Washington Commanders star wide receiver Terry McLaurin received his large contract extension after holding out of camp this offseason, but being paid top WR hasn't quite netted the results either side had been hoping for.
Through his first three games, McLaurin has only caught 10 passes for 149 yards for 0 touchdowns, with his one game over 50 receiving yards coming last week against the Las Vegas Raiders.
In that same game, McLaurin injured his hamstring and went and got further medical opinion from Dr. William C. Meyers, one of the leading specialists in core muscle injuries. After receiving further medical advice, McLaurin's injury will not require surgery, per NFL Networks' Mike Garafolo, a good sign for him being able to return sooner rather than later.
From @NFLGameDay Kickoff: #Commanders WR Terry McLaurin’s quad injury will not require surgery after McLaurin sought multiple medical opinions this week. Still not looking good for Sunday vs. the #Falcons but at least no surgery at this point. pic.twitter.com/n7qQYm1sM1
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) September 25, 2025
If the report is true this is a huge sigh of relief for all parties involved and the fans.
Any sort of injury is less than ideal, but if you can avoid the most serious of injuries, then you can count it as a small win.
McLaurin's status for Sunday's NFC matchup against the Atlanta Falcons is unknown, but if the injury is serious enough to get multiple medical opinions, then it would be safe to say he will miss at least this week, with more games likely to be missed following.
Soft tissue injuries are always tricky, so it will be important for McLaurin and the Commanders' training staff to monitor the situation closely and not bring him back before he's 100% or he could end up reaggravating the injury, causing further missed time.
With McLaurin set to miss Sunday's action, the Commanders' wide receiver will be extremely thin, and that doesn't even factor in that Noah Brown could also miss the game due to his own injury.
Quarterback Jayden Daniels, or Marcus Mariota if he starts to give Daniels extra rest, will have limited options out wide with Deebo Samuel, Luke McCaffrey, last week's Rookie of the Week Jaylin Lane, and Chris Moore. With so few playmakers in the room, the Commanders will want to establish a running game and get creative when it comes to playcalling.
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