Commanders Injury Report: Key defender misses practice, while Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel trending to return Week 8 vs Chiefs
The Commanders have help on the way, but also a major injury to monitor.
The Washington Commanders are set to hit the road for a much-needed win against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football.
Injuries have added up since the season started, but key players are starting to make their return, while a top defender is listed with a new injury. Head coach Dan Quinn said earlier this week that both wide receivers Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel would be full participants this week, with the expectation of playing Monday night.
Meanwhile, Daron Payne, who is the best defender not injured, has missed two straight days with a toe injury that just popped up. The defense is making changes this week, and the last thing they can afford is to be without Payne on the defensive line.
Commanders’ Friday Injury Report
| Player | Injury | T/F/S | Designation |
| QB-Jayden Daniels | Hamstring | DNP/DNP | — |
| DL-Daron Payne | Toe | DNP/DNP | — |
| TE-Colson Yankoff | Hamstring | —/Limited | — |
| OL-Sam Cosmi | Back | DNP/Full | — |
| WR-Terry McLaurin | Quad | Full/Full | — |
| WR-Deebo Samuel | Heel | Full/Full | — |
| LB-Bobby Wagner | Thumb | Full/Full | — |
Injury Observations
Payne has been back to playing at a high level all season, and even in a blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys, he made plays, including a safety. The defense is going to have to shift to more of a 3-4 look with Deatrich Wise and Dorance Armstrong out for the season, and Frankie Luvu will get a lot of looks on the edge as an outside linebacker. Payne, Eddie Goldman, and Javon Kinlaw were the interior defensive linemen on a majority of the 3-4 looks against the Cowboys. Losing Payne would cause another shift, with Johnny Newton likely coming in.
Quarterback Jayden Daniels has already been ruled out for Monday night, and Marcus Mariota is getting the start. and help is on the way as well. McLaurin and Samuel both practiced for the second consecutive day, and they look like they are set to play against the Chiefs.
McLaurin missed the last four games after suffering a quad injury against the Las Vegas Raiders, and his absence has been felt. Samuel has been playing through a bruised heel for weeks, but only missed the game against the Cowboys. Neither wide receiver has played together since Week 2, and we are now heading into Week 8. Of course, the defense has been a liability, but injuries to key players haven’t helped the season go as planned either.
Hopefully, Payne will be ready to go with the extra day this week, but getting back McLaurin and Samuel will be huge for Mariota as he looks to get a major upset against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in primetime.
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