Terry McLaurin's status has taken on a depressingly familiar feeling in recent weeks. Head coach Dan Quinn declares his optimism about a potential return on Monday. The wide receiver goes through some stretching, but not much else, and the Washington Commanders rule him out when the final injury designations are revealed.
This is becoming an ongoing frustration. Quinn was particularly bullish heading into preparations for Washington's crucial NFC East rivalry showdown against the Dallas Cowboys. The respected coach stated that his most prolific wideout would practice throughout the week. But again, aside from some stretching and light jogging, he wasn't able to do anything else.
The Commanders won't have McLaurin for a fourth-straight contest. Quinn gave the fanbase hope, but it was fool's gold once again.
And it has to stop.
Commanders fans got more fool's gold about Terry McLaurin's injury status
Washington didn't put McLaurin on injured reserve with his quad/hip problem, but they could have. Quinn was eager to give the second-year All-Pro a legitimate chance to come back sooner than expected. He's piling on the pressure by providing this expectation to fans, and the frustrations are growing amid the Commanders' ongoing injury crisis.
It's mixed messaging. Quinn is writing checks that McLaurin can't cash right now. With Noah Brown on injured reserve (finally) and Deebo Samuel Sr.'s status in Week 7 also in doubt, the Commanders are relying on inexperienced pass-catchers and those who've spent time or are currently on the practice squad.
There are either crossed wires between Quinn, McLaurin, and the medical staff, or the coach just isn't fully grasping the seriousness of the Ohio State product's complication. Either way, it's not a good look, and fans are growing increasingly dismayed with the situation that is clearly holding the Commanders back from reaching their potential.
All they can do is wait for positive developments. This involves McLaurin getting back to doing the team portion of practice and taking things step by step. But considering how much football the 2019 third-round pick has missed, coupled with his long contract standoff over the summer, it could be a while before he gets in genuine football shape.
Nobody thought McLaurin would go through this setback. He's been ultra-reliable on the health front since entering the league. But this is precisely why general manager Adam Peters was unwilling to meet his contract demands.
Quinn would be wise to adopt a more cautious approach when discussing McLaurin's availability in front of the media. It's relatively innocuous, but it's also not helping when things don't go according to plan.