Dan Quinn stated that Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel Sr. would both practice this week heading into Week 8 against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football. However, some skepticism remained among the Washington Commanders fan base.
They have heard the same tale before, especially where McLaurin is concerned. Sadly, it amounted to nothing more than a few stretches before being ruled out for four consecutive games. Samuel toughed it out until the Commanders drew the line last time out, so it remained to be seen whether his heel complication had benefited from some extended rest.
Fans are desperately looking for hope. The Commanders are 3-4 in the standings, and going to the in-form Chiefs without superstar quarterback Jayden Daniels doesn't exactly inspire confidence. But amid the doom and gloom, there was a light at the end of a very dark tunnel.
Commanders get massive boost as Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel return to practice
All eyes were on Thursday's practice to see if McLaurin and Samuel would feature. They both had helmets on. They were both in pads. And they both participated in drills with their teammates.
This is especially significant for McLaurin, who missed the entire summer through a contract standoff and featured just three times earlier in the campaign before going to the shelf. It remains a step-by-step process, but this is the most positive development yet regarding the second-team All-Pro's participation on prime time.
Samuel has only missed one game. This was sorely felt during Washington's disastrous loss to the Dallas Cowboys, but he's also making encouraging progress. Much will depend on how both players come out of their ramped-up workloads, but returning them to the fold will give everyone in the locker room a massive lift.
Marcus Mariota will be under center in Week 8. The veteran signal-caller is serviceable, but he needs the correct supporting cast around him. That means having McLaurin and Samuel firing on all cylinders, resuming their partnership that looked so promising earlier in the campaign.
Their presence won't guarantee the Commanders' success. Joe Whitt Jr.'s defense needs to make significant adjustments to stop Kansas City's juggernaut offense, which got wide receiver Rashee Rice back from suspension last week. But it gets them a lot closer.
Fans will be keeping a close eye on developments before Washington makes the trip to Kansas City. Quinn won't risk them unless there is 100 percent conviction, but everything seems to be looking up after weeks of abject misery on the health front.