Midweek injury roundup for Washington after latest updates

As much as we’d like to keep waxing poetic on the Washington Football Team after their thrilling Week 13 win over Las Vegas, we have to move forward. After all, the hated Dallas Cowboys are coming to town this weekend.

This will be Washington’s stiffest challenge of the season, as Dallas, already an explosive team on both sides of the ball, is expected to get a number of key players back from injury for Sunday’s showdown.

Speaking of injuries, it’s possible Ron Rivera’s group activates some reinforcements in time for the divisional clash. We’ll get into a complete breakdown of Washington’s injury news in a minute. However, we feel compelled to start with the most large-scale update of the bunch.

On Tuesday, reports broke that Ryan Fitzpatrick, already a long shot to return this season due to his hip taking longer than expected to heal, is set to undergo season-ending arthroscopic surgery on the ailing hip.

It’ll be the Taylor Heinicke show for the remainder of 2021.

Midweek injury roundup for the Washington Football Team

Is anybody really surprised by this? The last we heard of Fitzpatrick was he was still walking around the facility on crutches and would undergo an MRI to rule out a potential setback. Seems like those tests didn’t come back as positive as they would have hoped.

Speaking of MRI’s, Logan Thomas, who was feared to have suffered a torn ACL and MCL in Sunday’s win thanks to a dirty low block from Yannick Ngakoue, seems to have avoided the worst-case scenario.

The veteran tight end will undergo further testing to determine the severity of the injury, but the fact he seemingly steered clear of a major injury is huge. Even if Thomas is unable to return for the stretch run, this update should put him on track to be ready for 2022 with plenty of time to spare.

That alone is a win.

What a relief.

OK, now let’s focus on Week 14.

Rivera told the media on Monday that Montez Sweat, who’s missed the team’s last four games with a non-displaced jaw fracture, should be cleared to practice on Wednesday, the first session of the week.

Washington will have to be diligent with how they manage Sweat’s return. Since he was placed on injured reserve, the club will have to open his practice window. Once it does that, it has a 21-day window to promote him to the active roster.

It’s unclear if this puts Sweat on track to play Sunday, but this is definitely an encouraging sign for the star edge rusher.

Washington’s pass rush has held its own without Sweat and Chase Young, but the former returning for the stretch run would be a revelation, as the defense is tied for 30th with just five sacks over the last four weeks.

Update: Sweat tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday and is out a minimum of 10 days since he’s unvaccinated. This knocks him out for Sunday’s game vs Dallas and potentially Week 15 vs Philadelphia. 

How about one more positive update for good measure?

Rivera also expressed optimism that Landon Collins, who missed Week 13 with a foot injury, would participate in Wednesday’s practice.

"“Landon came in, got treatment and looked actually pretty good. I know the doctors are going to take another look at him,” Rivera said. “We’re going to continue to monitor that for the next couple of the days. But I am anticipating, got my fingers crossed that he is cleared for Wednesday’s practice.”"

Man, imagine how much of a spark it would be if Washington can get Sweat AND Collins back in the lineup for Sunday? Speaking strictly in terms of Collins, he’s flourished in his new role as a hybrid safety/linebacker. From Weeks 8-12, he produced a stellar 72.8 defense grade from Pro Football Focus.

Collins’ presence at the line of scrimmage could make all the difference vs a Cowboys team that loves to run the football.

That’s all the news we have on the injury front for now. Check back for another update following Wednesday’s practice.