The Washington Commanders' bye week has passed, and now attention turns to the squad's Week 13 tilt against the Denver Broncos on Sunday Night Football.
At 3-8, the No. 1 objective for Washington is to get as healthy as possible down the stretch. Jayden Daniels is likely to miss at least one more week — despite his own optimism — but reinforcements to the Commanders' wide receiver room are imminent.
Terry McLaurin, Noah Brown, and Treylon Burks all missed Washington's Week 11 contest in Madrid against the Miami Dolphins and should all return soon. For the latter two, this creates an interesting dilemma.
Commanders can't let Noah Brown's return interfere with Treylon Burks' development
Washington opened Brown's 21-day return window. While he was on the shelf, the Commanders signed Burks, the 2022 first-round pick of the Tennessee Titans, and he's shown some solid flashes in his two appearances thus far.
Burks is also now hurt, dealing with a broken finger, but it's not expected to be a long-term issue. He could play in Week 13, in which case he'll figure to play a significant role in the offense. In his most recent showing against the Detroit Lions, he was the Commanders' leading receiver with 58 yards on three grabs.
Once Burks and Brown are both healthy, the Commanders will have decisions to make. McLaurin, who is also back at practice this week, is ahead of both in the pecking order, as is Deebo Samuel Sr. The battle is behind them, and there's a right way and a wrong way it could go.
Given the lack of youth on the Commanders' roster, it is imperative to use the remainder of the campaign to prioritize developing any potential contributors with long-term upside. Burks, who is 25 and in his fourth NFL season, can be included in that.
Brown cannot. He is a known commodity, one much closer to the end of his NFL career than the beginning. He gives the Commanders nothing in the long run, and very little even in the moment. In the two games he played this season before his groin injury, he totaled three catches for 36 receiving yards.
The Commanders need to feature Burks in their offense more than Brown once the receiving room is back to full strength. It's the only way they'll find out what they have in him.