The life of the NFL coach certainly isn’t boring.
That is, when NFL injuries hit a team suddenly and often severely, how does a coach suddenly prepare for the upcoming game? He has only so much practice time on the field and in the classroom, but suddenly he has fewer bodies available.
Two weeks ago, Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator David Blough lost WR1 Terry McLaurin. This week, WR Treylon Burks hasn’t been able to practice. Suddenly, Thursday’s practice saw WR Dyami Brown go down with a calf injury. Quinn was asked Friday how, in the world, a coach and a team respond to all these injuries.
Commanders rule out WRs Dyami Brown and Treylon Burks. Should see plenty of Antonio Williams and Stefon Diggs vs Rams.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) November 6, 2026
“You want to make sure the contingency plans are there,” expressed Quinn. “How do you adapt and adjust? One thing we do know is the plan often has to change. That’s no different than if it happens in game. This is what we would do if this happens.”
Boom! Late in the week, Quinn and Blough definitely are having to adapt and adjust. Now Luke McCaffrey and Van Jefferson are getting more reps in practice as they prepare for Sunday against the Rams. What do both McCaffrey and Jefferson have in common? Well, for starters, through seven games, neither has caught a pass. Are these guys ready? Well, they both do have experience in previous NFL seasons. But that wasn’t in Blough’s offense.
“You’re constantly kind of tweaking that. There are times at practice we do that intentionally. Hey, let’s see where this player is, where their knowledge is. Not every play is featured for this specific player. So we do try to stay connected to that.”
Could the Blough elect to play more tight ends at once, hoping to help the running game perhaps? In theory it sounds better, but remember Chig Okonkwo, Ben Sinnott and Colson Yankoff are not said to be good blockers in the run game.
“We do sometimes have different personnel groups, but they do play the same position. And so, that is how we adjust to that.”
Might the Commanders elevate WR Jaden Bradley for this game? If so, it would be his first action in an NFL regular-season game.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders suddenly had to change some plans this week
