Terry McLaurin's murky injury status looms over Commanders

Sam Howell has gotten rave reviews from the Washington Commanders this summer. He not only earned the starting quarterback job, but he gained the confidence of his coaches and teammates. For the first time in a very long time, the franchise feels like they've found its guy.

"I think there's not that question mark still, you know what I'm saying?" Commanders coach Ron Rivera said last week. For three seasons I've always felt that I had a question mark (at quarterback). Now you feel like, ‘OK, this is pretty good.'"

It is pretty good. But there's also one good way to turn everything bad quickly:

Take the young quarterback's No. 1 receiver away.

That hasn't happened yet, and it may not happen at all, but there certainly is a red alert going on in Washington over the last week or so as receiver Terry McLaurin continues to sit out with an injured toe. He suffered the injury more than a week ago, late in the first half of the Commanders' second preseason game. The X-rays were negative, Rivera said, and so was the MRI — at least "for the most part," the coach said.

It's that "for the most part" part that still has everyone worried, because Rivera also said he hoped to have McLaurin back on the field this week. That hasn't happened yet.

There is plenty of time of course, and the Commanders are right to be cautious. The more rest their No. 1 receiver gets, the better the chances are that he'll be ready — and close to 100 percent, they hope — by Opening Day. But they haven't given much information on his status, so until he's actually on the field it's impossible to know for sure.

The only thing that is clear is that the Commanders desperately need him. Howell, a 22-year-old who'll be making just his second NFL start on Sept. 10 against the Arizona Cardinals, needs all the help he can get.

"Terry's a unique and special individual," said offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. "But one thing we understand: The game must continue to go on. Terry wouldn't want us to be overly concerned about what is going on and what's taking place with him because that's the competitor that he is."

That may be true, but there's nobody in the Commanders' organization that doesn't understand McLaurin's importance — and that he is indeed "unique and special". He caught 77 passes for 1,191 yards and five touchdowns last season, despite playing for three different quarterbacks — and, quite frankly, being subjected to some awful quarterback play.

He stood out above the mess.  He averaged 15.5 yards per catch, which ranked sixth in the NFL. He has had at least 77 catches and 1,000 receiving yards in each of the last three seasons, despite playing for a ridiculous eight different quarterbacks during that time.

This season was going to be different. Howell and McLaurin were already bragging about their chemistry. Howell has other weapons in his arsenal — the speedy Jahan Dotson, the shifty Curtis Samuel — but the 27-year-old McLaurin figured to be the one the quarterback would lean on the most in the big spots.

Every quarterback has a receiver like that. And young quarterbacks absolutely need one. There are going to be ups and downs for Howell, no matter how well his first full season as a starter goes. McLaurin is the type of receiver he needs when he's looking for someone to bail him out.

And yes, McLaurin is that good. He is arguably the most underrated receiver in the league.

"I don't know when Terry has ever been underrated," Bieniemy said. "We loved him coming out (of college). I have known all about him. There's no hidden secret and there's no surprise to his mental ability, his physical capabilities. I just love the person. I love the role model, and I love the leader, and I love the things that he brings to this organization and to our locker room."

It's what he brings to the field, though — and specifically to his quarterback — that is so important. It's not that Dotson and Samuel aren't good. It's that McLaurin is better. It's that he's more reliable and better in the clutch. Dotson and Samuel are going to do their jobs and they'll be a huge help for their young quarterback.

But every quarterback needs that one guy that he'll look to for a big play when he needs one the most. He needs that one guy who he knows will be open when a play is breaking down. He needs the one guy he knows he can rely on for exactly what he needs every time.

Every quarterback needs that. But young quarterbacks need that even more. So if McLaurin is not available at the start of the season, or even if he's just not 100 percent, that's a huge hit for Howell to have to take.

It would be a huge hit for the team, too, because as Bieniemy said, McLaurin "helps others around him to be better. That's what you want when you have role models like that in your locker room. You have a chance. You have a chance because those young guys get to learn from such an ultimate professional on what it's like to be a professional at this level."

He is what Justin Jefferson is to the Vikings, what Ja'Marr Chase is to the Bengals, and what Stefon Diggs is to the Bills. Take any of them away from their teams and everything is different — even with the veteran quarterbacks they have. For a young quarterback, it's just much worse.

So yes, it's understandable if there are some frayed nerves around D.C. with very little information about McLaurin's injury leaking out. Maybe it really is nothing. Maybe he'll be back at practice soon. Maybe this is all just a way of wrapping him in bubble wrap to make sure he's there on Week 1.

If so, that's great, because Howell and the Commanders really need him. And starting next week, their jobs become exponentially more difficult if McLaurin isn't there.

Ralph Vacchiano is the NFC East reporter for FOX Sports, covering the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.