Commanders' troubling Terry McLaurin situation is getting harder to explain

Terry McLaurin didn't make the trip to Los Angeles. The Washington Commanders' wide receiver is still dealing with a quad injury. However, there is some speculation about whether this could potentially be something more after he sought the opinion of the country's leading specialist in core muscle issues.

The Commanders opted not to place McLaurin on injured reserve, which would rule him out for four games. They are giving him every chance to get back sooner, but his absence from practice for a second straight week is causing real unrest among the fan base.

McLaurin did nothing more than stretch on the one day he was spotted on the practice field this week. He's going through the rehabilitation phase, and the Commanders are being extra cautious with their most prolific pass-catcher. Judging by how little head coach Dan Quinn is giving away during his pressers when probed about the subject, all fans can do is wait.

Commanders don't seem any closer to Terry McLaurin making a return from injury

The second-team All-Pro spent all summer off the field during a drawn-out contract standoff with the franchise that lasted way longer than people expected. McLaurin getting hurt was always a risk, regardless of whether he'd participated in a full offseason program or not. That's the nature of the violent NFL business, but the sketchy timeline is becoming increasingly difficult to explain.

Quinn offered nothing aside from the fact that all his injured players are trending up. He doesn't need to say anything else, but giving fans some additional clarity on the extent of McLaurin's issue and a potential return date could alleviate the uncertainty.

It's a precarious situation. The Commanders are treading water without McLaurin, but they won't achieve their lofty objectives this season unless he's making a valuable contribution. There is an urgency to get him involved. Even so, Washington cannot rush things with the former Ohio State standout and risk further complications arising at the business end of the campaign.

This isn't what McLaurin or the Commanders had in mind after finally agreeing to another lucrative contract extension shortly before the season began. Everyone has been pretty tight-lipped about the injury, and fans shouldn't expect that to change. All they can do is wait and hope for positive updates.

However, if they don't arrive sooner rather than later, there is obviously much more to this situation than meets the eye.