., who came out of Washington's game against the Bears with a hamstring issue. He'll be eager to participate against the team that drafted him, but it's not looking especially promising. Of course, new arrival Drake Jackson was placed on injured reserve one day after signing, so to say the Commanders could be on the edge would be an understatement.

Chris Rodriguez Jr. was also absent. The running back was active on primetime but wasn't allocated a carry. Washington could have utilized his physical running style in challenging conditions, but there was clearly some concern about his effectiveness.

Couple this with stud right guard Sam Cosmi's long-awaited return looking unlikely, and the Commanders have a potentially grave issue on their hands.

Quinn won't be giving everything away just yet. Still, it's not hard to see why there is a sense of anxiousness before the team reveals who's out, doubtful, or questionable for Washington's annual visit to AT&T Stadium.

The Commanders need all hands on deck. They cannot afford to be beaten by the Cowboys. That would leave them at 3-4 heading into another Monday Night Football game on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs. Things are right on the cusp of unraveling, and these injury concerns are doing Quinn no favors whatsoever.

Fans are nervously awaiting what comes next. All they can do is hope, but it would be a big surprise if all of the players mentioned above managed to prove their fitness, with time of the essence.