Commanders links
Articles
Washington Post (paywall)
Jayden Daniels is in line to return Sunday, but Terry McLaurin is out
The Commanders plan for their quarterback to be a full participant at practice all week after he missed Monday’s game with a hamstring injury.
After missing Monday night’s loss
with a hamstring strain, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is primed to return to the field Sunday. Coach Dan Quinn said Wednesday that the plan is for Daniels to be a full participant in practice all week. Barring a setback, that puts him in line to play in the prime-time game against the Seattle Seahawks at Northwest Stadium.
Even with Daniels back, the offense won’t be whole Sunday — wide receiver Terry McLaurin will be sidelined again. During Monday’s loss, McLaurin aggravated the quad injury that caused him to miss four games. The 30-year-old said he was “pretty optimistic” about the injury when he spoke in the postgame locker room that night, but he was uncertain about his status.
Quinn ruled him out Wednesday and didn’t provide a timeline for his return but did say he doesn’t expect the injury to be a long-term issue.
Left tackle Laremy Tunsil suffered a hamstring injury in the first quarter against the Chiefs that ultimately knocked him out of the game.
If Tunsil can’t go, it will be Brandon Coleman at left tackle. Coleman started 12 games at left tackle last year before transitioning to guard in the offseason.
The Athletic (paywall)
NFL Week 9 picks against the spread
Seattle Seahawks (-3.5) at Washington Commanders | 8:20 p.m. ET Sunday, NBC
There has been a lot of hand-wringing over whether the Commanders overachieved last season, and whether their 3-5 record here in 2025 is more indicative of what kind of team they are. Stop. This is the most player-dependent team in the league. If Jayden Daniels plays, they are good; if he doesn’t … let’s just say NBC should bring back that awful reboot of “Night Court” before showing Marcus Mariota on national TV again. (Daniels practiced on Wednesday.)
The pick: Commanders
Commanders.com
Practice notes | Jayden Daniels expected to be full participant in prep for Seahawks
Assuming he does return to the lineup, Daniels will lead a Commanders team in dire need of a win to keep their playoff hopes afloat. The Commanders have three home games over the next four weeks, with the first matchup being against the Seahawks in primetime. Seattle (5-2) is undefeated on the road with a defense that leads the league in stopping the run. The San Francisco 49ers, who opened the season against the Seahawks, are the only team to rush for 100 yards against the unit.
ESPN
Commanders’ McLaurin out
Washington has played just two games with all three of its top three receivers available. Deebo Samuel has missed one game, while Noah Brown is on injured reserve because of a groin injury and hasn’t played since Week 2. Samuel, who leads Washington with 37 catches for 326 yards, is the only one who will be available Sunday. He has dealt with a bruised heel the past three games; he had to sit out one, and in the other two he caught a combined seven passes for 26 yards.
McLaurin’s last play in Monday’s loss was a diving grab along the sideline with 1 minute, 59 seconds left in the third quarter. He did not return.
This is the same injury he suffered in a Week 4 win over the Raiders that sidelined him for the following four games.
Coach Dan Quinn said the Commanders were not putting McLaurin on injured reserve. He said the hope is that “this is not something that will knock him out for a long time.”
McLaurin caught three passes for 54 yards and a touchdown in Monday’s loss. He has caught 13 passes for 203 yards and a score this season.
Washington Post (paywall)
Tough matchup for wideouts
The Seahawks have one of the best defenses in the NFL. They’re allowing just 19.4 points per game (seventh) and 4.7 yards per play (tied for third). They have a talented secondary featuring cornerbacks Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen and safety Julian Love, all of whom have been Pro Bowl selections.
Not having McLaurin — not to mention fellow starting receiver Noah Brown — for most of the season has made it difficult for the passing game to get in sync. Because of that, Washington plans to have Daniels spend extra time working with the wide receivers, tight ends and running backs after practice this week.
A to Z Sports
3 young players for the Commanders who helped their roster stock against the Chiefs
Wide Receiver – Luke McCaffrey
The box score might not have been flashy, but the plays Luke McCaffrey made certainly were. McCaffrey continued to show that he’s one of the best kick returners in the league with a 37-yard return, but also showed his development as a wide receiver with a great catch. He only finished with three catches for 24 yards, but McCaffrey showed off with a toe-tapping grab that should grant him more targets moving forward. McCaffrey has made the most of his opportunities this season with injuries, and he looks like a real receiving option moving forward.
Commanders Wire
What can be learned from the Commanders loss to the Chiefs?
[A]s bad as this season is, and losing four of your last five is pretty bad, the Commanders still have perhaps the four most important pieces for an NFL franchise. Hey, Josh Harris is so much better than Daniel Snyder. Harris is a very experienced owner. He is a good listener and willing to spend his money on infrastructure. He is also wise enough; he understands he needs to let football people run the football operations. Next, they have an experienced head coach who knows the game and players respect. They respect him because he respects and appreciates them. They recognize he is a leader of men and respond well to Dan Quinn. They also possess a very capable general manager in Adam Peters. He is not afraid to make moves; he is decisive. But perhaps the second-most-important element is that they have a quarterback. Their quarterback is an accurate passer, one who can extend plays with his mobility and run because of his speed. More importantly, he is a hard worker during the week and in the offseason. Last week, he showed he was man enough to put the blame on himself where it should be. Players will respect and respond to that.
A to Z Sports
Commanders need an overhaul this offseason
Peters went the veteran and budget-friendly route this past offseason, like signing Von Miller after seeing how close the team got last year, and had only five draft picks to use.
The Commanders need to focus on adding younger core pieces to the roster this offseason. They also need more draft capital, with only six picks and none in the second or fourth rounds. At this point in the season, Peters needs to focus on who is actually part of the future and who isn’t, and trade whoever he can for more draft picks.
Looking at players like Daron Payne, who could likely be traded for a third-round pick or so, might be the move if you don’t plan on extending him beyond the 2026 season. This upcoming free agency needs to be approached differently as well, and Peters needs to spend money on younger players who can make an impact.
They also need to play more of their younger players this season to actually see what they have on the roster right now, including Ben Sinnott, Jordan Magee, and Kain Medrano.
The offseason is months away, obviously, but the rest of the season needs to be a real evaluation period for the roster and coaching staff to determine who can be part of the future.
ESPN
NFL Week 9 uniforms: Packers, Commanders debut throwbacks
The Commanders will rock their “Super Bowl era” alternate throwbacks against the Seattle Seahawks on “Sunday Night Football.” The design is a blend of Washington’s new name and logo with the threads the franchise wore during its Super Bowl era in the 1980s and 1990s. The lid includes white and gold stripes, and the white jersey has burgundy numbers with gold sleeve stripes and gold outlines. Gold and white stripes similarly appear down the burgundy pants. Seattle will counter with its royal blue and silver throwbacks.
Podcasts & videos
‘This is their season right here’: Commanders in must-win mode vs. Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks vs Washington Commanders | Week 9 Game Preview
NFC East links
Blogging the Boys
Hot Schotts: Brian Schottenheimer is letting the Cowboys down in one major way
The defense hasn’t been as good, to say the least, but they’ve seen improvements. Over the last four weeks, they’re actually up to 20th in EPA/play and 15th in EPA/dropback, both of which are legitimate jumps in efficiency. Matt Eberflus has drastically shifted his scheme the last two weeks, increasing press coverage by over 20%, blitz rate by 24%, and tripling his rates of both Cover 1 and Cover 0.
Schottenheimer undoubtedly played a part, small or large, in making those schematic adjustments to better fit the players Eberflus is working with. He’s also remained steady in the precise, methodical way he calls this offense, routinely setting his players up for success despite not having CeeDee Lamb for a chunk of those games.
Yet, there is still one glaring area where Schottenheimer is failing the Cowboys: aggression.
That might seem odd to say, given the way Schottenheimer’s offense frequently attacks down the field, but I’m talking about his approach to fourth downs. Schottenheimer’s predecessor, Mike McCarthy, was one of the more aggressive head coaches in the league when it came to fourth-down decision-making. Thus far, Schottenheimer has not followed suit.
So far this season, the Cowboys have gone for it on fourth down just nine times. Only nine teams have fewer fourth-down attempts, but it isn’t just a lack of attempts. Schottenheimer hasn’t been going for it when he should go for it.
According to rbsdm.com, which uses a fourth-down model similar to what many NFL teams use, Dallas has gone for it on roughly 25% of the fourth downs they should be going for it. Specifically, this model accounts for plays where a successful conversion would yield at least a 1% win probability increase; for context, the average first down carries about a 0.4% win probability increase.
Schottenheimer’s ~25% optimal go rate is one of the lowest in the league, with only the Steelers and Titans having a lower rate. The Lions and Eagles, both of whom are doing pretty well so far this season, lead the league with an 86% optimal go rate. Almost two thirds of the league is over 50%, too, hammering home just how far behind the rest of the NFL Schottenheimer has been.
Big Blue View
Giants’ Dexter Lawrence shoots back at ‘delusional’ Carl Banks
New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence on Wednesday called former Giants great Carl Banks “delusional” for saying on a recent Bleav in Giants podcast that “nobody respect you [Lawrence] anymore.”
“Those were strong words,” Lawrence said. “If that’s how he feels, f—- it.”
Lawrence had more to say.
“I don’t really know what he’s watching. He can say what he wants. I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing, trying to help us get a win,” Lawrence said. “I hope people start trying to disrespect me.”
Here is some of what Banks said:
“Dexter Lawrence, nobody respects you anymore. Nobody. Your opponents do not. The pre-injury Dexter is not there, in their heads. They don’t respect you.”
Through nine games, Lawrence has only half a sack, one tackle-for-loss, four quarterback hits and 20 total tackles. Lawrence had 21 sacks and 65 quarterback hits while making the Pro Bowl in each of the last three seasons and being named All-Pro in 2022 and 2023.
Bleeding Green Nation
Eagles-Jets trade: Philadelphia acquires Michael Carter II
Carter (not to be confused with the former Jets and current Arizona Cardinals running back of the same name) played college football at Duke before being selected by former Jets general manager and current Eagles executive Joe Douglas with a fifth-round pick (No. 154 overall) in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Since then, he’s logged 25 starts in 65 career games played. The 26-year-old cornerback has two interceptions to go with his 26 passes defensed. MC2 has a 83.4 passer rating when targeted, which is good. But it’s been 109.7 in five this games this season, which isn’t so good.
Carter has experience playing both inside and outside … but he’s mostly been a nickel cornerback in the NFL.
One would think the Eagles could experiment with starting MC2 in the slot to free up Cooper DeJean to play on the outside. CB2 has been a weakness for the Eagles all season long with neither Adoree’ Jackson, nor Jakorian Bennett, nor Kelee Ringo stepping up to really lock down that starting job.
Upcoming opponent
Field Gulls
Julian Love may be placed on injured reserve following latest setback
Love has not appeared in a game for the Seahawks since Week 4.
On Wednesday, Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald announced that the team was considering placing free safety Julian Love on injured reserve. Love has been inactive for the last several weeks due to a hamstring injury, having last appeared in the Seahawks’ 23-20 victory over the Arizona Cardinals back in Week 4.
The 27-year-old suffered a setback with his hamstring and was unable to appear in Wednesday’s practice as a result. Macdonald has said that Seattle may be moving Love to IR ahead of the team’s Sunday Night Football matchup vs. the Washington Commanders in Week 9.
[This] will likely mean Ty Okada gets more playing time, having come off his best game of the season against the Houston Texans. Okada has started in every game Love has missed. In addition, wide receiver and kick returner Dareke Young may also be heading to IR, as reported by Curtis Crabtree of FOX 13 Seattle.
NFL league links
Articles
NFL.com
2025 NFL trade deadline: 11 player-team fits that make sense
Kirk Cousins to the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota is the only fit for Cousins at this stage. The 37-year-old quarterback did his trade value no favors with Sunday’s outing against Miami. The Falcons haven’t shown much interest in dealing the QB, but as the season spirals, perhaps they’d change gears, especially with only five draft picks in 2026 at the moment. The Vikings aren’t exactly flush with assets to ship for an aging quarterback, but with Carson Wentz’s injury and J.J. McCarthy struggling to stay on the field, would they really risk flushing the season? Cousins played some of his best football under Kevin O’Connell, and perhaps the QB-friendly offense could bring him back to life. If McCarthy can’t stay healthy, the options are grim in Minnesota.
