The Washington Commanders addressed a need on Wednesday morning, agreeing to terms with veteran offensive lineman Lucas Patrick. Patrick, who has played in over 100 NFL games with 65 starts, gives the Commanders immediate depth and experience at guard and center.
To make room for Patrick, Washington placed third-year linebacker Jordan Magee on injured reserve. Magee suffered a hamstring injury in Sunday’s Week 1 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s unknown whether the Commanders designated Magee to return from IR, but that’s likely. If so, he’d need to miss at least four games.
Magee was one of four Washington players injured in Sunday’s game, joining linebacker Frankie Luvu (groin), tight end Chig Okonkwo (hamstring) and safety Tyler Owens
(ankle). Of the four, only Owens returned to practice on Wednesday and participated fully. Magee was placed on IR, while Luvu and Okonkwo did not practice.
The Commanders are reportedly optimistic about Luvu, believing it’s a short-term issue, but his status for Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys remains undetermined. If Luvu can’t play, Leo Chenal and rookie Sonny Styles would be Washington’s starting inside linebackers, with Kain Medrano as the only backup. Medrano is primarily a special-teams player.
Luvu and Magee’s injuries are likely why the Commanders brought in multiple linebackers for tryouts on Tuesday. In addition to signing Patrick, the Commanders signed linebackers Marvin Jones Jr. and Austin Keys to the practice squad.
Magee’s injury is the latest setback for the 2024 fifth-round pick. He missed nine games during his rookie season with injuries, but played all 17 last season. This offseason, the Commanders reshaped the linebacker position by using the No. 7 overall pick on Styles and signing Chenal to a three-year deal.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Young Commanders' linebacker placed on injured reserve
