The Washington Commanders were dealing with some severe injury concerns heading into their Week 4 game against the Atlanta Falcons. If head coach Dan Quinn thought things couldn't get much worse, he was gravely mistaken.
This was an afternoon to forget. The eventual scoreline didn't reflect how one-sided the contest was, for the most part. It was always going to be difficult without so many key personnel, but one cannot view this performance and lack of execution without feeling pessimistic.
If their second defeat wasn't bad enough, the Commanders are also reportedly dealing with another possible long-term absence. And it's within a position group that isn't exactly blessed with great depth.
Commanders could lose Javontae Jean-Baptiste for the season as injury crisis deepens
Second-year edge rusher Javontae Jean-Baptiste went out at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium and was ruled out almost immediately after. He will undergo further testing in the coming days, but Nicki Jhabvala from The Athletic confirmed that the team believes that he has suffered a torn pectoral muscle.
Commanders’ DE Javontae Jean-Baptiste will undergo an MRI back in northern Virginia, but the team’s fear is that he tore his pec in today’s loss in Atlanta, per source.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) September 28, 2025
If their fears are confirmed, Jean-Baptiste will be out for the remainder of the season. The 2024 seventh-round pick was carving out a bigger role for himself, and he's flashed moments of genuine promise. This is yet another hole that needs to be filled, so Adam Peters must think on his feet and find an alternative solution for this latest problem.
The Commanders have veteran Preston Smith to call upon in Jean-Baptiste's absence. He's been a healthy scratch over the last two games as he works his way back to genuine football shape. That process needs to be sped up if the Notre Dame product is to go on the shelf as expected.
This is another blow that Quinn must navigate. His roster has been decimated at the worst time. Every team deals with injuries, but the Commanders are having to cope with more than almost any other franchise right now.
It's affecting Washington's ability to generate early momentum. Jean-Baptiste might have only been a rotational player. Still, it's yet another contributor set for an extended period on the sidelines at a time when the Commanders have their fortunes this season hanging in the balance.
Jean-Baptiste will be hoping for good news, but it doesn't look good. Quinn must continue to roll with the punches and go with the next man up. That's the only way Washington is going to dig itself out of an ever-growing hole.
The injury bug has hit the Commanders hard, and it shows no signs of leaving.