Team news: Washington Commanders | Page 22

Sources say there is optimism for Week 1 for Terry McLaurin. More day-to-day than anything, with the scans showing no major injury.

Good news for McLaurin, who looks to be dealing with a mild toe sprain, or turf toe. Things appeared to be a little more serious after last night's game and even this morning. We'll keep you posted of any timetable as toe injuries can still be tricky to deal with.

49ers receiver Deebo Samuel was notably self-critical earlier in the offseason when he called his 2022 season “awful” and vowed not to repeat it.

To that end, the receiver worked hard to get into his best shape in years. After playing seven snaps and receiving two touches against the Broncos in Saturday’s preseason game, Samuel noted he can feel a difference.

“I think it’s like a little more to my step,” Samuel said, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. “Like a little more speed, so it’s a little bit more power. But overall, it felt good to get out there, get a couple of plays [under] my belt to get ready for the season.”

Samuel caught two passes for 39 yards, one of which was a short pass he turned into a 25-yard gain in preseason Week 2. He noted that his lighter playing weight should aid his stamina. With all the targets in San Francisco, many are down on Samuel this year. We rank him 19th among our WRs. In five games with likely starting quarterback Brock Purdy, Samuel led the team in targets (6.8 per game), receptions (4.4), and yards (60), so if he can stay healthy, he should find himself back in the top-20. He averaged 19.7 rushing yards prior to Christian McCaffrey’s arrival, and 15.7 after, so his rushing took a slight hit.

Kyle Philips suffered an MCL injury in Saturday’s preseason win over Minnesota, per paulkuharsky.com, an injury that will reportedly keep him out “in the range of six weeks.”

Related players: Chris Moore, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Racey McMath, Treylon Burks

If he wound up missing six weeks, according to the story, Philips would likely miss at least the first three games of the season, probably four. Philips burst on to the scene in Week 1 last year but then faded and played in only four games. Philips was slated to be the team's WR3 this season so this injury likely sets him back. Next up are Moore, Westbrook-Ikhine and McMath.

The story went on to say, the Titans will likely have to use two of their initial 53-man roster spots on injured receivers — Burks and Philips. And if the team needs to keep two healthy receivers as a result, that means two players at other positions will not survive the Aug. 29 final cut.

Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin was not happy after limping off the field late in the first half. He threw his right shoe as an indication of that.

But, hopefully for the Commanders, the initial news is a sign that maybe it won’t be a long-term injury.

The Commanders report that McLaurin has a toe injury.

It's looking like turf toe, according to reports Tuesday morning. While toe injuries can be tricky, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports X-rays were negative, which is at least some good news. McLaurin was injured on a 13-yard reception from Sam Howell with a minute left in the first half. His foot bent behind him as Ravens linebacker Kristian Welch dragged him down. He's only missed three games in his entire career.

Titans WR Treylon Burks suffered an LCL sprain during practice today, sources say after the MRI. This is good news, as Burks should only miss a few weeks. A scare, but a solid result considering.

Related Players: DeAndre Hopkins, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Chris Moore

Burks' rapidly descending ADP should continue its downward trajectory, which could certainly make him a target if Hopkins doesn't become a complete target hog in this run-heavy offense. Consider Burks a WR5 target as he falls well into the double-digit rounds, with upside if he makes a complete return close to Week 1.

Treylon Burks just made a deep catch from Ryan Tannehill for a TD. Tumbled go the ground and got up limping. He walked off with help from the trainers who were holding his left knee.

Related Players: DeAndre Hopkins, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Chris Moore

Without getting too speculative, some immediate reactions have mentioned that Burks may miss "some time". Obviously that's not very descriptive, but we'll keep an eye out for something more definitive as the day rolls on. For now, it's probably for the best to pause on drafting Burks if you can help it until official word comes down about the severity of the injury.

If there were a set of rules for Sam Howell to follow as he tries to lead the Washington Commanders' offense, one of, if not the first on the list would be to get the ball to Terry McLaurin as often as possible.

McLaurin has been a security blanket for a variety of quarterbacks as he enters his fifth NFL season. As part of an offense that has gone through overhaul at almost every position, McLaurin has been one of the only constants, and despite all the turbulence that has surrounded him, he has found ways to be productive with every signal-caller he's worked with, from Alex Smith to Garret Gilbert.

Howell is the 10th player to throw passes to McLaurin in his career, and their relationship is still growing as Howell tries to earn the role of Washington's Week 1 starter for the 2023 season. Although the two have only been working together consistently since June, McLaurin can already tell a difference in their connection, and over the last few weeks, he feels it has risen to another level, the story went on to say.

Almost nine months after tearing his ACL and MCL, Cardinals TE Zach Ertz has been cleared for full football activity.

Related players: Trey McBride

Garafolo added Ertz is on track to play in Week 1, according to a source. The three-time Pro Bowler was on pace for 86 catches, 745 yards and 8 TDs before injuring his knee in Week 10, Garafolo went on to say. The Cards could ease Ertz back into play when the season starts, but this likely means McBride's stock is going to take a hit.

Texans GM Nick Caserior says John Metchie "had a little bit of a setback in Spring" but is cleared for training camp. Metchie missed his rookie season with leukemia but is trending in the right direction.

Related Players: Robert Woods, Xavier Hutchinson, Tank Dell, Noah Brown

The current wide receiver room in Houston leaves a lot to be desired, so it would be nice to see Metchie at training camp for more than one reason. There's no reason to believe that Metchie doesn't have "leading the team in targets" in his range of outcomes but we really haven't seen him on an NFL field yet, so that optimism is best saved for the eye test.

Free-agent WR DeAndre Hopkins is expected to sign with the Titans, per source. Deal is expected to become official over the next few days.

Related Players: Treylon Burks, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

DeAndre Hopkins is an immediate impact to the entire operation of this offense and should allow Burks to operate out of slot more often which also raises his floor. Hopkins can be considered a WR2 if this goes through.